MAS-36
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1936
Also known as: Fusil MAS Mle 1936, Mle 36, Gewehr 242(f)
Overview
The MAS-36 is a French bolt-action service rifle adopted in 1936 to replace the aging Lebel and Berthier rifles. Designed by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne, it chambers the smokeless 7.5x54mm French cartridge in a 5-round internal magazine. The design is rugged, simple, and intentionally cheap to manufacture, drawing from the British SMLE and Mauser actions. It served the French through the Battle of France, Indochina, and the Algerian War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3700 g (130.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1020 mm (40.16") |
| Barrel Length | 575 mm (22.64") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 853 m/s (2799 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3275 J (2416 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3200 m (3500 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Left Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 270 mm (10.63") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.5x54mm French · primary — also known as 7.5 French, 7.5x54mm MAS, Cartouche Mle 1929 C
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Internal Box Magazine, Stripper Clip
- Safety mechanisms: No Manual Safety
- Features: Stripper Clip Loading, Rear Aperture Sight, Integrated Bayonet Rod, Two Piece Stock
Variants
- MAS-36 CR-39 — Paratrooper Folding Stock
- MAS-36/51 — Grenade Launching
- MAS-36 LG-48 — Grenade Launching
Service history
Operators
- French Armed Forces · adopted 1936 · as Fusil MAS Mle 1936
- Wehrmacht (captured) · adopted 1940 · as Gewehr 242(f)
- Syrian Armed Forces · adopted 1946
- Algerian National Liberation Front
- Royal Lao Armed Forces
Conflicts
- World War II (1939-1945)
- First Indochina War (1946-1954)
- Algerian War (1954-1962)
- Suez Crisis (1956)
- 1948 Arab-Israeli War (1948)
- Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,100,000 · Production years: 1937-1952
About 250,000 produced before the 1940 German invasion; production resumed after WWII
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: MAS team
Discontinued: 1952
Notes
About 250,000 rifles were available at the German invasion in 1940; total production reached approximately 1.1 million by 1952. Lacked a manual safety - soldiers were expected to keep an empty chamber until firing.
Background
The MAS-36 was deliberately designed without a manual safety because French doctrine required soldiers to march with empty chambers; the rifle's bayonet stored reversed inside its own forend tube and locked into place with a quick twist before a charge.