From: "Jan HAMIER" <[H--MI--R] at [OMC.Lan.McGill.CA]> Newsgroups: rec.guns Subject: HISTORY/RIFLE: The MAS 36. Date: 25 Jun 1996 13:02:11 -0400 Having seen a few request for info on the MAS 36 recently, if figured-out I might cook-up a little something on the issue. In facts, the roots of the MAS 36 go back to the immediate post- war: Having realized that most problems encountered in automatic and self-loading weapons were due to the odd-shape of the cartouche Mle 1886D a.m., The decision was made to develop a new rimless cartridge. For that reason, the production of the successful FA 18 was abandoned, although the tooling was retained to rapidely resume production in case of mobilisation. Research went on and in 1924, a new LMG designed by Col. Reibell was put in service, while further research was carried out on the self-loading rifle. In 1926, it was decided that as a back-up measure, a new bolt-action chambering the Mle 1924 round was to be developped. The main problem encountered was that the new cartridge too closely resembled the 8x57 JS and that a few weapons blow-up occured when accidentally fed with the wrong rounds. It was decided to shorten the round by 4 mm and reinforce it's base and that led to the cartouche de 7,5 mm Mle 1929 C, AKA 7,5x54 or 7,5 French or 7,5 MAS. The official instructions given for the studies of the bolt- action rifle was to base the design as much as possible on the Gew 98 and the P-17, the two best designs according to post war French trials. Funding cuts, political decisions delayed the whole project and the first prototype of what would become the MAS 36 was presented in trials in 1932 and won over the prototypes from MAC and MAT, although it was suggested that some of the good features of the two other prototypes should be implemented on the MAS rifle. In 1933, a limited production was made for full-size trials by troops, in 1935 the weapons were recognised as good for service and final adoption took place in 1936. Meanwhile, the work on the self-loader had been dragging along due to nonstop changing of the required spec's as well as the political mess. In 1938, a perfectly working prototype was presented but minor silly detail tweeking held back it's adoption until May 1940 as the MAS 40. It worked flawlessly but production started way too late and the few produced "disappeared" as the Germans invaded France. For those that have never seen a picture of the MAS 40, just think of a MAS 36 with a MAS 49 action. In any cases, the production of the MAS 36 started but was way too slow, and the ammo production covered only 10% of the needs. The production resumed with the liberation and some minor modifications were implemented, mainly by introducting stamped parts, replacinf Oak by "hetre", whatever that is in English. Mechanical modifications to the bolt rear-end and corresponding receiver portion, rear peepsight range adjustment mechanism as well as the sling band and sight hood were introduced. Four variants of the MAS 36 were produced: The Mle 1936, standard rifle, the Mle 1936 CR. 39 with a shorter 450 mm barrel, shorter bayonnet and a folding aluminium stock, the Mle 1936 LG 48, extremely rare, fitted with the MAS 49 grenade launcher but still labelled as Mle 1936, and finally the Mle 1936-51 with a built-in grenade launcher designed for the standard 22 mm NATO grenades. The MAS 36 is a simple, rugged rifle designed for use against ground objectives up to 600 m, and shoot-to-kill/ AA fire up to 400 m. Yes, there is indeed a special AA sight that clamps on the sling swivel band. The MAS 36 can fire the V.B. grenades and some weapons were made with a reinforced barrel, stamped "G" for that purpose. The basic field stipping breaks down the rifle in 5 components: The sling, the bayonet, the bolt, the repetition mechanism and the rifle. The bolt is removed by pressing the trigger and yanking the bolt out. The repetition mechanism will tip out of the receiver if the two knurled pushbuttons (one is mock) are pressed. The bayonet is removed by depressing the locking lug. The sling is self-evident. If needed, the bolt can be separated in its constituents by pushing hard on the bolt's rear-end plug (no pun intended here) and rotating it until the D faces the notch. Ease off the pressure and the plug, firing pin and it's spring will come out. Any further disassembly will require a special srewdriver and is strictly forbidden by regulation! The standard cleaning tool is the Baguette de netoyage Mle 1922 but in campaign, the lavoir a ficelle Mle 1929 is used. To do so, drop one end in the barrel, attach both brass ends together, pack in some cloth and with a pal, each holding one end of the rifle with the left hand and one end of the rope with the hand left :-) sorry, I could not resist, use back-and-forth motion. Hot soapy water, petroleum and gun oil are the only authorized maintenace agents. For getting the gunk out of hard-to-reach corners, a wood scrapper is used although the one provided in the Trousse Mle 1874 can be used carefully. In terms of operation, not much needs to be said. It can be loaded with stripper or loose cartridges, one can close the bolt on an empty chamber by puching down the top cartridge while closing the bolt, remove all cartridges by removing the repetition mechanism. The most tricky part is to hold properly the bolt: Place your hand like if you where firing a real tiny handgun and put the bolt handle knob in the hole with your thumb going above it. With a little training, you will be able to operate the bolt as fast, if not faster that anything else without leaving your hand's meat on the rear sight. Ah, before I forget: The little hole on the bayonet "grip", behing the locking lug is not an oiler but and "idiotproof" hole to allow disassembly of two weapons stuck together on the same bayonet... Cartridge: Mle 1929 C, balle O. Bullet: 9,0 g, steel jacketed lead core, 7,82 mm dia. Powder: about 2,8 g BN3F or BFP1. Vo: 850 m/s. That's it. Any questions or comments are welcome. Jan HAMIER