Picked this up at the LGS on Thursday. I'd been watching this consignment sit for a while but when they dropped the price 10% I could no longer resist.
This is a MAS 1936/51. The bolt action MAS 36 was adopted in 1936. A cock on opening, double rear locking lug, 5 shot bolt action rifle with a peep sight chambered in the modern 7.5x54mm French round, which is ballistically similar to the 7.62x51mm NATO. This was meant to be a rear echelon and support troops rifle in the modernized French army that simply didn't modernize quickly enough for the approaching storm of Blitzkrieg. The MAS M1940, 44, 49, 49/56 lineage of semiautomatic 10 round rifles simply did not develop rapidly enough and of course that development was interrupted by WWII.
The French employed rifle grenades as a central part of their infantry tactics, so in 1951 the Modele 1936 was updated to the 36/51 shown here. This is a clean example having been refurbed sometime in the 60's or early 70's. Judging by the bolt appearance with its untouched parkerizing, it may not have been fired since being dipped in Cosmoline in France and put in stores, but the bore is not pristine, so this undoubtedly saw service before full refurbishment and storage. Perhaps it made a trip to and from southeast Asia or Algeria, who knows. SNs match on receiver and bolt but not the floorplate.
Anyhow here are the pictures!
(https://preview.ibb.co/hiAcwG/left_01.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jYvo3w)
(https://preview.ibb.co/epneAb/left_02.jpg) (https://ibb.co/iwgT3w)
(https://preview.ibb.co/fWhPbG/left_03.jpg) (https://ibb.co/eqPsVb)
(https://preview.ibb.co/kpCeAb/left_04.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bxnCVb)
(https://preview.ibb.co/cmFo3w/left_05.jpg) (https://ibb.co/iSUsVb)
(https://preview.ibb.co/j8SCVb/right_01.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jGAAGG)
(https://preview.ibb.co/ctG6qb/right_02.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bNPFiw)
(https://preview.ibb.co/cnAMOw/right_03.jpg) (https://ibb.co/h3XqGG)
(https://preview.ibb.co/dWLMOw/right_04.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kx8VGG)
(https://preview.ibb.co/c14gOw/right_05.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kbJVGG)
(https://preview.ibb.co/kHHqGG/SN_bolt.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hC6jbG)
(https://preview.ibb.co/gLPsVb/SN_floorplate.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fvWHwG)
(https://preview.ibb.co/jaeRqb/SN_receiver.jpg) (https://ibb.co/i4oaiw)
(https://preview.ibb.co/hZwviw/bayonet.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cHZRqb)
(https://preview.ibb.co/emJVGG/bolt_parts.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jAOxwG)
(https://preview.ibb.co/btmT3w/buttpad.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cY5zAb)
(https://preview.ibb.co/gnXeAb/GL_back.jpg) (https://ibb.co/eFw6qb)
(https://preview.ibb.co/kDyaiw/GL_side.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ntG6qb)
(https://preview.ibb.co/kPqMOw/Gl_with_dummy.jpg) (https://ibb.co/iT6viw)
(https://preview.ibb.co/gE0cwG/rear_sight_peep.jpg) (https://ibb.co/byd83w)
(https://preview.ibb.co/b3jgOw/Ammo.jpg) (https://ibb.co/n6JVGG)
Ohhh...nice.. a late '54. drool2 Usually you can find refurb stamp/date under the handguard...but, given the design of the screws, and how the rifle is bedded, most don't recommend removing the handguard/forestock. If the lower forestock is loose, accuracy could suffer, it likes to be tight, and gives one a good excuse to look for marks if they choose to tighten it up. I find it a little nose heavy...but there seems to be a benefit, at least in my example, it's a hair more accurate than a regular MAS36.
And look..it's distant brother another "F" prefix only about 900 rifles earlier. It never got the benefit of the wonderful refurb, rough as heck, but cycles super smooth.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/3f2xw2rj0t56pet/HPIM0206.JPG?dl=0)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/kdumw7co4tlrh5s/HPIM0213.JPG?dl=0)
Live MAS thumb1
I love the look of the "pre-furbished" rifles with the honest wear thumb1 My Syrian contract MAS 49 and my MAS 49/56 both escaped refurbishment. But I'm not complaining about the clean, like new look of my MAS 36 and 36/51 either.
Yours is definitely quite close to mine :o
It's interesting how the MAS Arsenal (Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Saint Étienne) always started on the F block with new rifle models, Vive la France!
Here's my quartet of 7.5x54mm French rifles; top to bottom, MAS 36, 36/51, 49 (Syrian contract version), 49/56
There were only about 6000 Syrian MAS 49s made, but it seems they are far more commonly found in the US than representatives of the ~74,000 French military version of the MAS 49. There were only ~7000 MAS 44 rifles made and the 49/56 is most common with about 275000 produced. In the 36 series, the MAS Mle 1936 CR39 folding stock paratrooper carbine is extraordinarily rare and valuable.
(https://preview.ibb.co/b0QPAb/75x54_quartet_left.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jbfD3w)
(https://preview.ibb.co/mPoBqb/75x54_quartet_right.jpg) (https://ibb.co/krDcVb)
Nice thumb1
If i was to buy a frenchy gun it would be one of these, but i dont want to start down another rabbit hole if i can help it
The Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Saint Étienne always starting with "F" on a new model........thats an easy one.. the way it was explained to me....each manufacture had a set serial prefix to use.. France did each prefix letter in lots of 99999.. When they got to the end of their prefix run, they started prefixes over again, but with a second prefix letter, so a MAS rifle ...Q99999, the next produced should be FG00001. If it took 3 months or 3 years, that letter prefix ran till it hit 99999. Then there are the cursive and block letters..which cursive change to block was a postwar MAS 36 I believe
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Chatellerault (MAC) ... A, B, C, D, E
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Saint Etienne (MAS) ... F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) ... R, S, T, U, V
There is also an X series....it's a non firing trainer/cut away/something caused it's rejection.
The above should hold true with all made from 1866 all the way to the MAS49/56, the only exception to the rule seems to be semiauto pistols.
Quote from: Phosphorus32 on October 07, 2017, 08:21:50 PM
Here's my quartet of 7.5x54mm French rifles; top to bottom, MAS 36, 36/51, 49 (Syrian contract version), 49/56
There were only about 6000 Syrian MAS 49s made, but it seems they are far more commonly found in the US than representatives of the ~74,000 French military version of the MAS 49. There were only ~7000 MAS 44 rifles made and the 49/56 is most common with about 275000 produced. In the 36 series, the MAS Mle 1936 CR39 folding stock paratrooper carbine is extraordinarily rare and valuable.
Your missing one more :o there is one more 7.5x54mm... a Fusil Mle 1907/15-M34 :)
Dang P32.... You been busy! :o
Connon likey! thumb1
Quote from: newchi on October 07, 2017, 08:36:32 PM
Nice thumb1
If i was to buy a frenchy gun it would be one of these, but i dont want to start down another rabbit hole if i can help it
Thanks! I know what you mean. About 2.5 years ago I got a deal on an M36, my first French firearm. Now I have these 4, plus an M16 and M1907_15 Berthier in 8x50R, plus the Turkish Forestry Carbine I just posted , and I really need an Mle 1986/93 Lebel... doh1 didnt do chuckles1
Quote from: Loose}{Cannon on October 07, 2017, 09:00:13 PM
Dang P32.... You been busy! :o
Connon likey! thumb1
Thanks LC! The Forestry Carbine has been around for a few months but I just got around to snapping pics.
Quote from: Greasemonkey on October 07, 2017, 08:46:25 PM
Quote from: Phosphorus32 on October 07, 2017, 08:21:50 PM
Here's my quartet of 7.5x54mm French rifles; top to bottom, MAS 36, 36/51, 49 (Syrian contract version), 49/56
There were only about 6000 Syrian MAS 49s made, but it seems they are far more commonly found in the US than representatives of the ~74,000 French military version of the MAS 49. There were only ~7000 MAS 44 rifles made and the 49/56 is most common with about 275000 produced. In the 36 series, the MAS Mle 1936 CR39 folding stock paratrooper carbine is extraordinarily rare and valuable.
Your missing one more :o there is one more 7.5x54mm... a Fusil Mle 1907/15-M34 :)
rofl Yeah, and one could add the Mle 1936/48, and...
Good info on the Serial blocks, thanks thumb1
very nice. thumb1 -----------> French rifles, probably never used. :)
(http://preview.ibb.co/d5vvxG/DSCN9783.jpg) (http://ibb.co/cKc8HG) my two french rifles, the bore may appear to be rough as they didn,t plug the bore when they reparked. my rifles have ex bores that took shooting and cleaning to take the repark off-out.eastbank.
Quote from: eastbank on December 30, 2017, 06:46:16 AM
(http://preview.ibb.co/d5vvxG/DSCN9783.jpg) (http://ibb.co/cKc8HG) my two french rifles, the bore may appear to be rough as they didn,t plug the bore when they reparked. my rifles have ex bores that took shooting and cleaning to take the repark off-out.eastbank.
Nice pair thumb1 That same nicely representative pairing is what I had in the French realm for a long time. Then I added an M16 Berthier carbine, then I needed a long rifle Berthier, then...well, you know the drill rofl
(http://preview.ibb.co/d3q6pw/DSCN9814.jpg) (http://ibb.co/iKCahG)
(http://preview.ibb.co/cyBwpw/DSCN9815.jpg) (http://ibb.co/nkb7wb) yes, i know the drill only to well and there is no known cure. eastbank.