Welcome to at the moment’s Photo of the Day! Because the U.S. Marine Corps modernized its infantry arsenals in World Warfare 2 and past, it sought cost-effective .22 caliber rimfire trainers to instill marksmanship fundamentals. The Corps turned to an unconventional supply – Harrington & Richardson’s compact .45 ACP Reising submachine gun. In 1943, H&R primarily scaled down the distinctive Reising working system right into a .22 LR semiauto carbine dubbed the Mannequin 65. With ergonomics matching the brand new M1 Garand service rifle, hundreds of those spartan .22s supplied economical preliminary coaching for Leathernecks deploying into the Pacific campaigns. After VE Day, H&R tried in useless to market a sportier industrial model known as the Leatherneck Mannequin. However when the Marine Corps re-equipped with the M14 in 1958, the unique Mannequin 65 design underwent minor revisions into the brand new MC58 coach. The important thing replace was relocating the protection from a submachine gun-style rocker to a extra intuitive thumb lever just like the M1/M14 rifles. Round 3,500 MC58s had been procured, with serial numbers suspiciously choosing up the place the earliest USMC Mannequin 65 purchases seemingly left off. Whereas an unconventional hybrid of subgun and rifle traits, the common-or-garden H&R Mannequin 65 and MC58 gave the Marine Corps reasonably priced rimfire clones that taught the handbook of arms at a fraction of centerfire’s price.
“That is an distinctive, as-issued instance of a Harrington & Richardson MC-58 .22 caliber semi-automatic coaching rifle with U.S. Marine Corp property markings. The MC-58 was a H&R Mannequin 65 with parkerized end, an M1 Garand fashion security and entrance sight. The rifle has a Redfield micrometer rear sight, 10-round removable journal, navy fashion sling swivels on the inventory and forearm and a navy fashion oil-finished walnut pistol grip inventory. “
Lot 1798: Harrington & Richardson Inc MC-58 Rifle 22 LR – Scarce Distinctive Marine Corps Harrington & Richardson MC-58 Army .22 Caliber Coaching Rifle with Sling. (n.d.-t). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved Might 20, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/56/1798/harrington-richardson-inc-mc58-rifle-22-lr.