C&R · IV · 254
H&R T48 rifle
Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 89 ↗
U.S. Model T-48 assault rifles, cal. 7.62mm, mfd. by Harrington and Richardson.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade or imported as stated: “mfd. by Harrington and Richardson”
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1953–1958.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
United StatesBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- Harrington & RichardsonBasis: outside reference ¹
- Type
- RifleBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: no citation
- Caliber
- 7.62×51mm NATOBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- c. 1953–1958production; ATF states no dateBasis: estimate ²
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “T48 rifle” ↗, maker: made for testing by FN, Harrington & Richardson (Worcester, MA) and High Standard; a contract was issued to H&R for 500 T48 rifles
- 2. Wikipedia, “T48 rifle” ↗, years (estimate: partly supports it): T48 in U.S. trials in the mid-1950s (arctic trials December 1953, decision 1957); H&R production years not stated
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- None
Historical context

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “FN Herstal T48.jpg” by Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “T48 rifle”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The T48 was a battle rifle tested by the U.S. military in the mid 1950s during trials to find a replacement for the M1 Garand. It was a license-produced copy of the Belgian FN FAL rifle. The rifle did not enter service, as the U.S. military decided to adopt the M14 rifle instead.