| MAS-36 | |
|---|---|
MAS-36 |
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| Type | Bolt-action rifle |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1936-1978 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II Algerian War First Indochina War Suez Crisis Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.71 kg (8.2 lb.) unloaded |
| Length | 1,021 mm (40.2 in.) |
| Barrel length | 575 mm (22.6 in.) |
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| Cartridge | 7.5×54mm French |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Muzzle velocity | 2800 ft/s (853.6 m/s) |
| Effective range | est. 350-400 yards w/open sights |
| Feed system | 5 round internal box magazine, clip fed |
The MAS Modèle 36 was a military bolt action rifle. First adopted in 1936 by France and intended to replace the Berthier and Lebel series of service rifles, it saw service past the World War II period. It was manufactured by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne (MAS), one of several government-owned arms factories in France.
Contents |
The MAS-36 was a short, carbine-style rifle with a two-piece stock and slab-sided receiver. It was chambered for the modern, rimless 7.5x54 French cartridge, a shortened version of the 7.5x57mm MAS mod. 1924 cartridge that had been introduced in 1924 (then modified in 1929), for France's FM 24/29 light machine gun. The rifle was developed based on French experience in World War I and attempted to combine the best features of other rifles used in that conflict, like the British SMLE rifle (rear locking lugs resistant to dirt), the American M1917 Enfield (turned down bolt, peep sight) and M1903 Springfield rifles (Springfield-type stripper clip), and the German Mauser (five-round box-magazine, Mauser-type extraction cam). While the resulting weapon was considered to be a significant improvement from previous French military rifles, it was still a flawed weapon compared to its contemporaries. The bolt handle was constructed in a manner that made rapid fire difficult. In addition, the breech-locking system also suffered from a poor design that was highly inefficient and unsafe due to the rear locking lugs being located too far to the rear to afford a reasonable degree of support for the cartridge. The extractor was badly positioned and rotated with the bolt, which necessitated machining away sections the barrel wall at the breech. In an unusual feature, the rifle magazine floor could be removed and a detachable high capacity box magazine used in the place of the internal 5 round magazine.[1]
The MAS-36 carried a 17-inch spike bayonet, reversed in a tube below the barrel. To use the bayonet, a spring plunger was pressed to release the bayonet. It was then free to be pulled out, turned around, and fitted back into its receptacle. The MAS-36 had a relatively short barrel and was fitted with large aperture (rear) and post (front) sights designed for typical combat ranges. Typical for French rifles of the period, the MAS-36 had no manual safety.[2] It was normally carried with a loaded magazine and empty chamber until the soldier was engaged in combat, though the rifle's firing mechanism could be blocked by raising the bolt handle.
Though intended to replace the Lebel Model 1886 and Berthier rifles as well as Berthier carbines, budget constraints limited MAS-36 production, and it served along with the former rifles in many French army and colonial units. During World War II, the MAS-36 was often reserved for front-line infantry units, with other troops and reservists often receiving elderly Berthier and Lebel-type rifles. After the Battle of France, the Germans took over a large number of MAS-36s, which were given the designation Gewehr 242(f) and put into service with their own garrison units based in occupied France and later the Volkssturm.[2]
The MAS-36 was extensively used by French Army and colonial defense forces during France's postwar counter-insurgency operations in the First Indochina War and the Algerian War, as well as in the Suez Crisis. During the Suez Crisis, French paratroop marksmen of the 2ème RPC (Régiment Parachutiste Colonial), employed telescope-sighted MAS-36 rifles to eliminate enemy snipers.[3] The MAS-36 remained in service into the early 1960s as an infantry rifle, often serving with indigenous colonial units. It was officially a substitute-standard rifle after France adopted the semi-automatic MAS-49 rifle series in 1949, though its bolt design lives on in a dedicated sniper version of the rifle, the FR F1 (now chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO) and its successor the FR F2 sniper rifle.
After the war, civilian hunting rifle versions were made by MAS and by the gunsmith Jean Fournier. These half-stocked rifles were chambered for the 7x54mm Fournier (common, 7.5x54mm necked down to 7mm), 7x57mm (very rare), 8x60mm S (less common), and 10.75x68mm (rare). Hunting rifles in the two latter calibers had integral muzzle brakes. Also imported into the United States were a few surplus rifles converted to 7.62mm NATO from 7.5x54mm by a firearms importer. These rifles were modified to chamber the NATO round and also had a SKS rifle safety fitted to them. These rifles are few in number and are not highly sought after by collectors. They are considered by some to be a "wallhanger" type of firearm to own.
| Preceded by Fusil Lebel modèle 1886 |
French Army rifle 1936–1951 |
Succeeded by Fusil MAS-49 |
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