mas-36

[zsill7]

Hey all
i just got a mas-36 rifle from my grandpa who has had it sitting in his attic for quite some time

if the numbers on the barrell are what to go by it seems to have been made in 1952
from how it looks compared to pictures ive seen of others of the same rifle the forend has been cut so that it is now shorter and there is only a bottom part
it also looks like the barrel has been cut down to 18 in (and another front sight added) as from what ive read they were originally about 22 in

what i really need to know now is how to clean the thing and what to do it with

and also how to tell if there is problems with the bore


any help is appreciated greatly

 

[nambu1]

Use the link below and it should help you with your MAS 36. They are a good reference for any military arms questions.



http://www.surplusrifle.com/mas36/maintenance.asp

 

[jrfoxx]

Shouldn't really be anything "special" to do, cleaning-wise. Just clean like you would any other rifle, really. I don't know of there being anything special or unusual about the MAS 36 (doesn't mean there isn't, just not that I'm aware of, or can imagine.) For the bore, same as judging any other milsurp. just give it a good cleaning, remove the bolt, and get some light in the barrel and give it a look. Any substantial pitting will be easy to spot, and if the rifling is getting particularly worn, you should be able to see it. Shiny bore with no pitting, and strong, well defined rifling is good. really dark bore, even after a real good cleaning, with faint rifling throughout, or toward either end, isn't "bad", just means it's fairly worn, and accuracy wont be real great. Pitting will affect accuracy too, but I believe it generally has to be fairly bad and obvious to screw up accuracy to the point it will be hitting all over the place. Also look to see that the crown isn't dinged, and that can have a serious effect on accuracy. I don't think the French were using any corrosive ammo that late, so pitting and corrosion shouldn't be too bad, as long as it was stored in a relatively dry climate.Could be wrong on the corrosive ammo, or someone could have used some older stuff that was, from a fair bit before the gun was made though. Don't know when the French used corrosive primers, if ever. Someone else here will be able to tell you though, and will likely correct me if I'm wrong on anything, or has more/better info.

They are neat guns, and I hear tend to be quite accurate. I plan to get one myself eventually.

 

[Vaarok]

Actually, the French didn't stop using corrosive ammo until the late eighties.

They did, however, routinely rebuild their rifles, and you'll often see several rebuild stamps on the side of the action.

In general, MAS bolt and semiautomatic rifles are underappreciated but otherwise EXCELLENT firearms.