Opinion on French rifles
- Thread starter Alfonso
- Start date
MW, you're lucky I'm not of French ethnicity. You really need to take a good look at historical facts before making such a statement, hopefully it's tongue in cheek.
French rifles can be awkward. The Mas 36s I've seen have mostly been mismatched and quite worn. Some were converted to 7.62x51. These were rumored to have been done by Century Arms. There is another rumor that they were a stop gap rifle built by the French and there were very few of them.
When they can be found in decent condition, they are works of art. The metalurgy is good and the finish on the really decent ones will rival any of the early Mausers. The Mas 36, has been condemned as being awkward by a lot of people but with a little practise, especially in the prone position that forward slanted bolt really shows some brilliance.
The good ole boys in the US maligned any rifle with rear locking lugs and two piece stocks. To much for them to get their heads around I guess. The Mas36 came under a lot of criticism because of this. The bolt is massive and very rigid. All of the French bolt action rifles I have, shoot very well, with handloads and milsurp ammo. Milsurp ammo is almost impossible to find. I don't know what the French did with it all. It never has been plentiful, even way back when.
Just do the normal due diligence that you would normally do with any milsurp rifle. If it doesn't meet your standards, don't buy it. Just remember, they aren't the most common milsurp around.
French rifles can be awkward. The Mas 36s I've seen have mostly been mismatched and quite worn. Some were converted to 7.62x51. These were rumored to have been done by Century Arms. There is another rumor that they were a stop gap rifle built by the French and there were very few of them.
When they can be found in decent condition, they are works of art. The metalurgy is good and the finish on the really decent ones will rival any of the early Mausers. The Mas 36, has been condemned as being awkward by a lot of people but with a little practise, especially in the prone position that forward slanted bolt really shows some brilliance.
The good ole boys in the US maligned any rifle with rear locking lugs and two piece stocks. To much for them to get their heads around I guess. The Mas36 came under a lot of criticism because of this. The bolt is massive and very rigid. All of the French bolt action rifles I have, shoot very well, with handloads and milsurp ammo. Milsurp ammo is almost impossible to find. I don't know what the French did with it all. It never has been plentiful, even way back when.
Just do the normal due diligence that you would normally do with any milsurp rifle. If it doesn't meet your standards, don't buy it. Just remember, they aren't the most common milsurp around.
My father had a MAS 36 in beautiful condition in his WW2 collection. While at first glance the bolt handle angle and floor plate seemed awkward but as a battle rifle I doubt these would matter.
What really impressed me about this rifle is the overall fit and finish. There were no rough machining marks in it at all, all of the wood was still secure.
It seemed to handle very nicely, felt more compact and natural than the Enfields and Mausers.
I really wish I had a chance to fire it but we had one box of ammo and I never got the opportunity.
Some MAS 36 rifle in like new condition were assembled from spares parts and matched, Century has imported somes when they were still in business at Montreal. The ammo was never popular due to the fact that was only used by the French army and never widely encountered around the world. I would like to have a MAS myself, i found them very nice.
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PerversPépère
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Shawinigan (Quebec)
That's cheap.
PP.
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One of my worst cases of 'sellers regret' was after selling my June 1940 K-series MAS36 in original all matching condition - it must have been a bring back from Italy or the desert. It looked a bit awkward, but it was very comfortable to handle and shot as well as my M96 Swede - even when using 1957 Syrian ammo. They were made up until about 1958.
A large amount were refurbished by France in the 1970s for war-reserve and export to ex-French Union countries, and these show up on the collectors/shooters market worldwide.
The grenade launching MAS36-51 rifles are fun little rifles too...
A large amount were refurbished by France in the 1970s for war-reserve and export to ex-French Union countries, and these show up on the collectors/shooters market worldwide.
The grenade launching MAS36-51 rifles are fun little rifles too...
And the same action was used as the basis for the current French sniper rifle the FR F2. Word has it the configuration of their locking lugs which are horizontal when locked, gives the rifle smaller vertical dispersion.
Wikipedia with a few corrections:
ht tp://www.actionclear.com.au/products/inchhistory.php
Had a choice between a cherry refurb Mas36 and a Swede 96 once. I chose the Swede and still regret it - I had another Swede already!
Wikipedia with a few corrections:
ht tp://www.actionclear.com.au/products/inchhistory.php
Had a choice between a cherry refurb Mas36 and a Swede 96 once. I chose the Swede and still regret it - I had another Swede already!
- Location
- Leduc County, Alberta
The only thing that has EVER stopped me from buying a French Milsurp has been ammo/component availability.
But now, there are many options for reloaders, and factory ammo.
Might be high time to find myself some nice Frankish firearms!
But now, there are many options for reloaders, and factory ammo.
Might be high time to find myself some nice Frankish firearms!
I have a MAS 36 and a MAS 49. I like them both very much. I managed to find an APX L806 scope and mount for my MAS 49 and it shoots very well. Nice retention of teh zero even when taking the scope off and on. I am currently shooting Prvi factory ammo.
I have a number of French rifles, three MAS rifles one 36 and two MAS36-51s. One of the MAS36-51s is chambered for 30-284.
I like the Mas rifles as they are compact, and are modular.
The only thing I really dislike about the French rifles is the lack of a safety.
I like the Mas rifles as they are compact, and are modular.
The only thing I really dislike about the French rifles is the lack of a safety.
