Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The San Cristóbal Modelo 2, designed by Hungarian refugee Pál Király and produced in the Dominican Republic from 1950-1966, represented an innovative fusion of existing firearms designs. Built at Armería San Cristóbal under Rafael Trujillo’s regime, it combined a scaled-up Beretta submachine gun design with Király’s signature lever-delayed blowback system. Chambered in .30 Carbine, the weapon featured distinctive Beretta influences including dual triggers (semi/full-auto), left-side ejection, and magazine design. However, its unique lever-delay system – previously used in Király’s SIG MKMO and Hungarian submachine guns – set it apart from contemporary weapons. Production estimates vary significantly, with realistic figures suggesting around 100,000 units manufactured. While 19,000 served with Dominican forces, most were exported throughout Latin America, with Cuba being a major customer. Despite operating from an open bolt (limiting accuracy), the gun represented an interesting intermediate step between submachine guns and rifles, taking advantage of widely available .30 Carbine ammunition.
“An early production San Cristobal Carbine. This rifles design is taken from the Hungarian 39M, it also shares similarities with the Beretta model 38 SMG. It has two triggers one for single shot and the other for automatic. Although it is referred to as a carbine, it has more in common with a submachine gun. During its limited production life only around 200,000 or so were made by Armeria, this one being only number 1869th. This type of carbine was used by “Che” Guevara during the Cuban revolution. This example, unlike most other San Cristobal’s, has a correctly fitting magazine. Most are fitted with a magazine from an M1 Carbine. (Note the correct magazines lip angle). Comes with leather sling a inert .30 rounds. Deactivated sympathetically in 1991 to old specifications with working triggers and safety, it can be cocked, stripped and dry fired.”
Deactivated Old Spec San Cristobal Carbine. (n.d.). www.deactivated-guns.co.uk. photograph. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://www.deactivated-guns.co.uk/product/en-gb?product_id=2913.
