Need some help and opinions from Reising folks!

[prebans]

This may be an odd request, but any help and opinions are appreciated.

My Dad came to SAR with me and saw the prices of MGs. Then he saw the Reising and its (relatively) low price. This got him interested. Then he got home and looked it up online. I don't know what he read or where he found it, but now he questions whether the gun is anything but garbage.

I told him what I know- more of a police than a military grade weapon, low capacity mags (but a drum from BarrelXchange possibly on the way), C&R...

Please comment here with info and opinions (good AND bad, please!) on the Reising. He's not on UziTalk but I will bring him to this thread to see what everyone has to say.

Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Mike

 

[MuzzleFlash]

They are most definitely not an all weather, all around assault weapon. Personally, I like shooting mine and get a kick our of the way folks at the range have no idea it's a FA until the shooting begins. Some folks (mostly old farts like me) also enjoy them for their history.

There are 30 round Christie Reising mags to be had for around $75. They are well made. Awhile back, Numrich was peddling 20 rounders for around $50 that required some touch up work (like deburing the feed lips and, in some cases, replacing the spring).

Broken firing pins and missing fins on the compensator are common complaints. The guns are also quirky. For instance you should pull the bolt back a bit when switching into (or is it out of?) FA. Like any 60 year old MG, the parts are drying up.

I would suggest your dad shoot one if he's selective about his MGs. I'm glad I bought mine and still enjoy shooting it.

 

[gunguy45]

I like mine, I wouldn't want to stake my life on it, but it is great fun to shoot.
Mine took a little work( a new selector swich, firing pin, & springs)to get running, but for the last 12 years not a hitch.
Just keep it clean & feed it decent ammo.
A lot of people give it a bad rap due to the Marines experiences on Guadelcanal.

 

[ptrthgr8]

They're definitely the most under-rated FA out there. Thompson snobs hate them because... well... they're not Thompsons. Everyone else thinks they're junk simply because they were miserable failures as military weapons (i.e. lots of places for sand, dirt, etc. to enter the action). They're extremely well made (Harrington and Richardson know a thing or two about making guns), they're great shooters, they pretty darned accurate, too (one of the few closed-bolt SMGs out there), and for the moment the prices are reasonable (in terms of NFA stuff).

I've had mine (a 1943 vintage) for two years now, have put perhaps 2000 rounds through it, have had nothing but great fun with it, and haven't had any issues at all. I definitely love mine:

Firing pins do break, but I've broken a few firing pins on my Mosin Nagants and Mausers, too. It's probably one of the weakest parts (i.e. most prone to breakage) on any firearm, so it's almost certainly going to be more common on a FA.

The biggest drawback to the Reising (IMHO) is the relative scarcity of replacement parts. I bought a handful of spares (firing pins, extractors, bolts/screws, etc) when I first got my Reising and have noticed that parts haven't exactly been getting easier to find. It's an old gun and one that wasn't around for very long (unlike the Thompson) and it has yet to really catch on with the majority of FA shooter (most folks who want a WW2-era .45 ACP subgun seem to go for the Thompson... which is fine, but I don't have $15K to spend on a toy. ).

You can probably get a MAC or a cheaper Sten of some sort for less than or close to the price of a Reising, but it won't be nearly as much fun. On semi the Reising is a great little carbine that shoots a fat round with surprising accuracy (again, largely in part due to the closed bolt design). In full-auto it's a nice controllable SMG that shoots a lot of those fat rounds in a hurry. Plus, I like the wood stock... there's just something about wood n' steel that makes me smile.

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

 

[coyle311]

Not garbage! I have 2, and they're my favorite sub-guns. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I've never had a faiure to feed or fire with any ammo in either of mine. Only thing I did to them was replace springs with Wolff spring kit.

 

[gushti]

Sorry guys, IMO pure garbage! Mine doesn't work well, breaks everytime and I regret bying it. The term you get what you pay for certainly applies. Like anything else, if you want quality you have to pay for it. Spend a little more and buy some thing worth having MP-40 maybe? mine has never failed. You like wood and steel, try looking at an MP-18 or MP-28. Yes I'm partial to German guns, a little more but worth every cent. I purchased a 1921A Thompson at the SAR show just to give U.S. weapons a second chance!

 

[ptrthgr8]

Well, it's certainly fair to say there's a lemon in every crowd, but I don't think your experience is common. I know a couple of dozen Reising owners across the coutry and they're all completely fond of their Reisings. True, the German guns are great and all, but I know a couple of folks with MP-40s that are basically paperweights... so the lemon factor can apply to any firearm, not just Reisings.

When you do decide to make a purchase, buy one from someone you trust to provide post-sale support as well as pre-sale support. I bought mine from a local fellow who's been in the Class III business for quite a while (Rover Dave buys from the same guy) and he's definitely top-notch.

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

 

[coyle311]

gushti, if you want to get rid of that garbage cheap, let me know.

 

[gushti]

Well, yes the lemon factor can apply to anything. I've never heard of any MP-40 paperweights. They are regarded as one of the most respected WW2 subguns ever made. Also one of the most sought after by collectors and shooters alike.

No I don't want to sell it cheap. It's already the cheapest subgun on the market.

I'm not here to piss on anyones parade , the man asked for an opinion about the gun, and he deserves to hear some, both good and bad like he asked.

Just for the record, I was very impressed with the 20 rounds I got out of my Reising. I haven't given up on it yet. I would love to have it work as well as some of yours out there. I plan on buying some Wolf springs and am going to try to have some stainless steel firing pins made.

 

[ptrthgr8]

Well, yes the lemon factor can apply to anything. I've never heard of any MP-40 paperweights. They are regarded as one of the most respected WW2 subguns ever made. Also one of the most sought after by collectors and shooters alike.

Yup, totally understood. I was just pointing out that even the vaunted MP-40 (and other classic weapons) can ocassionally disappoint.

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

 

[az paul]

I've had a Model 60 (semi) for seven years and a Model 50 (full) for three years and never had a problem with either one. Haven't shot them a lot, but have fed them different kinds of ammo and they digest them all. They are easy to keep on target and have very light recoil.

As someone already pointed out, it's imperative to buy from a reputable dealer.

 

[PaulF]

I'm with the majority of posters here, I absolutely love my Reising. It's my first full auto and my budget kept me limited to about $5000.00. After a lot of agonizing on what to do I bit the bullet and went for the Reising. Even though I had read a ton of negative press on it I figured pretty much ANY firearm can be made to run right. And like others said it has that lovely wood stock.

The other deciding factor was the fact that it was a C&R gun, for less than $4000.00 I was into the NFA game with the gun delivered to my front door. Personally I think C&R guns are more desirable just for the fact that if you have your C&R license you can skip going to a dealer, now that's cool!

I picked up 3 of the Christie 30 round magazines and my particular gun runs freakin' great. All I do is a quick strip and clean after each range session and I'm good to go with no stoppages next time out.

I really think they are the most underrated subgun on the market. I've played with a few Thompsons and I can't understand the prices they bring, they work great, but $15,000, $25,000, $35,000, and up??!?!?!!!! That's insanity to me! They both fire the same cartridge, I guess the Thompson just has that "Gangster" appeal, I can't figure it out though.

Good luck to him on whatever he decides, personally I think he would enjoy a Reising. Everyone that has shot mine has a big grin afterwards, including me!

Is there any way you could get your dad hooked up with someone locally that might let him run a few mags through their Reising? That might be a good way to help him make up his mind before such a signifigant outlay of cash.

 

[gunguy45]

Well, yes the lemon factor can apply to anything. I've never heard of any MP-40 paperweights. They are regarded as one of the most respected WW2 subguns ever made. Also one of the most sought after by collectors and shooters alike.

No I don't want to sell it cheap. It's already the cheapest subgun on the market.

I'm not here to piss on anyones parade , the man asked for an opinion about the gun, and he deserves to hear some, both good and bad like he asked.

Just for the record, I was very impressed with the 20 rounds I got out of my Reising. I haven't given up on it yet. I would love to have it work as well as some of yours out there. I plan on buying some Wolf springs and am going to try to have some stainless steel firing pins made.

Gushti,
Just a quick question, does your gun give you singles, and 2 or 3 rd. bursts only when on full auto? What is it doing, and not doing?

Pete

edit: sorry I just re-read your post on the firing pins.

 

[Garrett]

All I do is a quick strip and clean after each range session and I'm good to go with no stoppages next time out.

That's a good habit to get into. I've found that my Reising is less forgiving of letting crud build up. As long as I keep it clean, it runs well. It's not like a MAC or an Uzi which can run thousands of rounds (literally) between cleanings.