MAT-49

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Pistolet-Mitrailleur de 9 mm modèle 1949 (MAT-49)

Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1949 to 1979
Used by	France, Vietnam
Wars	Franco Viet-minh war Algerian War of Independence
Production history
Designed	1949
Produced	1949 to 1979
Number built	??
Variants	cal. 7.62 x 25 mm TT
Specifications
Weight	3,5 kg (without magazine) 4,17 kg (with 32 round magazine)
Length	460/720 mm
Barrel length	230 mm

Cartridge	9 mm Luger
Caliber	9
Action	Blowback
Rate of fire	600 round/min
Muzzle velocity	?
Feed system	20, 32 rounds

The MAT-49 was a firearm developed by French arms factory Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) for use by the French Army.

1 Development
2 Usage
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Development

In 1949, after evaluating several prototypes (including a collapsible design from Hotchkiss), the French MAT factory began production of the MAT-49 9mm submachine gun. The MAT-49 used a machine-stamping process which allowed the economical production of large numbers of submachine guns, then urgently required by the French Army for use by Army, Foreign Legion, airborne, and colonial forces. Production continued at Tulle until the mid 1960s, then switched to the Manufacture d'Armes de St-Etienne plant (MAS), where the weapon was produced until 1979. In that same year, the French armed forces adopted the FAMAS 5.56mm Assault Rifle, and the MAT-49 was gradually phased out of service.

[edit] Usage

The MAT-49 saw widespread combat use during the Indo-China and Algeria wars, as well as the 1956 Suez Crisis. The weapon found considerable favor with airborne and mechanized troops, who prized it for its firepower and compactness.

After French forces left Indochina, the NVA and Viet Minh converted many captured MAT-49s to the Soviet 7.62 mm Tokarev pistol cartridge, then available in large quantities from the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

As issued, the MAT-49 fires a 9 x 19 mm Luger/Parabellum cartridge, using a 20- or 32-round single-column magazine derived directly from the German MP40 (and thus shares that weapon's reputation for occasional misfeeds). The MAT-49 is blowback-operated and box magazine-fed, with a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute on full auto. Some MAT-49s manufactured for police forces had 2 triggers, allowing use of full-auto fire or single shots, but most were manufactured as full-auto only.

The MAT-49 had a short, retractable wire stock, which when extended gave the weapon a length of 720 mm, and the magazine well and magazine could be folded forward parallel to the barrel for more compact carrying and storage. Barrel length is 230 mm, with some police-issue weapons manufactured with extended barrels and non-retractable wooden stocks. Minus magazine, the MAT-49 weighs about 3.5 kilograms, which makes it somewhat heavy for an submachine gun. The weapon incorporates a grip safety which is located on the backside of the pistol grip. The rear sights are flip-up and "L"-shaped, and marked for a range of 50 and 100 meters.