One of the first things we put in the Vault some time ago were photos of many of the M1 Carbine development program prototype designs. Well, there were a couple guns missing, and I’ve got one of them to add today. The rifle submitted to the program by H&R (and designed by Eugene Reising) was basically a Reising submachinegun rechambered for .30 carbine. It was light, accurate, simple…and had big problems feeding and extracting.
As always, you can fine the complete set of photos at the Harrington & Richardson Light Rifle page in the Vault.
Picture numbers 9,11 & 12 aren’t of the H&R Reising. They are of the Marlin/Reising Model 42 that was tested at Aberden from 6-29-42 to 7-2-42. It was gas operated instead of delayed blowback. Of course by then the Winchester had been accepted.
There was also another H&R Reising tested at Aberdeen in September of 1941. It was gas operated and an improvement over the delayed blowback one. Weighed 6.28 pounds and was 36.75 long. Reported that the general functioning of excellent.
The Model 42 was report to be better than either of the previous 2.