Mas 36

[abunaitoo]

Anyone load cast bullets for the Mas36????
I've tried the Lee 165gr at 309 with 9.5 of 700x and have gotten good results.
I'd like to try a heavier bullet.

[jonk]

I use the Lyman 311299 sized to .309 with 28 gr of IMR 4895, no filler.

1/2" groups at 50 yards.

[RU shooter]

What caliber are you all shooting ?The original 7.5 french or is the rifle converted to 308win. ? Also need to ask as I've been thinking of getting one ,What stripper clips do the M36 take ???? Is it their own design or will something else work ?


Tim

[abunaitoo]

1/2" at 50yds.
How's is it at 100yds???

Shooting 7.5.
I also have a 49/56 in .308.
I like the 7.5 better.
The strippers for the 7.5 are different from the .308.
I think Gunparts has the,.

[Dutch4122]

I have a Mas-36 in the original 7.5x54 French chambering.

My best luck so far has been with the RCBS 30-180-SP. Mine drop 190 grns and .3105" when cast of straight wheelweight. The gun also liked the Lyman 311041 a lot; but, the slug would not feed from the magazine. The meplat would hang up on the way in. That was a shame because the 311041 shot better than the 30-180-SP by a slight margin.

Tried the Lee 312-155-sp Ed Harris designed boolit as well. The gun shot them into a small shotgun pattern.

The Modified 30-180-SIL Group Buy Boolit also has showed some promise but I only had time to shoot a few of those.

Bottom line is I believe that a good bore rider will serve you best with these rifles.

All of my work with this cartridge so far has been with 16 to 19 grains of 2400. Next time out I'm going to start over with Unique as that powder has been producing better results in my other Mil-Surps.

Hope this helps,:mrgreen:

[StarMetal]

1/2" at 50yds.
How's is it at 100yds???

Shooting 7.5.
I also have a 49/56 in .308.
I like the 7.5 better.
The strippers for the 7.5 are different from the .308.
I think Gunparts has the,.

Before there was available brass for the 7.5 French many formed 6.5 Swede into it. That tells me the rim is larger then the 308 so stripper clips that fit Swedes may work.

I have a 49/56 in 308 and I did a post where I've shot it. I have mine scoped. I'm using rifle powder and the Lyman 314299 and 31284.

Joe

[Buckshot]

..............Mine isn't the 7.5 or the 308. It's ....................

http://www.fototime.com/4CE0AE555332580/standard.jpg

...............Buckshot

[jonk]

At 100 yards? Good question. I'll have to check my notes. Off the top of my head I'd say about 3-4" but then again the sights on these guns are pretty awful. So I can't say if it is me or the load.

[Ironnewt]

..............Mine isn't the 7.5 or the 308. It's ....................

http://www.fototime.com/4CE0AE555332580/standard.jpg

...............Buckshot

Is that for REAL?

[Buckshot]

Is that for REAL?

...............Why of COURSE it's for real! :-)

http://www.fototime.com/4CE0AE555332580/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/D84C26951C36B50/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/0E6605AE3358FFB/standard.jpg


http://www.fototime.com/6B73F57ED82F5AB/standard.jpg

................Buckshot

[Dschuttig]

Buckshot,
You have made quite a few sizing dies for me through the past several years and I know you do a lot of nice machining. Is it possible to take a extra rear sight leaf, drill and tap a larger hole where the peep hole is and make a screw in insert with different hole placements, since a lot of the original sight leafs are not available? Thanks, dan

[craig61a]

...............Why of COURSE it's for real! :-)

http://www.fototime.com/4CE0AE555332580/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/D84C26951C36B50/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/0E6605AE3358FFB/standard.jpg


http://www.fototime.com/6B73F57ED82F5AB/standard.jpg

................Buckshot

Massive cool!

[Ironnewt]

The reason I asked was I had a Marlin 1895 in 45.70 and It was a thumper on the whitetails I was shooting years ago. I kind of got away from hunting (nothing wrong with it, I just could not get the time and places to do go) and ended up selling it to someone in my club who liked it. I have to say that it a pretty cool looking set up.

[helice]

Buckshot,
I looked at the Mas 36 a few years ago and could not come up with a reason to buy one. It just didn't make sense to me. After seeing what you did to yours I wish like crazy I'd have bought one. I just didn't have enough creative juice running in me at the time. Sweet idea - Sweet execution. Now that rifle makes sense. But then again - I like big bores.

[Dutchman]

My limited foray into loading 7.5x54 MAS involved using Swedish gallery practice ammo. We used Lee dies to open up the neck to .30 and seated a .30 bullet. Shot once and throw it away (Berdan primed).

The Lee dies have a long tapered expander on the decap die that works perfectly for opening up the necks of 6.5 Swede.

The MAS36 is the UGLIEST rifle ever built in the history of mankind... but I hear it does very well as far as accuracy. Butt ugly. One of the original Lee sisters: Beastly, Homely, Ugly. Am I being overly opinionated?

Dutch :lol:

[Buckshot]

..............You can for sure get some pretty intrepid ballistics out of the setup, but lemme tell ya ............... it doesn't take you long to become very cautious with the 12.5" pull the MAS features:-) A snotty nose and watering eyes results! The .800" OD bolt recommended itself to the conversion. I worked up to Ruger No1 load data (not recommending it, just saying) and was pretty sick of the treatment long before it topped out. I hasten to add that I've never, and have no intent of hunting anything that would need that much killing. It was the first time I've ever experienced having slobber all over the left side of a rifle [smilie=l:

................Buckshot

[Hang Fire]

The Mas-36 in 7.5x54 is rapidly becoming one of my favorite rifles. It's lines may not please many, but for me beauty comes forth when form follows function, and the Mas-36 functions very well indeed.

To me, the M-1917 Enfield is truly an ugly monstrosity of a rifle. It is so ugly it makes the Mas-36 look like a sleek refined beauty in comparison.

[JDL]

My limited foray into loading 7.5x54 MAS involved using Swedish gallery practice ammo. We used Lee dies to open up the neck to .30 and seated a .30 bullet. Shot once and throw it away (Berdan primed).

The Lee dies have a long tapered expander on the decap die that works perfectly for opening up the necks of 6.5 Swede.

The MAS36 is the UGLIEST rifle ever built in the history of mankind... but I hear it does very well as far as accuracy. Butt ugly. One of the original Lee sisters: Beastly, Homely, Ugly. Am I being overly opinionated?

Dutch :lol:

The French indeed makes the most homely rifles known to man! I think the last gun they produced that wasn't a monstrosity was in the 1700's.

[Ed in North Texas]

The French indeed makes the most homely rifles known to man! I think the last gun they produced that wasn't a monstrosity was in the 1700's.

That may be (OK, it's true), but for someone who cleaned all sorts of service rifles, the bolt take down on the MAS 36 is truly a rifle cleaning troop's dream when compared to the Mauser variety. It's just too bad the average French troop of the day was so danged small that the stock is short. Adding a slip on recoil pad helps when you want to keep the rifle as issued.

Ed

[Dutch4122]

................It's just too bad the average French troop of the day was so danged small that the stock is short. Adding a slip on recoil pad helps when you want to keep the rifle as issued.
Ed

Agreed. I've also seen mention that the thick wool fieldcoats they were issued were a reason for the short length of pull; although that would be a tough "internet fact" to verify. A slip on recoil pad sure makes a big difference in comfort and "shootability" when installed on the MAS 36.

[Old Ranger]

I've shot some cast out of my MAS 36 although I haven't done much load developement. Used the RCBS 30-115gr SP (M1 Carbine bullet) sized 309 and either 4198 or 2400 powders. Accuracy around 1.5" at 50yds. Groups about 3'' to the right at 50yds.. Rear sight aperture is drilled off center. I am aware that this was done intentionally to zero rifle and other inserts are available. When I first got this rifle about 20 yrs ago I shot some jacketed reloads which were around an inch at 50 yds. Don't remember the load now. I do remember paying $75.00 for the gun.