MAT-49
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) · Submachine Gun · Discontinued · 1949
Also known as: Pistolet Mitrailleur MAT modele 49, MAT Mle 49
Overview
The MAT-49 is a French submachine gun developed and manufactured by the Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) beginning in 1949. Chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, it was designed as a rugged, economical weapon using stamped steel construction to equip the French Army, Foreign Legion, and colonial forces during the post-World War II period. The MAT-49 is distinguished by its innovative folding magazine housing, which pivots forward to reduce the weapon's profile for parachute operations and transport, and a retractable wire stock. It operates on a simple blowback mechanism firing from an open bolt with a cyclic rate of 600 rounds per minute. The weapon features a grip safety on the rear of the pistol grip as its primary safety mechanism. Over 700,000 units were produced between 1949 and 1979, seeing extensive combat service in the First Indochina War, the Algerian War, and the Suez Crisis. Large numbers were captured by Viet Minh and North Vietnamese forces, who converted many to fire the Soviet 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge. The MAT-49 remained in French military service until it was gradually replaced by the FAMAS assault rifle beginning in 1979, though it was not fully withdrawn until 1998.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3500 g (123.5 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4170 g (147.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 720 mm (28.35") |
| Folded Length | 460 mm (18.11") |
| Barrel Length | 230 mm (9.06") |
| Height | 133 mm (5.24") |
| Width | 32 mm (1.26") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Full Auto Only |
| Magazine Capacity | 32 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 366 m/s (1201 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 499 J (368 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 254 mm (10.00") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Parkerized |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Grip Safety
- Features: Retractable Wire Stock, Folding Magazine Housing, Stamped Steel Construction, Open Bolt Firing, Grip Safety, Hooded Front Sight, Flip Up L Shaped Rear Sight, Spring Loaded Ejection Port Cover, Full Auto Only
Variants
- MAS-48 — Prototype
- MAT-49/54 — Police
- MAT-49 Silenced — Suppressed
- MAT-49 M (Vietnamese Conversion) — Foreign Conversion
Service history
Operators
- French Armed Forces · adopted 1949
- French Foreign Legion · adopted 1949
- French Gendarmerie · adopted 1954 · as MAT-49/54
- People's Army of Vietnam · adopted 1950 · as MAT-49 M
- Royal Lao Armed Forces · adopted 1950
- Royal Cambodian Armed Forces · adopted 1950
- Lebanese Armed Forces
- Malian Armed Forces
- Mauritanian Armed Forces
- Niger Armed Forces
Conflicts
- First Indochina War (1946-1954)
- Algerian War (1954-1962)
- Suez Crisis (1956)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
- Laotian Civil War (1959-1975)
- Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990)
Production
Estimated total produced: 700,000 · Production years: 1949-1979
Produced initially at Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) from 1949 until the mid-1960s, then at Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne (MAS) until 1979. Some sources estimate total production closer to 1 million units.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Pierre Monteil
Discontinued: 1979
Notes
The standard military MAT-49 fires in full-automatic mode only, though its moderate 600 RPM rate allowed trained shooters to fire controlled bursts. The MAT-49/54 police variant featured a dual-trigger mechanism allowing selective semi-automatic or full-automatic fire, along with a longer barrel and sometimes a fixed wooden stock. The folding magazine housing doubles as a forward grip when deployed. Early production models featured wooden grips, transitioning to Bakelite and later to simplified stamped steel grips. Vietnamese conversions to 7.62x25mm Tokarev are identifiable by a 'K' stamped on the receiver endcap and magazine, and exhibit a higher cyclic rate of approximately 900 RPM due to the higher-pressure cartridge. Production initially at MAT in Tulle was later transferred to the Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne (MAS) facility, where it continued until 1979.
Background
The MAT-49 became inseparable from France's colonial wars. Its folding magazine housing -- which pivots forward against the barrel to create a remarkably compact package -- was designed specifically for French paratroopers jumping into Indochina. Thousands were captured by Viet Minh forces at Dien Bien Phu and other battles, and Vietnamese arsenals converted them to fire Soviet 7.62x25mm Tokarev ammunition, turning France's own weapon against it. These converted MAT-49s, marked with a Cyrillic-style 'K', later appeared in the hands of Viet Cong guerrillas fighting American forces. North Vietnam reportedly even supplied captured MAT-49s to anti-French resistance fighters in Algeria, meaning the weapon came full circle in France's colonial conflicts.