Thinking about getting a Reising 50

[compuvette]

Just bought a mini and my dealer said he has a Reising in stock. Don't see myself being able to cough up the mulah for a Thompson any time soon, so....... What do you guys think? Just for reference I already have an M16, a full-size and a mini UZI, a SWD MAC-10/9mm, and a SWD M11A1 so I have all the standard bases covered.

[texasvwnut]

I thought about a Reising before getting my UZI (currently in transfer). Here are the things I liked about the Reisings:

- Cool looking (vintage)
- I personally love .45
- Won't break the bank

Things I did not like about the Reising:

- Magazines are $185+ each!
- Parts are hard to find
- Resings don't have a huge fan base
- Reputation for jamming


After I ordered my UZI, my dealer had one in stock and he let me play with it. It was really cool and I admired the fit and finish. He advised that the Reisings are good guns, but have to be maintained to function properly.

Here's my advise if you want to start looking for a Reising.

First, find a commercial model. Reisings were produced for the military (Marines) and the civilian market. The miliraty guns are typically parkerized where the civilian models are typically blued. It seems that the civilian market guns were for the most part locked away in a PD weapons lockers and there seems to be a lot that are not abused. Get a history of the gun you're considering purcahsing. I inquired about a couple and they were from PDs or Prisons where they had been in storage for many years.

Second, make sure you are getting a gun that has a 20 round mag well. The Reisings were first produced with 20 round wells but then changed to a 12 round well. The 20 round well guns can use a 20 or a 12 round magazine where the 12 round well guns can only take 12 round magazines.

Third, make sure you are getting the amont of magazines that you want with your gun on your initial purchase. The 20 and 12 round mags are scarce and are $185+ each as I mentioned. Ken Christie made some about 3,000 30 round magazines a few years back but other than the Christie magazines, your stuck with the factory originals.

Fouth, educate yourself on the Reising by purchasing, 'The Reising Submachine Gun Story', by Frank Iannamico. It's avaliable at machinegunbooks.com. I bought a copy when I was considering my purchase. It has a great history of the gun and is full of pictures and variations of parts.

If you find a good gun I believe that it would be a enjoyable purcahse. Let me know if you have any other questions. :)

[compuvette]

The gun my dealer has is a PD gun. It will take 20 or 12 round magazines. Comes with a couple 12 rounders, no 20s. I think I am gonna get it just for the "poor man's Thompson" factor. I will post pics shortly. I will pick up that book also. I am not incredibly worried about reliability problems as I will be shooting my other MG's much more. The Reising would be just for fun/collection. Anyway, thanks for all the info!

[JIMBO]

compuvette-

I believe this is the first time our paths have crossed so I would like to welcome you to the forum if nobody had done so yet, and it looks like you are having a great time here and experiencing what this site is all about. Thanks for coming.