I have 3 gun-hunting routes. On one of my favorite routes I pass through a town that I know has a shop but I've always marched past it on the interstate. Finally I decided to give it a gander, and I'm glad (or slightly ashamed) that I did. I had a feeling I was walking into something interesting when I saw this out front:
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/09AF940A-D230-4503-8B77-330A241FE4E6_zpsferstunk.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/09AF940A-D230-4503-8B77-330A241FE4E6_zpsferstunk.jpg.html)
The shop is a small operation, and they had recently brought in a handful of old stuff- Finn m91, '37 Luger 2nd variation with wrong grips, Chinese SKS, Mas 49/56, a St. Etienne Lebel or Berthier or Whatever The Heck They're Called, a really nice Enfield No1/3, Turked 1888 Commission rifle, and the Mas rifle I eventually bought. I wanted to package in the Finn & Enfield but their bores were disasters, unfortunately. It's rare to see such an eclectic mix in my small backwoods shops so I was still happy just to handle them.
I managed to finagle this French Mas 44 out the door. I'm first to admit that I know nothing about French rifles, care nothing for French rifles, and have zero interest in studying the trivia of French rifles. But I figured it might be fun to shoot, I just need to stock on up on some 7.5croissant ammo. I did learn a few things about it, thanks to the world wide web of wisdom, before I got bored and moved on. It was made in 1954, the final days of military bolt guns. Sling looks original French. The only charming or well made or interesting feature I can readily find is the bayonet, it's quite the fearsome contraption, and how it is stored reversed inside the stock.
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/ED58803A-2B0C-4E99-8964-271C32A9BF07_zpsvgtrlwdo.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/ED58803A-2B0C-4E99-8964-271C32A9BF07_zpsvgtrlwdo.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/C50263B1-D4E1-44E7-873F-55D626786D08_zpsn9veyat4.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/C50263B1-D4E1-44E7-873F-55D626786D08_zpsn9veyat4.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/CB77FD8A-9078-43F7-89B8-0D6ACC7F95C0_zpscyvu68gx.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/CB77FD8A-9078-43F7-89B8-0D6ACC7F95C0_zpscyvu68gx.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/FEC5EB80-9633-4586-89BF-90CFF09CC8B4_zpsqyfs9mjb.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/FEC5EB80-9633-4586-89BF-90CFF09CC8B4_zpsqyfs9mjb.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/A0FCAB02-24E8-4BFE-83F5-91472049DCB8_zpsispcz2fp.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/A0FCAB02-24E8-4BFE-83F5-91472049DCB8_zpsispcz2fp.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/20E50B51-DB17-4662-B4CF-F9C1E9D452F9_zpssn2yrc04.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/20E50B51-DB17-4662-B4CF-F9C1E9D452F9_zpssn2yrc04.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/B8A6B959-8F42-4D45-9480-D4206408888E_zpspxlnj9p9.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/B8A6B959-8F42-4D45-9480-D4206408888E_zpspxlnj9p9.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/B76DE29F-A7D9-45BC-97FA-F834698B2484_zpstszfyfrr.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/B76DE29F-A7D9-45BC-97FA-F834698B2484_zpstszfyfrr.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/53063E95-716F-4DCF-94E6-327BD216E673_zpsl6rpo2nf.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/53063E95-716F-4DCF-94E6-327BD216E673_zpsl6rpo2nf.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/ED180B36-C3D5-4D8D-BE76-96750AFB626F_zpswtopllbc.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/ED180B36-C3D5-4D8D-BE76-96750AFB626F_zpswtopllbc.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/A511D246-6940-4756-A01D-9EE16E3F422B_zps4mxdkuul.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/A511D246-6940-4756-A01D-9EE16E3F422B_zps4mxdkuul.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/D7F37A34-4E19-44FC-9622-5D2C028F76D8_zpsezi4o3u9.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/D7F37A34-4E19-44FC-9622-5D2C028F76D8_zpsezi4o3u9.jpg.html)
(http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah31/Blicero7/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/F2DBDAA5-53B7-4925-A2A7-19393B8452E5_zps7h2hvjwq.jpg) (http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/Blicero7/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-12/F2DBDAA5-53B7-4925-A2A7-19393B8452E5_zps7h2hvjwq.jpg.html)
Its a MAS 36 you finagled out the door.
interesting (cool looking too), thanks for sharing. thumb1 ...... :o French rifle, probably never shot.
Wonder which one of these guns pictured has ever been shot in anger.... :)
More info on the cannon please... thumb1
Very nice! :) The Parkerized ones in new or like new beechwood stocks were produced post-war (like yours) or a product of the refurbishment program in the 1970s that returned them to near perfect condition before storage in Cosmoline. The pre-war produced rifles were in walnut stocks with black painted metal, similar to the hard black paint, Suncorite, found on Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1s. These are nice shooters in 7.5x54 French approximating the ballistics of 7.62 NATO.
Sounds like a good shop thumb1 I never see that kind of diversity of milsurps in my neck of the woods.