Berthier M-1892
The French
Berthier weapons were designed as a supplement to the M-1886 Lebel Rifle; for
the most part, Berthier concentrated on shorter rifles and carbines, and used
the same cartridge as the Lebel.
Berthier provided shorter rifles as the M-1886 Lebel design proved unsuitable to
modification into a carbine that would be suitable for mounted troops, and
later, vehicular-mounted troops and those engaged in trench warfare. On the
other hand, the Berthier design could be lengthened into a rifle, and therefore
enjoyed much success in the French Army. (The only real thing that kept the
Lebel in the French Army was the fact that the Lebel was firmly entrenched in
the system and had several powerful backers – the Berthier was in fact the
better of the two weapons.) The Berthier used fixed Mannlicher-style box
magazines, which were at the bottom of the receiver, at the time a very modern
design. These magazines were fed by
en-bloc clips from the top of the receiver; the clips stayed in the receiver and
box magazine during firing, and automatically fell out the bottom of the box
magazine when emptied. A hinged
cover at the bottom of the box closed the box after clip ejection to keep out
dirt and mud. At first, 3-round clips were used; later, designs were introduced
which took 5-round clips, and most Berthiers were modified to take these larger
clips. These versions cost $2 more
than the standard weapons of the same version.
Furniture for
the Berthier rifles and carbines featured one piece through the stock and
fore-end, and ended just before the muzzle; under the barrel was a slot for a
cleaning rod. On all models except
prior to the M-1916, the top of the barrel was unprotected; after this, a wooden
shroud was added to the top of the rifle. The weapons had no manual safety;
during movement, French Army doctrine was that the rifle or carbine be carried
without a round in the chamber.
During World War
1, France could not produce enough Berthier rifles and carbines as desired for
all its troops, and a few thousand were actually produced by Remington in the
US.
The first of the
Berthiers, the M-1890 Carbine, was also known as a Mosqueton (as most carbines
were in the French Army). It was
designed for cavalry, cuirassiers, and Gendarmerie.
The box was contained entirely within the stock in a swell in front of
the trigger below the bolt, and gave the weapon a sort of pot-bellied
appearance. The bolt handle was extra-long, making it easier to manipulate from
horseback. It had no bayonet lug.
The barrel was short (for the time) 17.7 inches.
The M-1892 Artillery Carbine was essentially the same, but had a bayonet
lug, bottom sling swivels, and a severely-shortened handguard.
The M-1892 Carbine had an even shorter 17.5 inch barrel.
The one-piece stock had an even more pot-bellied appearance than the
M-1890, as it was designed for five-round magazine.
The M-1892/16 Carbine was essentially the same, except that it has a
wooden upper handguard/shroud, and is a little heavier.
The M-1902 was
the M-1890 extended into a rifle with a 25-inch barrel.
It was designed for and used by French troops in Indochina and by the
locally-raised troops of France’s colonies.
It has a long, straight handguard, reaching almost to the muzzle, and
underneath was a rod for cleaning.
The bolt handle is extended. The
M-1907 is essentially the same for game purposes, but has a 31.5-inch barrel.
The M-1907 was also known as the Senegalese Carbine, as it was primarily
issued to local colonial troops of the then-French Colony of Senegal.
The Model 1907/15 was essentially the same, but used by the French Army,
and many were actually made in the US by Remington, as World War 1 was going at
a good clip by that time. It is also lightened in weight by the use of alternate
hardwoods for the stock, and has a somewhat shorter 31.4-inch barrel.
M-1907/16 was also the same, but modified to take a 5-round clip; most
were modifications of M-1907/15s, but some were new-built.
The M-1916 Carbine is an M-1907/15 rifle shortened into a carbine with a
17.7-inch barrel.
The
M-1907/15-M34 Short Rifle is a radical redesign of the Berthier Rifle, with a
23-inch barrel. The magazine has an
internal box magazine that did not need the en bloc clip, and instead used a
Mauser-type 5-round staggered internal magazine that is loaded through stripper
clips from the top. It also was chambered for the new 7.5mm MAS cartridge.
Most of these were remodeled versions of earlier Berthier Rifles, though
many were also new-built. Some
served until well into World War 2 with French colonies and French Resistance
guerillas. The M-1907/15/M37 was
essentially the same, but had a further shortened 22.44-inch barrel.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
M-1890 Carbine |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.02 kg |
3 Clip |
$1481 |
M-1892 Carbine |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.02 kg |
5 Clip |
$1479 |
M-1892/16 Carbine |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.25 kg |
5 Clip |
$1481 |
M-1902 Rifle |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.26 kg |
3 Clip |
$1555 |
M-1907 Rifle |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.82 kg |
3 Clip |
$1621 |
M-1907/15 Rifle |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.79 kg |
3 Clip |
$1621 |
M-1907/16 Rifle |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.79 kg |
5 Clip |
$1623 |
M-1916 Carbine |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.18 kg |
5 Clip |
$1481 |
M-1907/15-M34 Short Rifle |
7.5mm MAS |
3.63 kg |
5 Clip |
$1496 |
M-1907/15/M37 Short Rifle |
7.5mm MAS |
3.61 kg |
5 Clip |
$1490 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
M-1890 Carbine |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
57 |
M-1892 Carbine |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
56 |
M-1892/16 Carbine |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
56 |
M-1902 Rifle |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
5 |
Nil |
95 |
M-1907 Rifle |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
5 |
Nil |
120 |
M-1907/15 Rifle |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
5 |
Nil |
120 |
M-1907/16 Rifle |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
5 |
Nil |
120 |
M-1916 Carbine |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
57 |
M-1907/15-M34 Short Rifle |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
84 |
M-1907/15/M37 Short Rifle |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
81 |
Daudeteau M-1896
Notes: Lois
Marie Daudeteau was a persistent firearms manufacturer and modifier, and it was
a long time befoire he stopped trying to sell his rifles to the French Army or
other countries’ militaries. One
attempt to do this was the development of M-1896 rifle, with which he came
closest to selling his rifles to the French Army. One of the biggest strikes
against the M-1896 was the odd and small caliber the rifle used; adopting the
M-1896 would mean that the French Army would have to invest in thousands or even
millions of the Daudeteau cartridge.
The 8mm Lebel and the Rifle firing it were already entrenched in the
French Military, and had several powerful backers, Generals and politicians
among them. The were invested in
the Lebel, and did not want to turn away from the Lebel, even on a supplemental
basis. The M-1896 was therefore not
accepted by the French Army, but the French Navy was interested enough that they
purchased sever hundred for use by sailors and marines operating in Indochina.
The M-1985/6’s forestock extends almost to the muzzle, and the M-1895/6
cannot mount a bayonet. (This version is referred to as the M-1895/6, and is a
carbine instead of a full-length rifle.) It reportedly acquitted itself well in
those trials. Several thousand were
also procured by the French Army for trials, but the Army gave the rifles back
to Daudeteau, who later sold them to the French Navy. At any rate, construction
of the Daudeteau rifles and carbines was completed by 1897.
The bolt
mechanism is similar to the Lebel and the Berthier rifles, and the rifle feeds
from a stripper clip inserted from the top of the receiver.
The disassembly procedure was perhaps the simplest of any rifle of the
time; the Daudeteau M-1896 did not require any special tools for field stripping
and even the armorer’s full strip procedure required little in the way of tools.
Furniture is a full stock, with the stock terminating just before the
muzzle, and a slot for a cleaning rod below it. The front sight is a block and
blade type, and rear sight a ramp and slide type.
Metal parts were deep blued.
The barrel of the M-1896 Rifle is 32.5 inches, while the M-1985/6 uses a
22.25-inch barrel.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
M-1896 |
6.5mm Daudeteau |
3.86 kg |
5 Clip |
$1265 |
M-1895/6 |
6.5mm Daudeteau |
3.63 kg |
5 Clip |
$1161 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
M-1896 |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
112 |
M-1895/6 |
BA |
4 |
2-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
71 |
ENT M-1886 “Lebel”
Notes:
More properly known as the Fusil
d’Infanterie Mle. 1886, The Lebel M-1886 is notable since it is the first
military rifle to use both smokeless powder and (what was considered at the
time) a small-caliber bullet. (It
should be noted that the rifle became known as the “Lebel,” over the protests of
Colonel Lebel himself – he did not design the rifle, only the cartridge.)
The new round was a technical
advance, but rather strangely-implemented; it was behind the times as far as
feed was concerned, using a tubular magazine (in a bolt-action rifle, which is
rather unusual), but ahead of the times as far as the ammunition is concerned.
It essentially led to an arms race that would last some 20 years, until
the Mauser series of rifles came into its own.
In the meantime, the M-1886 was issued to the French military and the
Foreign Legion alike. In 1915, large numbers of the M-1886/93 were supplied to
Imperial Russia; later, they were sold or supplied to Belgium, Serbia, Romania,
and Greece. Some were also captured
by the Germans in World War 1, and used to equip some of their second-line and
service troops; some of these were modified to take the standard Mauser bayonet.
The Lebel M-1886
is essentially a Mle. 1885 modified to use the new ammunition; changes included
a new barrel, bolt head, and a new chamber.
The barrel length was an astounding 31.5 inches. The M-1886 was forced to
use round-headed ammunition by the tubular magazine feed (at the time, Spitzer
(pointed-nose) bullets were quite unreliable in a tubular feed magazine, with
the point of the bullet often setting off the primer of the round ahead of it in
the magazine in the shock of firing the weapon).
The bolt action had a massive, exposed receiver with a bolt handle that
stuck straight out from the weapon.
The peculiar bolt mechanism and the need for a large tubular magazine led to a
long, heavy, and unbalanced rifle which took some time for shooters to get used
to. The wooden stock was
straight-wristed with a quite long length of pull.
The magazine feed could be cut off, allowing for the feeding of single
rounds into the rifle (French tactics of the time called for the shooter to feed
single rounds into the weapon under most circumstances, using the magazine only
to defend against incoming charges or when a large volume of fire was otherwise
needed). Experienced users of the M-1886 had a trick for loading more ammunition
into the weapon at once – they would fill the tubular magazine, load one into
the chamber, and put an extra round into the cartridge lifter, giving them ten
rounds to work with. The sights
were unusual, with the rear sight being a very wide U-shaped notch on a stepped
ramp graduated for 400-800 meters, and a folding leaf graduated for 900-2000
meters. For short-range shooting,
the folded leaf has a fixed notch sight useful out to about 250 meters. The
front sight was a block-like blade with a groove on top, with the shooter
aligning the front and rear sights and placing the target in the groove.
The M-1886 did not have a safety; instead, it had a very heavy target
pull to prevent accidental discharges.
In 1893, minor
modifications were made to the M-1886; the firing pin, muzzle band, and bolt
head were modified. Wings were
added around the rear sight base, as the sight tended to separate using the
simple soldering used on the M-1886. Despite these minor modifications, the
rifle was given a new designation, the M-1886/93.
It is identical to the standard M-1886 for game purposes.
Another minor and relatively rare variation, the M-1886/93/R35, was a
carbine version with a 17.7-inch barrel and a tubular magazine that held only
three rounds.
In 1929, some
experimental M-1886/30 rifles were rechambered to take the then-new 7.5mm MAS
round. These experimental rifles
received new 24-inch barrels, a new bolt head, and a box magazine to replace the
tubular magazine. They were
designated the M-1886/27. However,
the decision to develop a new rifle (which eventually became the MAS-36) cut
these tests short. The stats below
are presented as a “what-if.”
Despite its
being essentially obsolete well before World War 1, the M-1886 remained in
service with the French until the end of World War 2 (in limited numbers).
The tubular
magazine of the Lebel M-1886 was far too slow and difficult to load, especially
as the feed spring in the magazine was very stiff.
The Berthier modification (the Mle 1907/15, generally known as the
“Lebel-Berthier”) was a box magazine with a Mannlicher clip, in addition to
allowing the weapon to use the new Spitzer-pointed boattail bullet.
The original Berthier modification gave it only a three-round magazine in
order to avoid having to do heavy modifications to the stock, but later a
5-round magazine was adapted to it by adding a sheet-metal extension to the
bottom of the stock. This version
was variously referred to as the Mle 1916, Mle 1907/15/16, and its official
designation, the Mle 1907/15 et 1916.)
For the most part, the M-1907/15 went to Foreign Legionnaires; this gave
them the best rifle in the world for a few years.
The Berthier
modification remained in service until the 1950s, and a few were given mounts
for telescopic sights and used as ad hoc
sniper rifles. Others were given extended muzzle rifle grenade-launching
attachments.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Lebel M-1886 |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
4.28 kg |
8 Tubular |
$1622 |
Lebel M-1886/93/R35 |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.54 kg |
3 Tubular |
$1481 |
Lebel-Berthier M-1907/15 |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.81 kg |
3 Clip |
$1623 |
Lebel-Berthier
M-1907/15/16 |
8mm Lebel Rifle |
3.84 kg |
5 Clip |
$1623 |
Lebel-Berthier M-1886/27 |
7.5mm MAS |
3.71 kg |
5 Clip |
$1506 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Lebel M-1886 |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
120 |
Lebel M-1886/93/R35 |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
57 |
Lebel-Berthier M-1907/15 |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
5 |
Nil |
121 |
Lebel-Berthier M-1907/15/16 |
BA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
5 |
Nil |
121 |
Lebel-Berthier M-1886/27 |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
90 |
Gras M-1874/80
Notes: With the
modification of the Gras M-1874 into this model, the Gras Rifle crossed the line
from a blackpowder to a battle rifle.
Chief among this change in game designation was the use of a cartridge
with smokeless powder, though the cartridge dimensions still approximated the
blackpowder Gras cartridge. The
Gras M-1874.80 was actually made at St Etienne, though still designated for the
designer. The barrel was shortened
a little more to 32 inches, and new barrels were fitted to those that had been
modified from M-1874s. A channel
was cut in the left wall of the receiver, allowing the safe venting of gasses
from a ruptured case. For the most
part, however, the M-1874/80 was like the blackpowder M-1874.
The M-1874
Muskatoon was an M-1874/80 with a shorter 27-inch barrel, issued primarily to
cavalry shock troops, and later, infantrymen.
It did not have a bayonet lug, and had only two barrel bands.
A Carbine version, the M-1874/80 Carbine, was also made for artillery and
engineer troops; it had a 20-inch barrel, did have a bayonet lug, and had two
barrel bands. The M-1874/14 was the
same rifle, but fitted with a new rifled barrel sleeve to take the new 8mm Lebel
cartridge. It was also rechambered for the new cartridge and a new bolt fitted.
Many of these had their fore-ends shortened.
Finally, the M-1878/84 Navy version was built; this was essentially an
M-1874 built for the Navy in 1878, then modified in 1884 with the new
modifications and with a Navy-requested shortening of the barrel to 29 inches,
and fitted with a tubular magazine in the forestock holding six rounds.
Some of these were also requested for use by the Army for some of their
infantrymen. The M-1878/84 Navy was
a marked upgrade to the Gras Rifle.
Most of these
rifles were retained until World War 1, and saw action in that conflict, though
they were secondary to later designs.
During World War 1, they were gradually replaced with later designs.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Gras M-1874/80 |
11mm Gras Smokeless |
4.13 kg |
1 Internal |
$407 |
Gras M-1874 Muskatoon |
11mm Gras Smokeless |
3.98 kg |
1 Internal |
$356 |
Gras M-1874/14 |
8mm Lebel |
3.75 kg |
1 Internal |
$456 |
Gras M-1878/84 Navy |
11mm Gras Smokeless |
4.84 kg |
6 Tubular |
$435 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Gras M-1874/80 |
SS |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
125 |
Gras M-1874 Muskatoon |
SS |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
98 |
Gras M-1874/14 |
SS |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
111 |
Gras M-1878/84 Navy |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
109 |
Meunier Fusil A6
Notes: This was
at first only a provisionally-accepted rifle, but the coming of World War 1 and
difficulties with the St. Etienne M-1917 led to more widespread deployment of
the Fusil A6 than it might otherwise have gotten.
It was an advanced semiautomatic rifle for the time, one of the few
decent weapons the French fielded during World War 1.
The biggest problem was the special ammunition required for the rifle,
which led to continual ammunition shortages for those specialist troops equipped
with the Fusil A6. (About 750 Fusil
A6’s were built, and issued mainly to sharpshooters.)
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Fusil A6 |
7mm STA |
4.04 kg |
6 Clip |
$1130 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Fusil A6 |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
92 |
St. Etienne M-1917/M-1918
Notes:
It seemed to be beyond the power of post-World War 1 French arms
manufacturers to design a weapon that was either reliable or esthetically
appealing. Case in point: the St.
Etienne M-1917, brought to you by the designers of the Chauchat.
The rifle was an early attempt at a semiautomatic infantry weapon.
However, the gas port tended to get very easily blocked, leading to jams.
It was long and poorly-balanced.
The magazine held only 5 rounds and was fixed; no chargers were available
for quick loading. And the M-1917
used the notoriously unreliable 8mm Lebel cartridge, a round that was
poorly-shaped for a semiautomatic weapon.
In 1918, The St. Etienne was shortened and the magazine modified to
accept a charger; the shorter length partially relieved the balance problem, but
increased the muzzle blast and fouling.
The barrel of the M-1917 was a long 31.4 inches, while the barrel of the
more favored M-1918 was a more manageable 23.1 inches, and the M-1918s also had
several improvements. In 1935, most of the surviving M-1917s and M-1918s were
modified into bolt-action weapons, which at least solved the problem of jamming.
They were issued to French troops stationed in Equatorial Africa.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
M-1917 |
8mm Lebel |
5.25 kg |
5 Internal |
$1196 |
M-1918 |
8mm Lebel |
4.79 kg |
5 Clip |
$1111 |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
|
M-1917 |
SA |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
109 |
M-1918 |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
77 |
St. Etienne MAS-36
Notes: More
properly known as the Fusil MAS Mle.
1936, this rifle arose after the shortcomings of the Mle 1886 series
(especially it’s 8mm Lebel Rifle cartridge), and was the last bolt-action
service rifle developed for the army of a major power (at the time).
The MAS-36 was the first service rifle developed expressly for the 7.5mm
MAS cartridge, but was still essentially a development of the M-1886 series of
rifles. Though regarded as an ugly
and clumsy weapon, it could stand up to virtually any sort of abuse known to
man, from surviving explosions to being used as an improvised club or crowbar.
Even the 22.6” barrel, though exposed for a large part of its length, was
thickened and strengthened to make it stronger despite the exposure.
The MAS-36 was the last bolt-action rifle adopted by any major power as a
standard infantry weapon, and served for almost 40 years.
Thou official production of the MAS-36 ended in 1953, MAS-36s continued
to be assembled from parts already manufactured for several years more.
The MAS-36 served in the French reserve forces well into the 1970s, and
it still the standard rifle of the French Gendarmerie, who have rebuilt heavily
and repeatedly over the years. The
Viet Minh captured many MAS-36s from the French in Indochina during their
involvement there, and these later showed up in Viet Cong hands during the
Vietnam War until replaced by Soviet and Chinese weapons.
The MAS-36,
despite its “Lebel” rifle ancestry, is immediately identifiable by this exposed
length of barrel, along with the front sight set back from the muzzle and the
shorter, lighter receiver and bolt.
The MAS-36 also is equipped with a cruciform bayonet; this bayonet is kept in a
hollow tube in the fore-end beneath the barrel.
The bayonet is removed from the tube for use, and the other end is
inserted into the tube, with a lug on the barrel a little ahead of that.
The MAS-36 still used a two-piece stock changed very little from the
M-1886 series. The sights were
considered excellent, but the trigger pull was extremely heavy.
There was also no manual safety of any kind, and only one passive safety.
The biggest problem with the MAS-36 is in fact that bolt-action system.
The bolt was designed to lock into the receiver behind the magazine,
instead of above it; this made the MAS-36 a shorter weapon than normal, but also
turned the bolt pull so short that the handle had to be bent forward, and
pulling the bolt when the shooter had his head in the normal aiming position
meant that he was usually pulling the bolt into his nose.
A very rare
variant of the MAS-36 is the MAS-36/CR39, which is a folding-stock paratrooper’s
weapon; the stock remains solid (though made of aluminum), but folds for
parachute drops or storage. It is
not recommended that the MAS-36/CR39 be fired with the stock folded, though it
is possible to do so. The
MAS-36/CR39 uses a shortened 17.7-inch barrel. A less-rare variant is the
MAS-36/LG48; this is a standard MAS-36 with an attachment on the muzzle for
older-type (non-bullet-trap) rifle grenades.
This version also has a rifle grenade sight on an arm on the left side of
the barrel, and range for the rifle grenade could be somewhat adjusted by
rotating a gas trap collar at the muzzle.
The MAS-36/LG48 was usually issued with a slip-on rubber recoil pad for
the butt that also protected the butt when the rifle grenades were fired with
the butt braced against the ground. The MAS-36/LG48 is otherwise identical to a
standard MAS-36 for game purposes.
A training version, the MAS-36 Subcaliber, was also produced for training; this
version uses a barrel insert and modified bolt and sights for use with .22 Long
Rifle ammunition.
Century
International has been selling military surplus MAS-36s on the military surplus
market since the early 1990s. These
are standard MAS-36s, often refinished and sometimes with replacement parts, but
for game purposes are identical to the standard MAS-36.
MAS-36/CR39s are sometimes seen on the military surplus market, where
they command a rather high (real-world) price.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
MAS-36 |
7.5mm MAS |
3.75 kg |
5 Clip |
$1492 |
MAS-36/CR39 |
7.5mm MAS |
3.25 kg |
5 Clip |
$1467 |
MAS-36 Subcaliber |
.22 Long Rifle |
3.85 kg |
5 Clip |
$295 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
MAS-36 |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
82 |
MAS-36/CR39 |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
5/6 |
5 |
Nil |
57 |
MAS-36 Subcaliber |
BA |
1 |
Nil |
7 |
1 |
Nil |
50 |
St. Etienne MAS-44
Notes: In the
fall of 1944, the French began work on trying to perfect the pre-war MAS-39 (an
unsuccessful semiautomatic design), which eventually resulted in the MAS-44.
The French, who post-war had a motely collection of US M-1 Garands and
Carbines, Berthier and MAS-26 rifles, Enfield Rifles, Springfield M-1903s, and
captured German Kar-98s, plus a few other weapons here and there like the
Thompson submachinegun, the M-3 Grease Gun, and the German MP-40, were looking
for one rifle to replace all of these rifles. First issue to French troops of
the MAS-44 (specifically, to French Marine Commandos fighting in Indochina)
began in 1946, and the MAS-44 was rarely seen outside of French issue or issue
to the troops of former French colonies.
The MAS-44 used the stock, fittings, and bayonet of the MAS-36, but of
course used a semiautomatic action based on gas with tilting-block locking.
The charging handle was sometimes a sore point with troops in Indochina;
it protruded rather far from the right side of the receiver.
The 24.1-inch barrel and 42.35-inch overall length was also a bit
unwieldy for jungle-operating troops.
The range this long barrel produced was appreciated by other French
troops, however. The MAS-44 used a
tangent-leaf rear sight and a simple ramp front sight. Some 7000 were built;
however, production and adoption were ended in favor of the later, superior
MAS-49 (below).
In 1948, the
MAS-44A was introduced; this was a rifle grenade-firing version with the muzzle
modified for that purpose, the bayonet lug deleted, and an extra sight for
grenade launching added near the muzzle.
The MAS-44A shoots the same as the MAS-44 for game purposes, though in
real-life terms it was a bit muzzle-heavy.
Another variant of the MAS-44, the MAS-45, was a training rifle which
matched the MAS-44 in weight and length, as well as sights; however, it fired
the .22 Long Rifle cartridge and fed from a 5-round box magazine inserted into a
modified MAS-44 magazine. After
France switched to the MAS-49, the MAS-45 (and the MAS-44) were kep in storage,
able to function, then later, packed in cosmoline.
In the 1990s, France exported most of them abroad as collectors’ items,
mostly to the US. Many of these
were in unissued condition.
The MAS-44
proved to have a lot of problems with fouling, both in the gas tube and the bore
and was further modified, resulting in the MAS-49 (see below).
The MAS-44 was therefore withdrawn from service in 1951.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
MAS-44 |
7.5mm MAS |
4.07 kg |
10 |
$1094 |
MAS-44A |
7.5mm MAS |
4.11 kg |
10 |
$1099 |
MAS-45 |
.22 Long Rifle |
4.07 kg |
5 |
$298 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
MAS-44 |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
82 |
MAS-45 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
7 |
1 |
Nil |
49 |
St. Etienne MAS-49
Notes: This
original version of this rifle, the MAS-49, was the second semiautomatic weapon
produced by France after World War 2 for their military.
(An earlier version, the MAS-44, had severe problems with fouling and was
reworked.) It had been known for a
long time (at least since before World War 2) that France needed to catch up and
produce at least a semiautomatic service rifle for their troops, but World War 2
interrupted this development.
Production began in earnest early in the 1950s, with the MAS-49/56 appearing in
late 1957, and production continuing until 1978.
In addition to France, users included virtually anywhere that the French
Foreign Legion operated, as some were inevitably captured – Africa, the Middle
East, and Indochina. (Examples
turned up in the hands of the Viet Cong in the early stages of the Vietnam War.)
As late as 1992, the MAS-49 and MAS-49/56 was in service with the French
Gendarmerie and some French Army reserve units.
The MAS-49 was
made for their then-standard 7.5mm French Service cartridge, and the muzzle
includes a combination muzzle brake and rifle grenade launcher attachment.
The firing mechanism is very similar to that used by the US M-1 Garand,
and is quite reliable, though of course, the problem with the ringing noise that
occurs when an M-1 Garand is emptied is reproduced on the MAS-49, despite the
box magazine feed. The MAS-49 was originally a medium-length barrel weapon, with
a 22.6-inch barrel. Like the MAS-36, the MAS-49 had a heavy, massive machined
receiver which increased the weight of the weapon as a whole, though the MAS-49
was a very tough and “soldier-proof” weapon because of the heavy construction.
Also like the MAS-36, the MAS-49 has a two piece stock, built of medium
grade wood. The charging handle,
for whatever reason, was painted in bright white, perhaps to allow it to be
found quickly in the heat of battle.
The magazine could be simply placed into the weapon in a conventional
manner, or topped from the top with 10-round chargers.
The attachment device for the magazine is unusual in that it is a large,
spring-loaded clamp on the right side of the magazine itself.
The fore-end was virtually full-length, leaving enough barrel exposed to
allow for the muzzle brake/grenade launcher.
Operation is by gas. By
1957, some 20,000 MAS-49s had been produced, most of which were issued to the
French Foreign Legion; however, they were less-than-satisfied by the weight and
the length of the weapon, especially since they were fighting in what was then
French Indochina. In the late 1950s
and early 1960s, most MAS-49s were sort of dumped on the French Gendarmerie,
where they were used as sharpshooters weapons (sometimes scoped), until
superseded by better, dedicated sharpshooter and sniper’s weapons a few years
later. They then were given to former French colonies in Africa and South
America; though they will sometimes still be found in French Guyana service, in
Africa they were quickly discarded in favor of cheap, easy to find AK-47s and
AKMs. After that, they started
showing up on the international market for sale to civilians, where they still
didn’t sell very well (though they are still available even today).
Many are Syrian contract rifles, exported in large numbers in the 1990s.
In the
mid-1950s, the French responded to the Foreign Legion’s demand for a shorter,
lighter rifle with the MAS-49/56.
This rifle was essentially the same, but the receiver was not quite so heavy,
the barrel was just under 2 inches shorter than the MAS-49’s 22.6-inch barrel at
20.7 inches, the fore-end was lighter (mostly due to the shorter barrel), and
the length of pull was slightly lessened.
The spike-type bayonet issued with the MAS-49 was replaced with a shorter
knife-type bayonet. Both the front
and rear sight were capable of fine adjustments, with the rear sight adjustable
for windage and the front for elevation. A rifle-grenade launching adapter was
added to the end of the barrel. The MAS-49/56 had its own issues, however,
mostly centered around the chambers that were slightly oversized and often
produced blown cartridges that did not properly give the desired accuracy.
The cartridge fired, but has less power than an unblown case; a blown
case often resulted in blown extractors and other internal damage.
This issue was quietly fixed by the designers and the modernized rifles
issued to troops as the rifles came in for depot-level maintenance. This version
was far more successful with over 275,000 being manufactured by 1978, but it was
eventually replaced by the FAMAS assault rifle, and then it had the same fate as
the MAS-49 (except that the French Gendarmerie never used them).
French Foreign
Legionnaires often turned their MAS-49s into
ad hoc sniper rifles by having their
receivers grooved to accept a scope mount, and mounting the Mle 1953 (APX-L806)
3.85x scope on them. For game
purposes, they are simply standard MAS-49s with an APX L-808 scope on them and
better than average barrels on them.
In the late
1950s, some MAS-49s were converted to the new NATO standard 7.62mm NATO
cartridge, and some MAS-49/56s also had this conversion done.
However, more of these conversions were done just before they were
offered on the civilian market, and more done by independent gunsmiths after
they were bought (especially in the US, Canada, and Mexico).
Twilight 2000
Notes: Ironically, a lot of civilian-owned MAS-49s and MAS-49/56s were turned on
the French by Belgian, Dutch, German, and Luxembourger partisans after the
French invasions of their countries, most of which had already been converted to
7.62mm NATO.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
MAS-49 |
7.5mm MAS |
4.72 kg |
10 |
$1131 |
MAS-49 |
7.62mm NATO |
4.65 kg |
10 |
$1092 |
MAS-49 Sniper |
7.5 MAS |
5.02 kg |
10 |
$1284 |
MAS-49/56 |
7.5mm MAS |
3.9 kg |
10 |
$1109 |
MAS-49/56 |
7.62mm NATO |
3.84 kg |
10 |
$1070 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
MAS-49 (7.5mm) |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
3 |
Nil |
76 |
MAS-49 (7.62mm) |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
3 |
Nil |
75 |
MAS-49 Sniper |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
78 |
MAS-49/56 (7.5mm) |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
3 |
Nil |
66 |
MAS-49/56 (7.62mm) |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
3 |
Nil |
65 |