A buddy of mine let me check out his H&R Reising Model 60 .45 ACP semi-auto rifle and I did a thorough take-down and clean up to get to know it a bit better.

Never having handled one, I was very curious to see what it is all about.

I believe there were less than 3,500 of the Model 60's produced......this one is serial number 846 and would be an early production.

The Model 60 is the semi-automatic version of the H&R Model 50 which was the full auto version that was used mostly by US Military forces during WWII.

It was competition for the Thompson and a much lighter weapon than the Thompson.

This semi-auto version was primarily designed for use by stateside law enforcement or by guards at factories, etc.

These were produced from 1942 until about 1949 or so.

The Model 50's are still selling on auctions to those class 3 folks who are looking for an entry level full-auto weapon and they sell in the $7,000-$8,000 range on average.

These Model 60's are selling between $2,500 and $3,500 depending on condition.

Here are a few photos....enjoy!

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

I bought one back around 1960 from one of the local livestock auction gun dealers. I think I paid $50 for it. I sold it to someone for about the same price after I had my fun with it.

And you could purchase surplus 1911's, M1 Carbines and Garands for not much more back in the day......who'd of thought!

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

Very cool. My agency had a model 50 in the armory. A fun gun to shoot and a blast in full auto.

After WWII a lot of model 50s were surpluses out to LE. The small department I started at had one with two 12 round and two 20 round magazines. With non-cantalured cases it ran fine, even cycling 185 grn SWC reloads. With cantalured cases, it would separate the cases at the cantalure. It was surprisingly accurate in semi auto fire.

My understanding from the late Donald 'Don' Jones, Marine Raider during the battle for Guadalcanal, is that some Marines were issued Reisings and dumped them in the jungle as quickly as they could get their hands on a Garand, a Thompson, or a Springfield. According to Don they rusted internally and externally overnight in the jungle.

They were almost universally hated by soldiers in combat conditions.

However, the semi-auto versions are pretty popular and well-regarded in private hands.

Since this is a buddies M60, and he is not set up to clean I took the gun completely down and did a thorough cleaning and lube. A couple obersvation I made.....

The bolt and area inside the receiver where the bolt fits near the chamber shows some minor corrosion....my guess is from firing corrosive surplus military rounds. The bore is very clean with good shine and rifling, but just a little area at the breech end of roughness....probably from the ammo.

I believe the early guns had parkerized barrels as this one does, it also has blued parts as you can see.

The guns I see online have mostly blued finishes....

The stamping on the receiver is extrememly light and I am thinking it has been buffed and re-parked at some point.

The owner is considering selling this gun, but I told him the minor pitting and light stamping would deter from it's value.

Here is a photo of the stamping...

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

the Mbl 50 I shot couldn't fire a full mag without a jam.

My local PD had a bunch of Reising Model 50s back in the day, along with 2 Thompson SMGs. They were given to the PD after WWII by the Home Guard.
I handled a Reising Model 60 at the Tulsa Gun Show a year or so ago. Very good condition, asking price was $2500.

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John

Many Reising SMGs were sent to the Russians under Lend-Lease during WWII. Along with considerable quantities of .45 Ammo to use in them. As near as anyone knows, the Russians never used either. Some of the .45 ammo did make it back here, apparently repackaged by the Russians. But the Russians sure loved all those L-L Studebaker trucks we sent them.

I took this Model 60 over to a gun shop owner who owns a full-auto Model 50 and in his opinion this Model 60 appears to be in original condition.
The light stamp on the receiver is just that..... a light stamp.

The stock has a crack on the bottom, but nothing serious and can easily be repaired.

The minor corrosion on the bolt and inside the receiver is not serious and fairly common due to the corrosive .45 ACP ammo that was used and poor cleaning at some point.

I will take this one out this weekend and see how she functions......

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

Found this additional information.....

Notes: "The caliber .45 ACP REISING Model 60 semi-automatic subcarbine was designed by Eugene G. Reising in the early 1940's. This weapon was manufactured by the Harrington & Richardson Arms Company in Worcester, Massachusetts and was developed primarily for police use.
The REISING Model 60 semi-automatic subcarbine is identical in all respects to the REISING Model 50 submachine gun, except it has an eighteen-inch barrel and its mechanism only permits semi-automatic fire. Two variations of rear sights will be found on the Model 60. The first is like than on the Model 50. The second type is an improved aperture adjustable from 50 to 300 yards. Usually, a 12-round magazine is used with the Model 60, although a 20-round box type can also be used. A few very early production models can be found with cooling rings on the barrel, similar to those on the barrel of the M1921 THOMPSON Submachine Gun. Later models of the M60 had smooth barrels.
All REISING-developed weapons of this type have a retarded blowback action which fire from the closed-bolt position." - Thomas B. Nelson.

"Harrington & Richardson also manufactured a version of Reising's gun, the Model 60 for sale in the commercial market. The gun was capable of semiautomatic fire only and had a long. barrel (18.25") to remove it from the restrictions imposed on fully automatic and/or short barrel (under 16") weapons. It used the same type of magazines as did the military issue M50 and M55 submachine guns. The M60 was intended for use by civilian guards and security personnel. However, there is some sketchy anecdotal evidence that a few M60 Reisings may have been used by some Marine Raiders during the war. If so, such combat use of the M60 would have been very limited." - Canfield

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

We have a Model 50 that spent most of it's service life as a prison gun. It can be finicky with magazines and you'll want an extra firing pin or two, as they are prone to breakage. In fact, I wouldn't shoot one with an original firing pin in it. Fortunately, there are a couple of sources for aftermarket titanium pins that are much more durable. With a little tuning, a Reising can be made into a great shooter. They're accurate and, with a slow rate of fire, easily controllable. I'm quite partial to it.

Took some better photos today.....if I don't decide to purchase this it will most likely go up on an auction. But I plan to take it out on Sunday and see how it functions.

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

I had my fun with a Model 50. Then I disassembled it for cleaning. That was the end of my fun. I have no idea why the military accepted it for combat usage. For a firearm with ease of disassembly in combat conditions, I choose the German MP40.

Agree, this M60 is an easy gun to take-down and clean on a bench, but I can see where it would be a chore at best in the field.

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

Shot the Model 60 today and had issues with all three of the magazines which seems to be the biggest issue with these guns.

Could get off only a couple of rounds at a time before having feeding issues.

The rifle has OK accuracy, but nothing as good as my Marlin Model 45 which will punch really tight groups.

I'll pass on this one for several reasons, but it was fun getting to check one out and shoot!

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

Recall my PD had several left over in the vault from the Dark Ages.
They were known jamomatics. I recall when our SWAT guys would bring them out occasionally and shoot them.

I was always scrounging brass and picked up the brass from the Reisings. All the brass had very noticeable 'smileys' on them, The Reisings chambers must be quite unsupported. It was all just standard hardball ammo.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

My father used to service those things (model 50’s) and a couple of Thompsons for the Sheriffs dept. I always liked taking them down to the beach afterwards an blazing away. Then back for a final cleanup and wipe down. Good fun for a 13 year old kid. (They all had compensators)

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Halfway and one more step

It was reported that Marine Raiders threw some in a river at Guadalcanal.
They wanted to ensure they would never be issued to anybody for any purpose.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I can see why they would do that after shooting this one.....Cool design for sure, but has issues.

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

HK USC .45 fun gun my son enjoys shooting it.

Attached Images

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Another one of those historical artifacts in which I have very little interest, but since the .gov insists that I shouldn't be allowed to have one I think I want one (or two).

Good post!