Cristóbal Carbine
Armería San Cristóbal · Carbine · Discontinued · 1950
Also known as: San Cristóbal Carbine, Carabina Cristóbal, Kiraly-Cristóbal, Cristóbal Modelo 2
Overview
The Cristóbal Carbine is a Dominican select-fire carbine chambered in .30 Carbine, designed by Hungarian engineer Pál Király and produced by the Armería San Cristóbal from 1950 to 1966. It uses a lever-delayed blowback action and a distinctive dual-trigger arrangement, with a front trigger for semi-automatic fire and a rear trigger for fully automatic fire. Robust and inexpensive to manufacture, it served the Dominican Armed Forces and saw use throughout Central and South America.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3550 g (125.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 945 mm (37.20") |
| Barrel Length | 412 mm (16.22") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Dual Trigger |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 607 m/s (1991 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1311 J (967 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 300 m (328 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 580 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .30 Carbine · primary — also known as 7.62x33mm, .30 M1 Carbine
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Lever Delayed Blowback, Dual Trigger Select Fire, Wooden Stock, Side Mounted Magazine
Variants
- Cristóbal Modelo 2 — Select Fire
Service history
Operators
- Dominican Armed Forces · adopted 1950 · as Carabina Cristóbal
- Cuban revolutionary forces
Conflicts
- Dominican Civil War (1965)
- Cuban Revolution (1953-1959)
Production
Estimated total produced: 200,000 · Production years: 1950-1966
Over 200,000 reportedly produced before the Dominican government wound down domestic arms manufacture following Trujillo's 1961 assassination.
Origin
Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Designer: Pál Király
Discontinued: 1966
Notes
The name references the San Cristóbal Province, birthplace of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. The most common version is the Modelo 2. A semi-automatic-only single-trigger variant was also produced. Overall length and weight figures cite the typical select-fire model.
Background
Pál Király, a Hungarian small-arms engineer behind the Danuvia 39M submachine gun, emigrated to the Dominican Republic in 1948 and adapted his lever-delayed blowback design to the American .30 Carbine cartridge, giving the small Caribbean nation its own domestically produced military carbine.