MAC Mle 1950

Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault · Pistol · Discontinued · 1950

Also known as: MAC 50, MAS 50, PA Mle 1950, Pistolet Automatique Modèle 1950

Overview

The MAC Mle 1950 is a French single-action, semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. Adopted by the French armed forces in 1950, it used a Browning-pattern short-recoil, locked-breech action broadly derived from the pre-war Modèle 1935 pistol but strengthened for the more powerful 9mm NATO cartridge. It replaced an array of older sidearms including the Modèle 1892 revolver, the MAS 35S and the M1911, and was prized by troops for its strength and durability.

Specifications

Weight (empty)	860 g (30.3 oz)
Overall Length	192 mm (7.56")
Barrel Length	112 mm (4.41")
Height	130 mm (5.12")
Action Type	Short Recoil
Firing Mechanism	Hammer Fired
Trigger Type	Single Action
Magazine Capacity	9 rounds
Magazine Type	Detachable Box
Muzzle Velocity	354 m/s (1161 fps)
Effective Range	50 m (55 yd)
Barrel Rifling	Right Hand
Number of Grooves	4
Frame Material	Steel
Slide Material	Steel
Barrel Material	Steel
Finish	Blued

Calibers

9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm

Features

Firing modes: Semi Automatic
Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
Safety mechanisms: Slide Mounted Safety, Firing Pin Lock
Features: Browning Locked Breech, Lanyard Loop, External Hammer

Service history

Operators

French Armed Forces · adopted 1950 · as Pistolet Automatique Modèle 1950
Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité

Conflicts

First Indochina War (1946-1954)
Algerian War (1954-1962)
Suez Crisis (1956)

Production

Estimated total produced: 341,900 · Production years: 1950-1978

Approximately 221,900 produced at Châtellerault until its 1963 closure, with a further 120,000 made at Saint-Étienne by 1978.

Origin

Country of origin: France

Designer: Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne

Discontinued: 1978

Notes

Designed by the state arsenal at Saint-Étienne (MAS) and first produced at Châtellerault (MAC) before manufacture shifted to MAS; the gun is variously known as the MAC 50, MAS 50 or PA Mle 1950. It served as the French standard sidearm until replaced by the PAMAS G1 (Beretta 92).

Background

Adopted to standardize the French military on 9x19mm NATO ammunition shared with the MAT-49 submachine gun, the Mle 1950 became the iconic post-war French officer's sidearm, serving through the colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria.