Gnome et Rhône R5
Gnome et Rhône · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1944
Also known as: Gnome et Rhône R5 Sten, R5
Overview
The Gnome et Rhône R5 is a French submachine gun chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, produced from late 1944 following the Liberation of France by aircraft-engine maker Gnome et Rhône. A modified copy of the British Sten Mk II, it fires from an open bolt via simple blowback and feeds from a 32-round side-mounted box magazine. The R5 differs from the standard Sten in having a solid wooden stock, a barrel roughly 60mm longer than the original, a Thompson-inspired vertical foregrip, and a sliding bolt safety to lock the bolt in the forward position. Built to metric dimensions, its parts were not interchangeable with British-made Stens.
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 256 mm (10.08") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 32 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 537 J (396 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 550 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 254 mm (10.00") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Parkerized |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Sliding Bolt Safety
- Features: Open Bolt Operation, Side Mounted Magazine, Solid Wooden Stock, Vertical Foregrip, Simple Blowback, Tubular Receiver, Lengthened Barrel
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1944 · as R5
- French Forces of the Interior · adopted 1944
Conflicts
- World War II (1944-1945)
- First Indochina War (1946-1954)
Production
Estimated total produced: 8,000 · Production years: 1944-1945
Roughly 8,000 delivered of a planned order of up to 20,000; production ceased November 1945.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Originally contracted for a planned run of up to 20,000 guns intended for French Communist Party (PCF) militias, the program was uncovered by the Gaullist government, which seized the weapons for the regular French Army. Only around 8,000 were delivered before production ended in November 1945.
Background
The R5 was covertly ordered to arm French Communist Party militias in the chaotic months after Liberation, but the Gaullist provisional government discovered the scheme and confiscated the whole production run for the regular army, quietly foiling a would-be communist arsenal.