Lighter, more accurate, and cheaper to produce than the M1 Thompson, the M50 Reising was a promising piece of hardware—at least on paper. However, several shortcomings far outweighed any positives.

The M1928A1 Thompson weighed a hefty 11 lbs. (more than an M1 rifle), and could fire fully automatically at a rate of approximately 700 rounds per minute or semi-automatically.

The World War II M1 Carbine Was Ahead of its Time Key Point: The M1 Carbine was accurate and effective out to 300 yards and much easier to handle in close quarters combat than the big and heavy ...