WWII Rifle Collection question
- Thread starter Flyboy73
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Also to makeit correct, you must fill all cracks and crevices with dirt or mud. And it must not have ever been fired.
Now, Now, it may have been fired once or twice until the French Resistence could get their hands on German, British, or American weapons.
The French MAS-36 is a fine rifle, and unlike most US, British, and German weapons from the same era, are usually found in like-new condition.
I saw one listed on GunsAmerica.com recently, and it looked to be a good bargain. The owner said it had never been fired, but had been dropped once.
I saw one listed on GunsAmerica.com recently, and it looked to be a good bargain. The owner said it had never been fired, but had been dropped once.
All jokes aside...the french MAS 36 is a fine rifle. I bought one a couple years ago and it had been unissued. It's still chambered for the 7.5 French round and shoots very good.
I "think" this was the primary weapon that the French used in Indochina, not sure of when they switched to the semi-auto version. It has an interesting looking bolt, but it functions fine, even ergonomically superior to most Mauser in my opinion.
Too bad the French government isn't as "standup" as their weapons.
Yes, it would be correct for WWII.
I "think" this was the primary weapon that the French used in Indochina, not sure of when they switched to the semi-auto version. It has an interesting looking bolt, but it functions fine, even ergonomically superior to most Mauser in my opinion.
Too bad the French government isn't as "standup" as their weapons.
Yes, it would be correct for WWII.
I don't have the reference in front of me, but IIRC the French army still used a lot of their Lebel rifles from the First World War, with the MAS-36 not issued to many of the units by the time the Second began.
Anyway, here's some MAS-36 information:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/mas36/index.asp
Also, IIRC, the MAS-36 had no manual safety, so be careful.
I know that some of the French semiautos (MAS 49/56) were rechambered for .308, with varying degrees of success. Does anybody know if the same ever was done, or could be done, for the MAS-36?
Anyway, here's some MAS-36 information:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/mas36/index.asp
Also, IIRC, the MAS-36 had no manual safety, so be careful.
I know that some of the French semiautos (MAS 49/56) were rechambered for .308, with varying degrees of success. Does anybody know if the same ever was done, or could be done, for the MAS-36?
I don't think the MAS 36 was re-chambered to 7.62 NATO by the French government. I've seen where several imports into this country in the last few years were individually re-chambered though.
If a person re-loads....it is not difficult to make the French 7.5 case from 6.5 Swede. Maybe someone like Starline will make this case in the future, until then you can just make your own. Beats re-chambering...at least from my point of view.
If a person re-loads....it is not difficult to make the French 7.5 case from 6.5 Swede. Maybe someone like Starline will make this case in the future, until then you can just make your own. Beats re-chambering...at least from my point of view.
DougW
Member
The French Army wes in the process of upgrading to the MAS36 when the Germans came over the boarder in 1940. Very few made it to the units. Production restarted in 44 or 45, and a lot were used in N Africa and SE Asia. I have one that was either re-arsenaled or new. It is an absolute tack driver. There is some new ammo available, but I have a stash of French made stuff. Rifle is in excellant shape. Don't shoot it much at all, not with all the Enfields I have.
One interesting thing is that like the Mosin-Nagant rifles of Russia, the MAS36 has no safety.
One interesting thing is that like the Mosin-Nagant rifles of Russia, the MAS36 has no safety.
Dave Markowitz
Member
DougW said:
The Mosin-Nagant rifles do have a safety. To activate it you grasp the cocking piece, pull it to the rear, and rotate it to the left. This may not be convenient, but to say the M-N rifles lack a safety is incorrect.
The French took more casualties than the US in WWII. The soldiers fought; they were simply defeated by their trust in their inept leaders, their centralized command system, and by the absence of a Swiss-style system. If the militia kept the Germans out of Switzerland, think what it would have done in France.
telomerase said:
Surely you mean "they took more casualties" as a result of being occupied by the Germans. They certainly didn't take sustain more losses due to combat.
If you don't agree, please quote a source of reference.
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