MAS 36

Polinese

New member
Have a chance to pick up a MAS 36 in really good shape for 175. There didn't seem to be any on gunbroker which could be a indicator in itself. Only seen a few of these before what kind of price do they fetch generally. Hows the performance of them?
 

shuvelrider

New member
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/index.php

Here's a site for you where you can learn a lot about the MAS-36, I have two MAS-36 rifles and a MAS 49/56 I really enjoy. A pic would help, but $175 is a fair price for a correct rifle. Meaning that it was not re-chambered for .308 like some were by Century Arms, = junk. The left side of the receiver should have 7.5 Calibere marked on it, that site will educate you about variations and details. The other thing to remember is that no more French surplus arms will ever be coming into this country, might be a good chance to get one for your collection.

 

sprouticus

New member
I have been watching these M1936 rifles for a little while.
They have generally been in the $250-$350 range.
Sometimes quite a bit more if they are in excellent condition, matching #'s, or no import marks etc.

Performance wise the 7.5 French is on par with .303 Brit. or 7.7 Japanese.
PPU makes ammo for around .75 a round.
https://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=8504&dir=18|830|860


I found three active auctions on Gunbroker.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=468421030

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=469697658

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=470246252


Here are two that ended earlier this week.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=469047780

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=469048781
 

James K

Member In Memoriam
Worth noting is that, in spite of the "7.5mm" designation, the bullets are actually .308 and regular bullets of that caliber can be used, once some reloadable cases are available. It is incorrect to class the 7.5x54 with the .303 British or .30-40 Krag; it is really into the 7.62 NATO or .30-'06 class.

The Mle 1936 is an awkward looking rifle and appears quite crude. But after using one for a time, I concluded that it was well thought out and would have been a formidable opponent for the German Mauser. The French lost in 1940 for many reasons, mainly a leadership riddled with Nazi sympathizers, but the Mle 36 was not one of them. (Of course, the French could never have adopted the Mauser, for the same political reasons that the U.S. adopted the M16 rather than taking the obvious step of adopting the AK-47.)

Jim
 

Polinese

New member
I'm really thinking about it. Condition wise it looked like the rifle in the first link posted on gunbroker. How's the accuracy on them?
 

BerdanSS

New member
I paid $260 about 12 years ago (well dad did for my 16th birthday ;)) It was arsenal new with the launcher attachment, bayonet, sling, grenade launching buttpad and booklet. Wish I still had it :( I'd be all over that, but I do love the MAS 36 and still have all my brass, some ammo and a die set.
 

shuvelrider

New member
Decent accuracy, but I tend to play with the semi 49/56 a lot more. Worked up a reload recipe that makes that rifle a joy to shoot. Given the choice I always say I would carry a 49/56 rather then a Garand. I have some test loads for my M36 rifles I need to try when it warms up, one of them does shoot better then the other as they are now.
 

tahunua001

New member
175 sounds about right but they are a pain.

1. ammo is very expensive and hard to find. your options are either PRVI or PRVI.

2. reloading sucks, the chambers are very loose, the casings blow out a lot and brass doesn't last long if you do full case sizing.

3. if the sights are off you're screwed. the front sights are soft soldered in place and can't be drifted and the rears are non adjustable as well. the french adjusted by replacing the rear sight with one that had the peep hole drilled in a different spot. these replacement sights are dang near impossible to find anymore.

just my personal experience with the MAS 36. I really like MAS36 as a wall hanger, they definitely are a unique design and they sure look interesting enough, but not the greatest if you plan on shooting a lot.
 
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