Cristóbal Carbine

The .30 Kiraly-Cristóbal Carbine, also known as the San Cristóbal or Cristóbal Automatic Rifle was manufactured by the Dominican Republic’s Armería San Cristóbal Weapon Factory.

San Cristóbal Carbine
[1]
Cristóbal Carbine used by Che Guevara (on right), modified M2 carbine used by Camilo Cienfuegos
TypeCarbine
Place of originDominican Republic
Service history
Used bySee Users
WarsCuban Revolution
Dominican Civil War
Colombian conflict
Production history
ManufacturerArmería San Cristóbal Weapon Factory
Produced1950-1966
No. builtover 200,000
Specifications
Mass3.53 kg (7.8 lb) empty
4.25 kg (9.4 lb) loaded[2]
Length945 mm (37.2 in)[2]
Barrel length405 mm (15.9 in)[2]
Cartridge.30 Carbine
ActionLever-delayed blowback
Rate of fire580 rpm
Muzzle velocity572 m/s (1,880 ft/s)[2]
Feed system30-round box magazine
SightsIron sights, adjustable from 100–500 m

History and development

Although called a carbine, the gun may be termed a submachine gun since it is identical to the Hungarian Danuvia 43M submachine gun. Both weapons were designed by Hungarian engineer Pál Király, who came to the Dominican Republic as an expatriate in 1948. The gun's name is a reference to the San Cristóbal Province, which is the birthplace of the late Dominican dictator, Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo. The Dominican Republic's military was the main user of this weapon although it was also exported to Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution.

Description

The Cristóbal had a wooden stock, 30-round bottom-mounted box magazine, and tubular receiver with a fixed cocking handle on the right-hand side. It used lever-delayed blowback for its operation. The original version was produced in 9×19mm Parabellum. The most typical version of the Cristóbal was made in .30 Carbine.

Over 200,000 Cristóbals were made by the Armeria San Cristóbal from 1950 to 1966. After Trujillo’s assassination on May 31, 1961, the Dominican government decided not to maintain a local military industry and production was slowly wound down. By 1990, the Cristóbal was no longer a standard Dominican firearm, but continues to be used for basic training in the Dominican Republic's military schools.

This carbine was used by Che Guevara during the Cuban Revolution.

Users

References
  1. Image source
  2. Johnston, Gary Paul; Nelson, Thomas B. (2010). The World's Assault Rifles. Lorton, VA: Ironside International Publishers, Inc. pp. 251–255. ISBN 9780935554007.
  3. "The military rifle cartridges of Panama de conquistadores al Canal. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  • Rifles and Pistols, Jeremy Flack, Sunburst Books 1995
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