Can anyone tell me about the MAS 49/56?

B

Blue Duck357

New member
Saw these rifles with accesories in my latest SOG catalog. They said it was used by the French Foreign Legion, but I really don't know a thing about them other than it's a semiauto in 7.5 French which I'm also unfamiliar with.

Any info or opinions on the rifle would be appreciated, Blueduck
 
They are considered 'ugly' by most collectors but are very reliable and accurate. Some came with the integral grenade lauching barrel and grenade sites. Overall it is a good shooter but not very collectible unless you can find one with the grenade set-up. The 7.5 French is not easily found and normally sells for $1 a round. Many serious MAS guys are using Swiss Cases and cutting them down to make 7.5 French.
 
Ammo availability is probably your real issue ... although, I did see a supply of surplus somewhere (sorry, that's the best I can do on this one). If you could find that source and if you stocked up, it might not be an issue afterall. I know that some of these guns were rechambered for 7.62x51 and there are some articles on the net about how to make them reliable in that configuration.

Good luck,
Saands
 
Check the JPFO website for an extensive review of the rifle. Stay away from the ones that have been rechambered for 308 Win. They use an insert in the chamber which cracks over time and boogers up the casings. I was told that by a Distributor of that rifle, by the way.

You can substitute 6.5x55 Swede brass for the MAS brass. It uses 308 bullets, by the way, despite the "7.5mm" designation. It would almost be worth having a bolt action MAS for fire-forming the brass, though, if you get the semi auto.

It might make an interesting "poor man's M1A", but I think the money could better be spent on an AR or a Romanian AK clone.
 
Thanks for all the info, especially to the kind member who e-mailed me.

I was not really looking for something to compete with an M1A or AK, just interested in the weapons history and opinions on it. I guess to many viewings of bad movies about the French Legion. You never seem to hear about the weapons they used. I assume it would not be the best and most up to date at any time in thier history.

But then again it is ugly enough to add to my battery... I could store it between my Glock and a Enfield just to make it look better :)

Thanks, Blueduck
 
Blue Duck

I simply love my MAS 49/56. As for ugly, well, I guess that's in the eye of the beholder. Frankly, other than my M1, the MAS 49/56 really floats my boat.

As a shooter, it is extremely reliable and extremely fun to fire. If you pick it up, you can snap it onto your shoulder and on target within seconds. It is also very accurate, even with rapid fire. I've dumped the entire clip in about 6 seconds and the muzzle just comes right to target each and every time.

I've got one in both the 7.5 mm and NATO configuration. Back a number of years ago, CAI imported a bunch of these rifles and "converted" them to the NATO round. which, buy the way, is not correctly called .308, but 7.62 x 51 NATO. There is a difference.

A lot of collectors think this was a bastardization of the rifle but, in reality, it wasn't. The French actually converted the rifle to this caliber themselves but only in small numbers. In either configuration they are C&R eligble, however, aftermarket conversions are NOT C&R elegible.

Literally thousands of these NATO conversions are on the market today and there have been some difficulties. While the vast majority were properly done, it's apparent that there was a batch of poor conversions put on the market which have required the owners to have a smith put them right. It can be done. It involves rereaming the chamber and, sometimes, a gas "valve" installed to alter the pressure. Original pressures of the 7.5mm cartridge was around 30,000psi. The NATO round produces around 42,000psi +/-. Commercial .308, however, creates much higher pressures and should not be used.

My MAS 49/56 in .308 is perfectly reliable, a real thrill to shoot, handsome as hell, and always gets great reviews at the range. It is a nice, tight, accurate, and as military as you can get, IMHO.

If you collect battle rifles like I do, the MAS in both bolt and SA, should be in your collection. And, if you can find a .308 conversion today (it is very hard to find any lately), then you should buy it and shoot it. Save the 7.5mm for special occasions as it is hard to find and when you can find it, it cost .50 a round. Eventually, these rifles will disappear just like the Czech VZ52 and it's ammo did a long time ago. Today, the ammo has returned out there but the rifles are gone, at least ones anyone would own.

I'm sorry I so long winded. I'm holding my MAS right now and can't , for the life of me, understand why anyone would call it ugly. I also own the book called "Proud Promice" which documents the history of French rifles and the development of self loading/semi-auto rifles. The French do have a lot to be proud of in this area as their rifles were the first to develop it.

Buy the SOG package. You won't regret it. Once this supply is sold out, they won't come back. Look at what you get, too. Everything including the bayo. And yes, these were French Forign Legion pieces. Go back to any old B&W movie about the Legion and you'll see the MAS 39 bolt. They are pretty easy to spot.

Good Luck!

Rome
 
Perhaps the definitive book in english on the MAS is "Proud Promise" by Jean Huon. It covers the early pre WW I French attempts on producing a semi-automatic rifle up until the final development of the MAS.
 
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