Spanner Bit - French MAS 36

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BreechFace

BreechFace

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Need a spanner bit for my French MAS 36. I have a couple of sets of spanner bits but none of them fit the nipple size or the spread of the holes on the front sight post screw that retains the stock.

Does anyone know where to pick up a bit or screwdriver that fits, before I make my own?

front%20spanner%20screw.jpg
 
Check Numrich, Sarco, one of those places.

Or....take a small punch, place it on an angle in one of holes in the direction you want to turn and light tap it with a hammer. It should turn right out
 
bigpower491 said:
Check Numrich, Sarco, one of those places.

Or....take a small punch, place it on an angle in one of holes in the direction you want to turn and light tap it with a hammer. It should turn right out
Click to expand...

Sadly, I have looked at all the common haunts for such a tool. This was a last gasp, before breaking out the dremel and file.
 
bigpower491 said:
Its really very simple to punch it out.....ive used this cylinder to give u good view of where I'm goin with this
View attachment 968120
Click to expand...

Thank you for the tip, it's one that had crossed my mind; but would rather just take the time for making a spanner driver so I avoid the unintentional 'egging' out of the spanner holes.

I'll give you tip a try with a light tap and if I can get it off I'll spend my off time making a tool. The problem is that as you can see in the picture the spanner holes on the MAS are very small and near the edge of the screw body.
 
I'd just use a circlip plier.

ETA - Breechface beat me to it. It's not optimal, but it's what I tend to have laying about.
 
Yea snap pliers would work, if ya got some around. You may need 2 pair, or if using the punch method, an assistant. Lots of rifles like the MAS have those spanners on both sides of the fastner
 
I have nothing to add to the persuit of the tool in question, but I was curious if someone had made a spanner type tool like this how they went about it? I would think you would want to craft two pins separately and then drill a pair of holes in a piece of flat steel stock spaced the proper distance apart. I know I’ll eventually have to give it a shot myself as my Iver Johnson revolvers require a small spanner for the firing pin/breechface bushing.
 
RevolvingGarbage said:
how they went about it?
Click to expand...
I'd be inclined to find a blade-type device, the width of the holes, and carefully notch the center to relieve the pins.

This might want for some careful heating and quenching to restore temper. Or, to ignore that, and just let the thing fail if it's going to--break the tool rather than the screw.

There is the option, for some of these lovelies, is to find a set of needle-nose pliers (the all-round jaw form being preferable). If presenting a potential three-handed solution if the screw wants to be stubborn. (Workaround: pinch the jaws of the pliers with a small set of vise-grips, to lock in the span, and to provide a lever to advantage.)

The French were middling notorious for using these things for things they did not want the poilus fooling around with. It's slightly surprising that no one has ginned up a set of spanner bits to suite. The relative dearth of French arms in the US may have something to do with that, though.
 
RevolvingGarbage said:
I have nothing to add to the persuit of the tool in question, but I was curious if someone had made a spanner type tool like this how they went about it? I would think you would want to craft two pins separately and then drill a pair of holes in a piece of flat steel stock spaced the proper distance apart. I know I’ll eventually have to give it a shot myself as my Iver Johnson revolvers require a small spanner for the firing pin/breechface bushing.
Click to expand...

My method of fashioning a tool will be finding a flat bladed screwdriver of adequate width across the blade, file the end of the screwdriver blade (depth of the spanner holes) to the diameter of the pin holes in the spanner screw, then file/dremel the notch between the "pins" that will be formed.
 
BreechFace said:
Then when the pins break off of my fashioned tool, I'll get out the punch as @bigpower491 suggested. :p
Click to expand...

Use a brass punch.. lol.. shoulda added that, but even then tap lightly.

What you're thinking of fabbing up should work, unless she's quite stuck. Those rifles came in with a load of cosmoline on em when they hit these shores, so if it ai t been off before, should come fairly easy.
 
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