Cristobal (carbine)
Encyclopedia
The .30 Kiraly-Cristobal carbine, also known as the San Cristobal or Cristobal automatic rifle was manufactured by the Dominican Republic
’s Armeria San Cristobal Weapon Factory.
Although called a carbine, the gun may be termed a submachine gun
since it is identical to the Hungarian
39M
submachine gun. Both weapon
s were designed by Hungarian engineer
Pál Király
, who came to the Dominican Republic as an expatriate in 1948. The gun's name is a reference to the San Cristóbal Province, which is the birth place of the late Dominican dictator, Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo. The Dominican Republic's military was the main user of this weapon although it was also exported to Cuba
prior to the Cuban Revolution
.
The Cristobal had a wooden stock, a 30-round bottom-mounted box magazine, and tubular receiver with a fixed cocking handle on the right-hand side. It used Lever-delayed blowback for its operation. The original version was produced in 9 mm Luger. The most typical version of the Cristobal was made in .30 Carbine
.
Over 200,000 Cristobals were made by the Armeria San Cristobal from 1950 to 1966. After Trujillo’s assassination on 31 May 1961, the Dominican government decided not to maintain a local military industry and production was slowly wound down. By 1990, the Cristobal was no longer a standard Dominican firearm, but continues to be used for basic training in the Dominican Republic's military schools.
This carbine was used by Che Guevara
during the Cuban Revolution
.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
’s Armeria San Cristobal Weapon Factory.
Although called a carbine, the gun may be termed a submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
since it is identical to the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
39M
Danuvia 43M
The 9x25 mm Danuvia submachine guns were designed by Hungarian engineer Pál Király in the late 1930s. They were issued to Hungarian army troops in 1939 and remained in service throughout World War II. A total of roughly 8,000 were made between 1939 and 1945. The Danuvia was a large, sturdy weapon,...
submachine gun. Both weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s were designed by Hungarian engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Pál Király
Pál Király
Pál Király is an Hungarian engineer and weapons designer.-Work & Designs:He is best known for development of lever-delayed blowback firearms. He designed the Danuvia 39M and improved it into the Danuvia 43M Submachine gun...
, who came to the Dominican Republic as an expatriate in 1948. The gun's name is a reference to the San Cristóbal Province, which is the birth place of the late Dominican dictator, Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo. The Dominican Republic's military was the main user of this weapon although it was also exported to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
prior to the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
.
The Cristobal had a wooden stock, a 30-round bottom-mounted box magazine, and tubular receiver with a fixed cocking handle on the right-hand side. It used Lever-delayed blowback for its operation. The original version was produced in 9 mm Luger. The most typical version of the Cristobal was made in .30 Carbine
.30 Carbine
The .30 Carbine is the cartridge used in the M1 Carbine introduced in the 1940s. It is an intermediate round designed to be fired from the M1 carbine's 18-inch barrel.-History:...
.
Over 200,000 Cristobals were made by the Armeria San Cristobal from 1950 to 1966. After Trujillo’s assassination on 31 May 1961, the Dominican government decided not to maintain a local military industry and production was slowly wound down. By 1990, the Cristobal was no longer a standard Dominican firearm, but continues to be used for basic training in the Dominican Republic's military schools.
This carbine was used by Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
during the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
.
