Lets hear from Mas 36 shooters

[Hang Fire]

Give your pros and cons about the rifle.

IMO, the French Mas 36 rifle is a sleeper

The French Mas 1936 7.5x54 was the last bolt action battle rifle put into service by a major power. Because of their appearance and being French, they have received negative reviews and comments, including from people who have never handled or shot one. Due to limited numbers available at the time, the Mas 36 saw little service in WW2, but post war they were used extensively in Vietnam and Algiers.

It was just a short time ago one could buy two Mas 36 rifles for $100.00 but those times are past, see where they are now approaching $300.00 apiece. I looked at, handled, and researched the rifle before buying one last year. As to their looks, IMO form follows function, and it functions very well indeed. When examined, it is apparent considerable engineering went into the design.

The 7.5x54 is almost on par with the 7.62x51 as to power and the cartridge is basically the 6.5x55 Mauser with neck expanded out to 7.5. The 7.5 bore allows for .308” bullets to be used for reloading and the rear aperture battle sight makes for adequate accuracy out to 500 yards. A drawback of the sight is no windage adjustment and having a fixed front sight, necessitating at the armory for rifles to be fitted with different individual custom rear sights to compensate for no horizontal adjustments. If the POA/POI is off, the front sight is soft soldered in a dovetail, so with a little heat, it can be drifted L/R for correction.

[500MAG]

I got a buddy at church that asked today about helping him to get set up to load for his.

[gew98]

While I like the caliber/cartridge... the rifle is a bastard. The lack of a safety along with a real weird angled bolt handle and an absolutely atrocious trigger pull make it one of the least user friendly military rifles ever !. Now the issue sights are excellent...but do not make up for the rest !.


PS , the majority I have handled had rather short buttstocks too !.

[Hang Fire]

IIRC, there was a study done which proved per capita, there were less accidents for the French rifles having no safety than other nation's military rifles with safeties.

The bolt was designed to be used with palm of the hand, I find it very fast operating that way.

As to trigger pull, I find it on mine no worse, and better than some other milsurps.

Short butt stock doesn't bother me, but I am not large framed with long arms.

Takes all of five seconds to completely diassemble the Mas 36 bolt, takes longer than that on some milsurps to just get the bolt out of the receiver.

Good engineering for the bolt.

Mas 36: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwSO80x1v0w

K98 Mauser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A_-FnDhmAc

[DeanWinchester]

They're usually a great buy. They got that going for them. They usually have mint bores and scratched stocks having never been fired and dropped on the ground.

[Hang Fire]

That tired old oft repeated BS is well past it's expiration date.

IIRC, over 100,000 French soldiers died in one month during the Nazi invasion, so those French troopers did fire and then dropped dead to the ground with their weapons. This while the BEF was beating a hasty retreat to Dunkirk, where they dropped and lost their equipment in such a hurry to get across the channel.

[George Tucker]

I bought one, still had the white Flag tied on the end of the barrel.

[Multigunner]

A short butt stock, which many other milsurp rifles also have, can be compensated for by use of a slip on recoil pad. Theres a sturdy black rubber slip on recoil pad that was used when firing rifle grenades, not for firing from the shoulder but rather to protect the butt stock from cracking and provide a slip resistent surface when bracing the butt on pavement or stony ground. It adds about 1 1/2" possibly more to length of pull IIRC.

I've examined a Vietnam war trophy MAS 36 carbine, probably used by Viet Cong. It had a sporter cut fore end that appeared to have been done many years previous to its last capture date.
The front sight looked milspec so it was most likely a carbine barrel rather than a cutdown rifle.
This carbine had an aftermarket thumb safety located below the bolt end cap, the thumb piece moved from side to side to block the sear or trigger.
I read of the commercial sporting versions of the MAS 36 some years later on. Those could be had with the thumb safety, and in a number of sporting cartridge chamberings, or chambered for some obsolete military cartridges. There was also a proprietary wildcat 7mm on a necked down 7.5 case.

Some of the sporters are very handsome and rugged rifles, well suited to hunting in far away climes.

[Argentino]

Give your pros and cons about the rifle.

IMO, the French Mas 36 rifle is a sleeper

The French Mas 1936 7.5x54 was the last bolt action battle rifle put into service by a major power. Because of their appearance and being French, they have received negative reviews and comments, including from people who have never handled or shot one. Due to limited numbers available at the time, the Mas 36 saw little service in WW2, but post war they were used extensively in Vietnam and Algiers.

It was just a short time ago one could buy two Mas 36 rifles for $100.00 but those times are past, see where they are now approaching $300.00 apiece. I looked at, handled, and researched the rifle before buying one last year. As to their looks, IMO form follows function, and it functions very well indeed. When examined, it is apparent considerable engineering went into the design.

The 7.5x54 is almost on par with the 7.62x51 as to power and the cartridge is basically the 6.5x55 Mauser with neck expanded out to 7.5. The 7.5 bore allows for .308” bullets to be used for reloading and the rear aperture battle sight makes for adequate accuracy out to 500 yards. A drawback of the sight is no windage adjustment and having a fixed front sight, necessitating at the armory for rifles to be fitted with different individual custom rear sights to compensate for no horizontal adjustments. If the POA/POI is off, the front sight is soft soldered in a dovetail, so with a little heat, it can be drifted L/R for correction.

I know this is not the main point here but wouldn´t that be the Enfield N4-MkII?

There were also Enfield/Ishapores issued even later than that (60´s), but not by a major power.

Regarding the MAS I ´ve seen a couple of them for sale in my country in excellent condition.

Always thought they should be a good buy since they weren´t expensive but I´ve heard some negative comments about them being not quite good in the accuracy dept.
I cannot tell if this is true or if it was just plain nonsense talking. I would like to know.

[twotoescharlie]

a SKS trigger block safety can be fitted to these rifles. I got a as new refurb several years ago and put one on it, still have it havn't shot it much. also have dies and plenty of boxer brass.

TTC

[ukrifleman]

I bought one, still had the white Flag tied on the end of the barrel.

This sort of comment is un-called for and and just plain insulting to the thousands of troops who perished in France in 1940.
There were several factors that caused the collapse of the French and British forces. One major factor was poor leadership from Generals who learnt their trade in victorian times and were still using WW1 tactics and were unable to cope with the Blitzkrieg tactics of the German forces.
No army had ever faced such tactics before and in the outset had no answer to such things as Stuka dive bombers, which were in fact flying artillery.
The German forces were highly mobile with good radio communications right down squad level and they perfected the art of tank warfare.
Basically the allied forces were out-manoeuvered by a modern, highly mobile force and it took a bloody nose before they were able to react effectively. Remember what Blitzkrieg means, `Lightning War`
All armies suffer defeats and it is usually these set-backs that enables them to learn and eventually prevail over their enemies.
I will leave you with 4 words, Bataan, Corregidor, Cassreine Pass. It has happened to every army.
ukrifleman.

[felix]

Custer's Last Stand. ... felix

[Hang Fire]

I bought one, still had the white Flag tied on the end of the barrel.

See post #6.

[Hang Fire]

I know this is not the main point here but wouldn´t that be the Enfield N4-MkII?

There were also Enfield/Ishapores issued even later than that (60´s), but not by a major power.

The Enfield is a very old design dating back to 1895 when it entered British service, and it was only an improved version of the earlier Lee-Metford black powder rifle, The Mas 36 was an entirely new design at the time.

[Hang Fire]

This sort of comment is un-called for and and just plain insulting to the thousands of troops who perished in France in 1940.
There were several factors that caused the collapse of the French and British forces. One major factor was poor leadership from Generals who learnt their trade in victorian times and were still using WW1 tactics and were unable to cope with the Blitzkrieg tactics of the German forces.
No army had ever faced such tactics before and in the outset had no answer to such things as Stuka dive bombers, which were in fact flying artillery.
The German forces were highly mobile with good radio communications right down squad level and they perfected the art of tank warfare.
Basically the allied forces were out-manoeuvered by a modern, highly mobile force and it took a bloody nose before they were able to react effectively. Remember what Blitzkrieg means, `Lightning War`
All armies suffer defeats and it is usually these set-backs that enables them to learn and eventually prevail over their enemies.
I will leave you with 4 words, Bataan, Corregidor, Cassreine Pass. It has happened to every army.
ukrifleman.

Well stated.

[Hang Fire]

Custer's Last Stand. ... felix

IIRC, Custer's 215 men found themselves cut off and under attack by as many as 3,000 braves. 14 to 1 odds is never a good thing to contend with in battle.

[felix]

HF, hopefully they see the same picture in us from DC. ... felix

[HangFireW8]

No army had ever faced such tactics before and in the outset had no answer to such things as Stuka dive bombers, which were in fact flying artillery.

Well, only the Poles.

Another factor was severe demoralization.

Fun fact: what European country had the largest Army going into WWII?

[EDG]

>>>I will leave you with 4 words, Bataan, Corregidor, Cassreine Pass. It has happened to every army.
I will leave you with 4 words, Bataan, Corregidor, Cassreine Pass. It has happened to every army.<<<

Name a country that did not adequately spend for defense, got involved in treaties to defend other countries, sold one country down the drain claiming peace in our time and then evacuated 330,000 men.

[Hang Fire]

Well, only the Poles.

Another factor was severe demoralization.

Fun fact: what European country had the largest Army going into WWII?

The Soviet Union.

And yes, the western part of Russia is in Europe, and also where the vast majority of the population is.