Mystery Gun

Bucksnort1 · April 9, 2021, 09:34 PM

While TV channel surfing recently, I found an old black and white cops and robbers movie. I cannot give you the name but can tell you one of the stars is Edmund O'Brien.

I watched for about one minute, which was long enough to see part of a scene where the cops cornered a bad guy. One cop had a shoulder fired weapon, I think it was a shoulder fired weapon. I will give you the only description I have of this weapon. I'm trying to identify what it is.

The overall size reminded me of a Thompson sub machine gun. I did not notice a drum or stick magazine. For the few seconds I saw the weapon, I probably would have noticed if it had a drum magazine more so than a stick magazine. The cop held the gun with two hands at about belly button level.

Here is the interesting part. I have never seen a Thompson with a silencer, which doesn't mean they don't exist. At first glance of the barrel, it looked like there was a heavy silencer attached to the muzzle (it wasn't a Cutts (sp) Compensator) but then I realized it probably wasn't a silencer but rather a very heavy bull barrel. The entire barrel was in the bull fashion.

Does anyone know what this gun is?

Jim Watson · April 9, 2021, 10:39 PM

Sounds like a tear gas gun.

BillM · April 10, 2021, 08:00 AM

Remington model 8 or 81 police? There were several variations.

Scorch · April 10, 2021, 10:31 PM

Bean bag gun?

It helps a lot if you can narrow down the TV show or the movie, otherwise it sounds a lot like "I saw a red car that I liked. What kind of car was it?"

smee78 · April 11, 2021, 06:49 AM

An old school net launcher?

ATCDoktor · April 11, 2021, 08:26 AM

I know the movie but can’t recall the name O’Brien played a “bad” cop who murders a mafia bagman for his loot.

The weapon of which you speak is a Reising Model 50 SMG chambered in 45 acp.

Interesting history to the Reising.

BillM · April 11, 2021, 05:20 PM

The name of the movie was probably "Shield for Murder". 1954

My dad carried a Reising (very briefly--dumped it for a Thompson) during
WWII. Should have bought one when they were under $2000.

**4V50 Gary** · April 11, 2021, 06:11 PM

BillM - what was your father's dislike about the Reising?

Bucksnort1 · April 11, 2021, 11:20 PM

BillM,

BillM: I think you have nailed the name of the movie. ATKDoktor: the Reising is not the gun I saw. The movie gun had about 14" or so barrel in front of the end of the stock. The bull barrel is roughly 2" in diameter from the muzzle to the stock with no compensator. Just a straight bull barrel. Again, I don't recall what type of magazine it had.

Nanuk · April 12, 2021, 04:58 PM

A Ray gun

FrankenMauser · April 12, 2021, 05:15 PM

Maxim made 'silencers' for Thompsons.

But they weren't the full-length, integrally suppressed type.

It was probably a gas gun.

Buzzcook · April 12, 2021, 06:13 PM

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/White_Heat...5_Gas_Riot_Gun

BillM · April 12, 2021, 08:08 PM

Quote:

BillM - what was your father's dislike about the Reising?

He was never very specific---just that it was a piece of crap and he dumped it
and picked up a Thompson. He was a Marine, involved in landings on 4 islands
in the South Pacific. Didn't really talk about it at all until the last year before he passed.

az_imuth · April 13, 2021, 07:37 AM

PPSh-41...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBQNmCzcb8

Geezerbiker · April 13, 2021, 08:27 AM

Could it have been and M3 grease gun?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_submachine_gun

Tony

**4V50 Gary** · April 13, 2021, 12:35 PM

Check out the blank firing device on this Thompson at 58:32 in the Laurel & Hardy flick, Pardon Us.

https://youtu.be/ngOdkzDmiNc

Bucksnort1 · April 13, 2021, 09:12 PM

Buzzcook,

Badda Bing, Badda Boom. You nailed it, mostly. I had the movie wrong. Another member said it was a tear gas gun, which is correct. Sorry, I thought it was a center fire type rifle.

**Mike Irwin** · April 16, 2021, 02:38 PM

The Reising had a bad reputation with the Marines for jamming and general unreliability in the harsh conditions in the Pacific.

If it could be kept very clean and properly lubricated it was fine.

I fired a friend's Reising some years ago. Seemed to be very accurate and was pretty lightweight compared to his Thompson, but it just didn't feel.... sturdy.

It was one of the earliest American forays into large scale stamping of parts.

Jim Watson · April 16, 2021, 04:01 PM

Parts interchangeability was not good, either; a squad cleaning party with everybody's gun apart and reassembled promiscuously would leave you with a dud.

I wish I had bought one of the TVA surplus Reisings when they standardized on Ruger and Remington. A guy here has one and as said, it is a good shooter when kept clean and original.

Center feed magazine seemed to be a liability; they went so far as to make a 12 shot single stack for it.

Reloadron · April 16, 2021, 04:15 PM

Off Topic But...

BillM:

Quote:

He was never very specific---just that it was a piece of crap and he dumped it
and picked up a Thompson. He was a Marine, involved in landings on 4 islands
in the South Pacific. Didn't really talk about it at all until the last year before he passed.

Similar in that my dad had a Resising and also dumped it when they landed on Guadalcanal and grabbed an M2 Carbine. He used that for the remainder of the island hopping through the South Pacific. He said he just couldn't hold it down and didn't like it. He had trained with an 03A3 and I gave him one as a gift. It reverted to me when he passed. Anyway he never cared for the Reising and it was easy to get something else from someone who no longer needed a gun at the time.

Ron

April 9, 2021, 09:34 PM	#1
Bucksnort1 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2013 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 1,121	Mystery Gun While TV channel surfing recently, I found an old black and white cops and robbers movie. I cannot give you the name but can tell you one of the stars is Edmund O'Brien. I watched for about one minute, which was long enough to see part of a scene where the cops cornered a bad guy. One cop had a shoulder fired weapon, I think it was a shoulder fired weapon. I will give you the only description I have of this weapon. I'm trying to identify what it is. The overall size reminded me of a Thompson sub machine gun. I did not notice a drum or stick magazine. For the few seconds I saw the weapon, I probably would have noticed if it had a drum magazine more so than a stick magazine. The cop held the gun with two hands at about belly button level. Here is the interesting part. I have never seen a Thompson with a silencer, which doesn't mean they don't exist. At first glance of the barrel, it looked like there was a heavy silencer attached to the muzzle (it wasn't a Cutts (sp) Compensator) but then I realized it probably wasn't a silencer but rather a very heavy bull barrel. The entire barrel was in the bull fashion. Does anyone know what this gun is?

April 10, 2021, 10:31 PM	#4
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Bean bag gun? It helps a lot if you can narrow down the TV show or the movie, otherwise it sounds a lot like "I saw a red car that I liked. What kind of car was it?" __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

April 11, 2021, 06:49 AM	#5
smee78 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,918	An old school net launcher? __________________ We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located, among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are

April 11, 2021, 06:11 PM	#8
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,832	BillM - what was your father's dislike about the Reising? __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

April 12, 2021, 04:58 PM	#10
Nanuk Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2005 Location: Where the deer and the antelope roam. Posts: 3,082	A Ray gun __________________ Retired Law Enforcement U. S. Army Veteran Armorer My rifle and pistol are tools, I am the weapon.

April 9, 2021, 10:39 PM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,537	Sounds like a tear gas gun.

April 10, 2021, 08:00 AM	#3
BillM Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2009 Location: Amity Oregon Posts: 791	Remington model 8 or 81 police? There were several variations.

April 11, 2021, 08:26 AM	#6
ATCDoktor Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2006 Posts: 172	I know the movie but can’t recall the name O’Brien played a “bad” cop who murders a mafia bagman for his loot. The weapon of which you speak is a Reising Model 50 SMG chambered in 45 acp. Interesting history to the Reising.

April 11, 2021, 05:20 PM	#7
BillM Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2009 Location: Amity Oregon Posts: 791	The name of the movie was probably "Shield for Murder". 1954 My dad carried a Reising (very briefly--dumped it for a Thompson) during WWII. Should have bought one when they were under $2000.

April 11, 2021, 11:20 PM	#9
Bucksnort1 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2013 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 1,121	BillM, BillM: I think you have nailed the name of the movie. ATKDoktor: the Reising is not the gun I saw. The movie gun had about 14" or so barrel in front of the end of the stock. The bull barrel is roughly 2" in diameter from the muzzle to the stock with no compensator. Just a straight bull barrel. Again, I don't recall what type of magazine it had.

April 12, 2021, 05:15 PM	#11
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Maxim made 'silencers' for Thompsons. But they weren't the full-length, integrally suppressed type. It was probably a gas gun. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

April 12, 2021, 06:13 PM	#12
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/White_Heat...5_Gas_Riot_Gun

April 13, 2021, 07:37 AM	#14
az_imuth Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 306	PPSh-41...? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBQNmCzcb8

April 13, 2021, 08:27 AM	#15
Geezerbiker Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Location: Willamina, OR Posts: 1,908	Could it have been and M3 grease gun? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_submachine_gun Tony

April 13, 2021, 12:35 PM	#16
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,832	Check out the blank firing device on this Thompson at 58:32 in the Laurel & Hardy flick, Pardon Us. https://youtu.be/ngOdkzDmiNc __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

April 13, 2021, 09:12 PM	#17
Bucksnort1 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2013 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 1,121	Buzzcook, Badda Bing, Badda Boom. You nailed it, mostly. I had the movie wrong. Another member said it was a tear gas gun, which is correct. Sorry, I thought it was a center fire type rifle.

April 16, 2021, 02:38 PM	#18
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,381	The Reising had a bad reputation with the Marines for jamming and general unreliability in the harsh conditions in the Pacific. If it could be kept very clean and properly lubricated it was fine. I fired a friend's Reising some years ago. Seemed to be very accurate and was pretty lightweight compared to his Thompson, but it just didn't feel.... sturdy. It was one of the earliest American forays into large scale stamping of parts. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 16, 2021, 04:01 PM	#19
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,537	Parts interchangeability was not good, either; a squad cleaning party with everybody's gun apart and reassembled promiscuously would leave you with a dud. I wish I had bought one of the TVA surplus Reisings when they standardized on Ruger and Remington. A guy here has one and as said, it is a good shooter when kept clean and original. Center feed magazine seemed to be a liability; they went so far as to make a 12 shot single stack for it.