49? or 49-56?

B

BerdanSS

New member
One of my favorite rifles I've ever had, was a one I got as a teen for a late birthday present. A near new MAS 1936-51.

After seeing a semi-automatic MAS at a gun show a couple years later, I decided that some day I must have one. I don't know much about them, but my 36-51 was a real tack driver and built like a tank....not to mention really unique looking. Whats the deal on these? People seem to like the 49-56 well enough. Are they accurate? They look like a blast to shoot, and I have piles of South African 7.62x51 surplus around. I guessing these are chambered for 7.62 nato even though every one I see for sale say "Chambered in .308 win!"



If you had two identical condition rifles, a 49 and a 49-56 which one would you take? Mostly just for a shooter and addition to the collection...but I'll admit I'd probably hunt whitetails with it next year if the law changes like it's supposed to.


<edit> I do have reloading equipment. So if I found a really nice 49 or an unconverted 49-56, I plan on getting a set of 7.5 french dies so I can be able to feed it :)
 
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I just bought a MAS 49/56, re-chambered in 308. It has a free floating firing pin. I've had not the time to group it yet. But I would use mil-spec hard primers for it, like Wolf PVA --- but not the black box Wolf --- which tends to have case head separation.
I use German Riot Control 308 plastic cartridge with a 10 grain plastic bullet, though I've had two slamfires, using that type of ammo --- so I close the bolt very carefully on it --- when using that type of ammo. The plastic ammo does does not cycle the bolt; but I believe it causes slamfires because it uses soft primers with the plastic ammo. You might have a problem with detonation --- if you use a titanium firing pin --- or you can whittle down the firing pin and put a writing pen click spring around it; though I have not done that yet.
They say Century did not chamber some MAS bores correctly for the 308, which might lead to accuracy problems.

The 49/56 is well balanced. It has a flip-up gas valve for shooting rifle grenades. The muzzle brake is loud. Buy a 7.5 mag for the 308 and emery cloth the magazine feed lips yourself for 308, because some have been filed down too far.

I just bought a S&K scope mount for it, from Treeline products, though you might need a low mount red dot scope; including a raised cheek pad that I just ordered from Brownells.

The rubber MAS recoil pad fits perfectly.
 
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Good to know. I've heard the rumblings about the Century imported rifles not being very accurate and some have reliability issues. I also read somewhere that the french converted some 49-56s to 7.62x51 themselves before importation, and those are the ones to get if you don't get a 7.5.

I'm really liking the "rifle" look of the 49 over the carbine style of the 49-56.
 
I personally prefer the looks of the 49-56 better. The Century 7.62/.308 conversions have a real bad rep, so I would get an original in 7.5. And since you're already set to reload 7.5.....................................
 
IIRC, there is no safety, and they are prone to rough re-chamber jobs in 308, and a heavy floating firing pin that can/will slamfire non milsurp ammo. Great rifles, otherwise.

TCB
 
Between the two, I'd take a 49. They are scarcer than the 49/56. I would also only be interested in one in the original 7.5x54 caliber. I do have a 49/56 in 7.5, and it's a great rifle.
 
You can get both unprimed boxer brass and loaded 7.5 French ammo from Prvi Partizan, the Serbian firm. Both are quite good in make. Graf & Sons or SGAmmo might be the best sources for one or the other.

As a rule, I don't care much for non-arsenal conversions by marketers, no matter what the resulting caliber. An arsenal will convert after considerable testing and tooling, while I feel the dealer in surplus arms is just trying to sell his stuff and quality and suitability may be less than desired.
 
PPU is my go to ammo for my surplus guns. There's an Army/Navy surplus store about 45 min from me that always has a pretty good stock of it. That's were I always bought all my 7.5 french that I fed my '36....pretty good stuff:)


I did happen into a LGS one time though and got a good deal. I found a big vacuum sealed pack of loose 7.5 french in their random/loose ammo pile. Someone had miss marked it not knowing what it was. the pack roughly had about 200 rounds in it. While the owner was not happy when I came to the cash register with it (he was the shops mil-surplus guy) he said it was their mistake and if that was the price on the tag, that was what I paid. I counted them when I got home.....I had gotten the ammo for $0.28 cents a round :eek: Atb the time 7.5 french seemed REALLY hard to get a hold of. And when you did find it, it was almost a dollar a round.
 
IIRC, there is no safety,
Click to expand...

My 49/56 does have a safety. I stayed with the original 7.5X54 as I have heard the 308 conversions were poorly done.
My MAS 36 bolt action does not have a safety. Maybe you are confusing the two.
 
French variations

I understand that the French actually produced a run or two of the MAS 49 type rifles in 7.62 NATO, because, for some time after the last great unpleasantness, they were, in fact members of NATO and, in true Gallic fashion, they were keen on export sales as well.

Given that the 7.5 French cartridge is a little fatter than 7.62 NATO, any "new" conversion would necessarily involve quite a bit of shortening of the barrel at the breech end, and quite a bit of alteration to the gas tube, fore-end etc.

Sleeving the chamber for modern, high-pressure cartridges is "dubious practice" to say the least. It could also run to a fair sum of loot, as well

If you are desperate for a 7.62 NATO version, see what is out there in collector land, or cough up for a custom-made replacement barrel.
 
I'm going to the 1500 week after next and will be keeping an eye out for either rifle. I've decided that I'm going to stick with a 7.5 I love the cartridge, I can get good new ammo reasonably priced close to my house and it will give me a new cartridge to reload.
 
I just test fired my Mas 49/56 with a titanium firing pin {$85,} and I'm not having any detonation problems with regular commercial 308 ammo or mil-spec {Wolf} 145 grain ammo.

The other Mas 49/56 owner at our range showed me his 7.5 firing pin, grounded down to fit a small clicker spring somewhat behind the firing pin tip.

I figured it would be safer to use the titanium firing pin, just in the case the spring slipped off, broke or passed-on to another unsuspecting firearm owner.
 
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