“Excluding dueling (since it is forbidden in most countries and appears to be declining in favor even in those countries in which it is permitted tacitly or otherwise), there seem to be two primary and quite distinct uses for the pistol. The first of those uses is for target shooting (i.e. deliberate shooting with a view to getting all shots in the ten-ring on a stationary target). Its second use is as a weapon of combat.” – Shooting to Live, Captain William Ewart Fairbairn & Captain Eric Anthony Sykes, 1942

Yes, that Fairbairn & Sykes. The book originated out of their experiences in the Shanghai Municipal Police where Captain Fairbairn was Assistant Commissioner and Captain Sykes was the Officer in Charge of the Snipers Unit. Fascinating book, very down to earth and a good read if you can find a copy. Not really a coffee table book, however, depending on your houseguests. I couldn’t resist bringing their dueling comments to the readers; it is always interesting to see the context of different times. “Declining in favor” indeed. One of my lawyer friends thinks dueling should be brought back for many small claims court cases. I suspect dueling might be beneficial in resolving some of the differences of opinion in the firearms press. We could of course require that the duelers had to use whatever weapon they thought was the best…. This might make for some good field testing and future articles – by the winners.

Onward to the questions

Q – I was reading “Raffica”(Volume 9, Number 1) and saw your mention of the Beretta M57 magazine – where you talked about people converting the San Cristobal magazine to .50 caliber. I don’t have any idea of what either magazine is, but the .50 caliber conversion sounds interesting. I would like more information on this.

A- First of all, there wasn’t a .50 caliber Browning conversion done on these magazines. That would defy the laws of physics. There were a few people who wanted the San Cristobal magazines for .30 caliber carbine conversion mags, as these are very robust and reliable compared to M1 magazines. However, they do not fit into the M1/M2 carbine magazine well. I am not aware of what firearm they were working on. One discussion was using these magazines to convert M16s to .30 carbine, but I never heard any more on that project. The most intriguing discussion was using the San Cristobal magazines for a .50 Action Express conversion of the AR15 rifle. That one caught my attention. I believe 10-12 rounds of .50 AE will fit in the San Cristobal magazine and single stack present the rounds quite nicely.

The San Cristobal carbine is a select fire weapon utilizing two triggers. The influence of the Beretta engineers who worked on the project is evident in that part of the weapon, but the rest is pure Hungarian due to the designer’s background who was Hungarian. The Cristobal M2, as it is correctly called, predated the Beretta M57 by a few years. It appears that the Beretta engineers who worked in the Dominican Republic on the project took some ideas back to Beretta and cross bred the M1 carbine, the Cristobal M2, and the previous Beretta submachine guns and ended up with the Beretta M57.

We had a few thousand of these San Cristobal magazines at LMO in the late 1980s and early 90s. We might even have some left though I didn’t have time to look. I know that Bob Landies at Ohio Ordnance Works had some on the tables at Knob Creek, and Gun Parts Corporation was selling these at one time. John Bush had some as well. These were usually about $25 each.

Model: San Cristobal Carbine
Manufacturer: Dominican Republic
Notes: The marking on floorplate, 896-57, is an individual number, not a lot number. Interestingly, most San Cristobal magazines have unique numbers on them that are unrelated to the weapon serial numbers.

Category: RDS2B (Rifle caliber, Double column, Straight, presents 2 Rounds, Box Magazine)

Caliber: .30 Carbine (7.62x33mm)
Capacity: 30 rounds
OA Length: 7 15/16 inches
Backstrap: 7 15/16 inches
Max. Width: 1.040 inches
Body Width: 0.842 inches
Max. Depth: 1.870 inches
Body Depth: 1.870 inches
Construction: steel

Q –I have read a number of descriptions of the De Lisle carbine, and saw the phrase “Bolt Deadener” written there. However, I have not been able to find any information on this. Is it a new bolt face, or something in the barrel?

A – The integrally suppressed, heavily modified Enfield bolt action rifles known as the “De Lisle Carbines” are the subject of much speculation and interest. Very few were made for World War II Special Operations. Estimates run from the factory-recorded amount of production guns of 130 made, to several hundred total due to much higher serial numbers having been observed. This was, after all, a clandestine weapon and it would make sense for there to be unrecorded numbers produced, which adds to the intrigue. For such a small quantity made, there are certainly enough stories and associated lore. This is a subject deserving much more than just a Raffica question, and SAR will be returning to this with more in-depth articles in the future.

To your precise question, the “Bolt Deadener” is not a new bolt or bolt face, it is simply a wedge of softer material strategically placed in the bolt handle so that when the bolt is closed, there is no noticeable “Click” as the bolt handle contacts the receiver.

Most of the modern replicas have chosen not to do this, in fact I have not seen US replicas with this feature. When someone is operational in the theatre that the De Lisle was designed for, that little “Click” could give away a position and cost the mission as well as the life of the operator.

Q –The subject of the YAK-B that was mentioned in Raffica has me very interested. Your comments that the bolt has rollers and the receiver is a straight tube are interesting. Can you elaborate?

A – Yes, I think we can satisfy your interest with a couple of pictures. For new readers, the YAK-B series is the Russian model that is often mistaken for an M134 Minigun from a distance, or from someone unfamiliar with the M134. It is a very different mechanism.

The receiver is a straight tube, and the cam tracks are not cast and milled in like the ones in the complex US gun’s receiver. The cam tracks are bolted into place and are removable for replacement. The bolts have rollers that enable the smooth operation of the gun.

Send questions to:
Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review
Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

Q-Regarding the Suomi M31, I have studied the trigger mechanism, and it has a full auto, a semi auto and a safety position. Safe blocks the trigger from moving and Full Auto raises and lowers the sear as the trigger is pulled. That makes sense, but the Semi Auto sequence has me confused. In this mode, the whole sear is initially pulled down and then is released upwards. I do not see how this reengages the rear safety sear. A detailed sequence of firing description, or pictorial might be very interesting to me, and some readers unfamiliar with the working of the Suomi.

A- The Suomi submachine gun is a very reliable design, and quite desirable for collectors and shooters in the United States. John Ross was well known for shooting trap with a Swedish M37/39 and 9mm instant light tracer at Knob Creek, which showed just how controllable a submachine gun the Suomi design is.

The Suomi design utilizes an early form of disconnector in the semi auto mode, and it sounds like you are looking at a trigger pack and trying to figure out how it works – because outside of the system, it doesn’t. There are other factors that you need to see in order to make the Suomi disconnector seem sensible. A photo sequence is probably the best way to illustrate this.

Q-A long time ago, I bought a parts set from you for the Beretta M57 submachine gun. I have been waiting a long time for a write up in SAR, but can you at least give us some information on the magazine in the system? The one I got appears to have been “made up.”

A- That was a long time ago. And, yes, the magazine we had with the kits was “made up.” The Beretta Model 57 submachine gun was a cross between an M2 Carbine and a Beretta dual trigger submachine gun. While the M57 is outwardly very much like an M1 Carbine, and many people bought those kits because they collected M1 series guns and thought this to be the ultimate oddity, it is most decidedly not an M1 variant. I plan a feature on this system at some future point, but a bit of information might help. While also similar to and often mistaken for the San Cristobal carbine, the M57 is even rarer than that. We had only been able to track manufacturing of about a thousand of the M57s, and LMO obtained 135 parts sets from North Africa back in the late 1980s. Unfortunately, when they came in, the magazines that came with them were for the San Cristobal Carbine and did not go with these kits at all. Master Gunsmith Stan Andrewski made enough magazines out of M1 Carbine mags so that each kit could have a magazine, but these were obviously not original to the weapon.

The Beretta M57 submachine gun utilizes a dual column, dual presentation, straight bodied, steel magazine. Caliber is .30 Carbine. These are similar to the San Cristobal Carbine or US M1 Carbine magazines, but not interchangeable.

Q-Are there any Australian F1 submachine guns in the United States?- email

A- I would have to assume you are asking if there are any fully transferable or dealer sample F1s in the US, and would have to say that I have never seen one. I spoke with a few other long time dealers and collectors, and they had not run across one either. There are a few in the government museum collections. This odd submachine gun appears to be a cross between a Sterling and an Owen, but is in a class by itself. The top mounted magazine allows for getting close to cover when firing, and it is internally similar to the Sterling. These were all made at the Small Arms Factory in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia, and the production started with the X3 submachine gun and continued through the Mid 1960s as the F1. These were used by the Aussie troops in Vietnam, so it is very possible that an American GI brought one home and registered it in the 1968 Amnesty. If anyone has any information on these in the US, it would be appreciated by SAR’s readers, so please send it in.

Q- A friend said he had a “Stinger” 22 and that it didn’t need registration. It was clearly a pen gun, and not one of the fold down Stinger pistols that have been legally sold as handguns. Any truth to that?

A- Hard to tell without a photo from you. I suspect you are referring to the “Clandestine Weapon, 22sht”, more commonly referred to as the “OSS Stinger”. This was designed in 1943, and only a few thousand of these single shot, non-reloadable, throw-away weapons were made. Once fired, they are not considered a firearm. If it is still loaded, it is considered an Any Other Weapon, requiring registration with NFA Branch of ATF. In other words, if it is live and it isn’t registered, it is contraband. Expended (fired), it is nothing but a curiosity. Here is a photo comparing the OSS Stinger to the MAC Stinger, which was a 1960s design that was reloadable. These MAC Stingers are all considered to be Any Other Weapons requiring registration and transfers under the National Firearms Act.

Q-I have a friend who says the Russians are using Miniguns on their helicopters, and I wonder if the US is supplying these, or are they making Miniguns in Russia now?

A- The US manufacturer is not supplying M134 Miniguns to the Russians. They have their own design and have had it for some time. It is called the YAK-B, and it is very different from the US Minigun. The YAK-B is a four barreled gun, usually in 12.7x109mm (same as the DShk38/46 ammunition) and sometimes it is offered in 7.62x54R, although I have never seen one in this caliber, anywhere. The beauty of the Russian design is that contrary to the complex receiver made for the US M134, the YAK-B is simply a length of tube that has bolt in cam paths that can be changed if worn. This greatly simplifies manufacture and rebuild, and the bolts have large, effective rollers on them. Inside the barrels is an energy storing spring, and there are blank firing cartridges that can be fired to get a stopped gun moving again. SAR is planning a feature on the YAK-B system, but here is a picture of the 12.7 YAK-B next to a 7.62x51mm M134 Minigun system, which is the US Minigun you are referring to.

Send questions to: Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014