MAS-36 price check and general opinion

[Jenrick]

Swampman:

I'm not altogether certain that a MAS 36 really "fits" in your collection given that criteria.

I agree that an Arisaka actually had a much greater affect on the outcome of the war, but my LGS doesn't happen to have a minty version on it's shelves at the moment for me to buy

-Jenrick

 

[Swampman]

Originally posted by: Jenrick
my LGS doesn't happen to have a minty version on it's shelves at the moment for me to buy 

Understood.
WWII Japanese rifles certainly had a much harder time of it than their French counterparts.

I mean how much damage is a rifle likely to sustain from being dropped once?
Especially if it's done BEFORE you put your hands up.

(This isn't meant as generalized "French bashing", the Frenchmen who fought at Verdun in WWI must have been some of the toughest, most determined individuals on earth, my hat is off to them. I also know that without the assistance of the French Army and Navy, we wouldn't have won the victory at Yorktown, and with it, our Independence).

 

[swopjan]

The lack of any form of manual safety is ridiculous for a rifle adopted in that time period.

Have you ever operated the safety of a K31 or a Mosin-Nagant? They're pretty ridiculous considering a soldier might need to disengage a safety pretty rapidly at particular moments. I don't know what the different military protocols may have been back in the day but I'd rather have an empty chamber and no safety a la the MAS-36 than try to get a K31 off safe under duress.

As a 'general-purpose' rifle, other than a safety if that matters to you I don't think the MAS-36 would be a particularly poor choice as far as milsurps go. I think a Steyr M95 or an SMLE would be better choices, and the Steyr can be found under $200 in good condition. Mine was $169 before taxes last year and looked brand-new. SMLE would have good sights and higher capacity, M95 would be the fastest due to the straight-pull bolt and probably lightest, and both have manual safeties.

 

[PabloJ]

I've over the years collected shooter grade examples of most of the service rifles used by the major powers of WW2. A MAS-36 from France is not currently in my collection. A LGS has a pretty decent one with the grenade sight for about $600, that I'm seriously thinking about. I am not current on the prices for these, and am wondering if this is a good deal? Looking on Gun Broker it appears to be a pretty fair price, but if anyone knew different I'd be curious to hear.

Also does anyone have an opinion on the MAS-36 as a general purpose rifle? As one of the last bolt actions to be designed and built for general issue it has a lot of refinements earlier rifles don't have, and it seems like a decent rifle. Getting ammo isn't too difficult here, so that's not a major concern and I reload.

-Jenrick

It's ugly, expensive and chambered for cartridge not available at most local retailers. Ok, time to move on.....

 

[MAKster]

While ugly, the safety designs of the K31 and Mosin are purpose built. Just envision a soldier in the snowy Alps or Stalingrad wearing thick gloves trying to manipulate a small safety button.

 

[swopjan]

Ugly has nothing to do with it. Imagine a soldier in the Alps trying to stick his finger through a ring at the very back of his rifle's action, while wearing thick gloves, and turning it 90 degrees while someone is shooting at him. The only advantage a big, clumsy safety has in this situation is at least is it's not a small clumsy safety.

 

[Jenrick]

PabloJ:

It's ugly, expensive and chambered for cartridge not available at most local retailers. Ok, time to move on.....

I personally find it to be a reasonably attractive rifle, and my LGS has a case of Privy 7.5 French on the shelf right now and the Cabelas a bit down the road keeps the Privy in stock all the time.

As far as manual safeties on a rifle, I don't find that a huge deal. In a contemporary civilian environment is it important that every round is accounted for, and to minimize the risk of an accidental discharge? Certainly, but for a general military rifle was this a design consideration? Probably not. I honestly can't come up with a military situation where having a round chambered and the safety on was a tactical advantage to having a round chambered and no safety. With a truly ergonomic safety like a Garand of an AR, sure there are some advantages to a hot chamber and safety on then having no round chambered, but how many rifles safety were that easy to use? My SMLE No. 4 MK 1* has one of the more ergonomic rifle safeties from that time period, and I can honestly say that I can chamber a round and fire from low ready almost as fast as I can work the safety and fire.

If I was going to criticize the Mas for a design feature, it would be the 5 round magazine versus a 10 round magazine.

-Jenrick

 

[Sunray]

Appears the grenade launcher is the issue. There are 2 MAS-36's currently on Gunbroker. One with the launcher at $699, the one without is $250 to $350.
MAS-36's are kind of like Iver Johnson revolvers. A much ignored area of collecting.