San Cristóbal Modelo 2

Armería San Cristóbal · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1950

Also known as: Cristóbal M2, Carabina San Cristóbal Modelo 2

Overview

The San Cristóbal Modelo 2 (Cristóbal M2) is a Dominican select-fire carbine chambered in .30 Carbine, produced at the Armería San Cristóbal arsenal and designed by Hungarian émigré engineer Pál Király. It uses a lever-delayed blowback action and a distinctive dual-trigger fire-control group: the front trigger fires semi-automatically, the rear trigger full-automatically. The magazine is mounted at a slight forward angle, a hallmark of Király's earlier Hungarian Danuvia designs.

Specifications

Weight (empty)3530 g (124.5 oz)
Weight (loaded)4250 g (149.9 oz)
Overall Length945 mm (37.20")
Barrel Length405 mm (15.94")
Action TypeBlowback
Firing MechanismHammer Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Stage
Magazine Capacity30 rounds
Magazine TypeDetachable Box
Muzzle Velocity572 m/s (1877 fps)
Muzzle Energy1300 J (959 ft·lbf)
Effective Range300 m (328 yd)
Rate of Fire580 rpm
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Variants

Service history

Operators

Conflicts

Production

Estimated total produced: 200,000 · Production years: 1950-1966

Estimates range from tens of thousands to over 200,000; roughly 19,000 were in Dominican service

Origin

Country of origin: Dominican Republic

Designer: Pál Király

Discontinued: 1966

Notes

Internally the action resembles the Hungarian Danuvia M44 / 39M submachine guns, while the external layout (dual triggers, left-side ejection, tilted magazine) echoes the Italian Beretta MAB. A shorter Modelo 1962 with a folding wire stock followed. The arsenal was part of the Trujillo regime's drive for domestic arms self-sufficiency.

Background

Pál Király, the Hungarian engineer behind the Danuvia 39M/43M submachine guns, ended up building a sophisticated lever-delayed select-fire carbine in a Caribbean arsenal, one that out-featured the U.S. M1 Carbine it competed against by offering full-auto fire and a delayed-blowback lock.