MAS-36

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  • TI-tick

    Ultimate Member
    BANNED!!!
    MDS Supporter
    This is a MAS-36 that my Dad brought this back from Viet Nam. I have no papers on this. No matching numbers. Although 57xxx is consistent on the bolt, receiver, and foregrip wood. Number on the butstock has been obliterated. Thought it was a name starting with P but now I think it’s P and numbers.

    As a kid it was a balooka gun sitting in the closet with what have you; no ammo. Kids being kids at some point we parted the bayonet from the rifle and the bayonet is long gone. Was not a Tommy gun or a MP-40 so who cares. Rat Patrol days.

    Fast forward a decade Dad’s going back overseas and the MAS-36 comes to me.

    Circa early 1990’s I find a replacement bayonet at a gun show at The Pomona Fairgrounds. Around this same time I find a source for 7.5 French ammo; Arabic on the boxes. Alleged Algerian. I buy.

    Took her out to the desert outside Victorville. Shot once at a big stick, telephone pole sized, and saw dust fly up beyond. Tried again with the same result. Tried again with the same result and realized the rounds were not missing but going through the big stick. Three holes on the front and three corresponding holes on the back.

    Aimed at a rock, maybe 3 feet around, and broke that in half.

    JFC what do I have???

    Have not shot it since and I have some of the ammo somewhere.

    Later my Dad said that as he was processing out of Viet Nam a clerk asked him about bring backs. My Dad had no clue about that. The clerk took him to a warehouse, and said this one looks good. And that’s what my Dad took.
    I reckon it’s a field arsenal rebuild. Interesting to me is the wood and metal finishing. Most of what we find here for MAS-36 look close to new with clear finished wood and green park. Pictures don’t do it justice; this one’s been around the horn.

    Photos are crap. I'll try better if anyone is interested.
     

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    bigmancrisler

    2A Preacher
    Jun 4, 2020
    1,263
    Martinsburg, WV
    This is a MAS-36 that my Dad brought this back from Viet Nam. I have no papers on this. No matching numbers. Although 57xxx is consistent on the bolt, receiver, and foregrip wood. Number on the butstock has been obliterated. Thought it was a name starting with P but now I think it’s P and numbers.

    As a kid it was a balooka gun sitting in the closet with what have you; no ammo. Kids being kids at some point we parted the bayonet from the rifle and the bayonet is long gone. Was not a Tommy gun or a MP-40 so who cares. Rat Patrol days.

    Fast forward a decade Dad’s going back overseas and the MAS-36 comes to me.

    Circa early 1990’s I find a replacement bayonet at a gun show at The Pomona Fairgrounds. Around this same time I find a source for 7.5 French ammo; Arabic on the boxes. Alleged Algerian. I buy.

    Took her out to the desert outside Victorville. Shot once at a big stick, telephone pole sized, and saw dust fly up beyond. Tried again with the same result. Tried again with the same result and realized the rounds were not missing but going through the big stick. Three holes on the front and three corresponding holes on the back.

    Aimed at a rock, maybe 3 feet around, and broke that in half.

    JFC what do I have???

    Have not shot it since and I have some of the ammo somewhere.

    Later my Dad said that as he was processing out of Viet Nam a clerk asked him about bring backs. My Dad had no clue about that. The clerk took him to a warehouse, and said this one looks good. And that’s what my Dad took.
    I reckon it’s a field arsenal rebuild. Interesting to me is the wood and metal finishing. Most of what we find here for MAS-36 look close to new with clear finished wood and green park. Pictures don’t do it justice; this one’s been around the horn.

    Photos are crap. I'll try better if anyone is interested.


    That’s so cool! That’s quite high one my list of C&R guns to add to my collection lol. Curious for a updated range report.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    Surplus ammo? If I recollect 7.5 french was some of the last steel core surplus available. Last time I lit some off it had a lot of penetration and I believe the energy and velocity is comparable to .30-06.

    I used to laugh at these, bought one at a gun show back in college, 36/51 rework with the tag on have even tried to sell it a few times just to thin things down. Never seemed to budge but last I checked on GB they were out of sight. Cant imagine what a genuine bring back would run up.

    You need a MAS 49 to go with it, talk about a fun carbine sized gun rocking a full power cartridge.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    Nice 36. We would need a bunch more detailed pictures to tell you exactly what you have (including the serial number). I've been casually looking for a nice one for a while but I'm very particular about what I want. French firearms have always been underappreciated unfortunately. In fact, I'm guilty of that myself. But once I started educating myself about them I became hooked and may have even gone a bit overboard by collecting accessories and literature too. Although I've never shot nor plan to shoot the ones I have, my MAS44, 49, and 49/56 rifles are some of my most loved firearms I have the pleasure of owning:








    I've even translated and reformatted some of the manuals and I don't speak French. Talk about TIME consuming!!
     

    TI-tick

    Ultimate Member
    BANNED!!!
    MDS Supporter
    Nice 36. We would need a bunch more detailed pictures to tell you exactly what you have (including the serial number). I've been casually looking for a nice one for a while but I'm very particular about what I want. French firearms have always been underappreciated unfortunately. In fact, I'm guilty of that myself. But once I started educating myself about them I became hooked. Although I've never shot nor plan to shoot the ones I have, my MAS44, 49, and 49/56 rifles are some of my most loved firearms:



    I'll see what I can do and appreciate your input.

    Need help with the shoot.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    I just saw the top one is a 44 and here I thought it was a Syrian 49.

    The one in the middle is what gets me going: French MAS 49. Approximately 250 made it into the country before the French signed onto a UN arms treaty that forbade selling obsolete arms. And so the French destroyed their MAS 49s. Count your lucky stars if you were lucky or smart enough to grab one when they were selling so cheap (my best French 49 only cost me $250, yikes!). When you consider that about 3,000 MAS 44s and 3,000 Syrian 49s made it to the US this tiny number really jumps out at you.
    With VN vets passing you are starting to see more and more bring-backs surfacing, like the OPs. I would love to see a better close up of the left side of the receiver, where the SN resides.
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    Ive really grown to appreciate these guns. On one hand they often were advanced designs (e.g., direct impingement) grafted to older physical designs (wood and steel). Plus the french had the habit of hanging every accessory on them, especially in later iterations, I guess its truly french to accessorize!

    But they perform and perform well. Someday I hope to swap out my extra 49/56 for a 44, 49 or Syrian 49.
     

    TI-tick

    Ultimate Member
    BANNED!!!
    MDS Supporter
    The one in the middle is what gets me going: French MAS 49. Approximately 250 made it into the country before the French signed onto a UN arms treaty that forbade selling obsolete arms. And so the French destroyed their MAS 49s. Count your lucky stars if you were lucky or smart enough to grab one when they were selling so cheap (my best French 49 only cost me $250, yikes!). When you consider that about 3,000 MAS 44s and 3,000 Syrian 49s made it to the US this tiny number really jumps out at you.
    With VN vets passing you are starting to see more and more bring-backs surfacing, like the OPs. I would love to see a better close up of the left side of the receiver, where the SN resides.

    Working on it. IDK where the F my camera got off to and I want to find that ammo. It's been like 30 years.:D
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    The one in the middle is what gets me going: French MAS 49. Approximately 250 made it into the country before the French signed onto a UN arms treaty that forbade selling obsolete arms. And so the French destroyed their MAS 49s. Count your lucky stars if you were lucky or smart enough to grab one when they were selling so cheap (my best French 49 only cost me $250, yikes!). When you consider that about 3,000 MAS 44s and 3,000 Syrian 49s made it to the US this tiny number really jumps out at you.
    With VN vets passing you are starting to see more and more bring-backs surfacing, like the OPs. I would love to see a better close up of the left side of the receiver, where the SN resides.


    Ah, the 80's!

     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    I paid $313.95 for my first Chicom (an underfolder I still have) back around this time and my dad said, "Why are you wasting your money on that Chinese junk boy?!?" I just smiled.
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    I paid $313.95 for my first Chicom (an underfolder I still have) back around this time and my dad said, "Why are you wasting your money on that Chinese junk boy?!?" I just smiled.

    Well of course you overpaid, everyone on the net knows that they were $50 each ($5 in bulk) not the price (factoring inflation) of many of the rifles we buy today. There were a lot of really nice quality Chinese guns available back then, before the compromises, butchery and other shortcuts were taken.
     

    j8064

    Garrett Co Hooligan #1
    Feb 23, 2008
    11,635
    Deep Creek
    Those are definitely some great rifles OP & Combloc. All I can add is this very pretty MAS 36 came from a GB auction back in 2013. They were reasonably priced then - not anymore. I easily found some PRVI factory ammo, reloading die and brass then. Good luck these days. Since they fire 308/309 bullets, reloading was easy.

    This one gets out to a Hooligan shoot once in a great while. And we do enjoy how well it shoots.

    :)
     

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    damosan

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2009
    261
    You can try NARA - bringback papers were part of the soldier/marine's file. I tried NARA on an old 98k a buddy of my grandfather brought back from WW2 (they flew in the same bomber). It was a rando mix master so I wasn't expecting anything. I sent the information to NARA (serial number, year, factory) and they said they got a hit but couldn't release the records to me because I wasn't directly family. :-/

    So to all you people who say "Germans would never mixmaster a rifle!" I beg to differ.
     

    TI-tick

    Ultimate Member
    BANNED!!!
    MDS Supporter
    IDK WTF happened with that Algerian ammo.
    I'll keep digging in the bunker.

    That receiver SN is 57GFY:D

    I spent a lot of time trying to decipher the markings on the butt. Initially I thought it was a name first initial P. But looking at it now it looks like the last two marks are 47 so I reckon it's another SN. Looks like someone took a nail or a pick and obliterated it; IDK why. In different light it looks different. Perhaps the OG something not so kind and then repented. Perhaps "baiser les officiers dans le cou" but that seems a bit long so IDK.

    The bore is good to me; strong lands and grooves but the photo I took only shows close not long so it's not included.

    Any feedback is appreciated, and a thank you to damosan re NARA. I checked the sight and BTW with time non family members can obtain records
     

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    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    Gunboards has an exhaustive sticky with tons of great info on the MAS 36 (I'm at work so no access to Ian's reference book). The FH series SN starting with "5" would have been assembled in '52 or '53. So definitely in the Vietnam era for French forces.
     

    EODJoe

    Sic Semper Tyrannis
    Jan 15, 2013
    285
    Carroll County
    I bought one of these from a Big 5 Sporting Goods when I was stationed in southern California in the late '90s. I paid $60 and it looked to be almost brand new. I only shot it a few times. Ammo is still not easy to find and I was told all the surplus ammo is corrosive. I know the desert outside of Victorville very well. It sits in the safe now. I hadn't even thought about that gun in a few years until this post came up.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    Go figure that even 70s vintage French 7.5 is indeed corrosive. Found that out the hard way! Sitting on a pile of Syrian 7.5 but that ammo is notorious for being click-bang.
     

    TI-tick

    Ultimate Member
    BANNED!!!
    MDS Supporter
    I bought one of these from a Big 5 Sporting Goods when I was stationed in southern California in the late '90s. I paid $60 and it looked to be almost brand new. I only shot it a few times. Ammo is still not easy to find and I was told all the surplus ammo is corrosive. I know the desert outside of Victorville very well. It sits in the safe now. I hadn't even thought about that gun in a few years until this post came up.

    Victorville desert area: I got my POS 2wd Ranger stuck in sand out there once while roaming around and shooting jacks, early 90's. I was working on getting it unstuck when I heard a God awful roar out of the blue. WTF is that? Looked left/right and saw nothing but something caught my eye and I looked up. B-1 bomber with bomb bay doors open flying overhead. IDK how low it was but I could see details inside the bomb bay. It was all normal desert sounds (pretty much wind, very quiet) till it was right over me.

    I like to chit myself thinking I stumbled on a live range, got that F'r truck unstuck quick and hauled ass out of there. Pilots were likely laughing their asses off.

    Interesting place back then, abandoned homesteads, miles and miles of dirt roads with nobody to see for miles and miles. Chit hot in the summer but not too bad otherwise.
     

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