Pistolet Automatique Modèle 1935S

Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1939

Also known as: MAS 1935S, Mle 35S, Pistole 626(f)

Overview

The Modèle 1935S is a simplified, easier-to-manufacture redesign of the Mle 1935A, adopted by France in 1939. The 'S' (for 'simplifié') replaced Petter's swinging-link barrel system with a Browning-style camming lug similar to the Hi-Power, used a flat-sided slide and a barrel that protruded slightly from the slide. Multiple French arsenals - including MAS, MAC, and SAGEM - produced the design, and post-war production updates included the M1 variant featuring redesigned controls.

Specifications

Weight (empty)790 g (27.9 oz)
Weight (loaded)945 g (33.3 oz)
Overall Length188 mm (7.40")
Barrel Length105 mm (4.13")
Height130 mm (5.12")
Width32 mm (1.26")
Action TypeShort Recoil
Firing MechanismHammer Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Action
Magazine Capacity8 rounds
Magazine TypeDetachable Box
Muzzle Velocity345 m/s (1132 fps)
Muzzle Energy297 J (219 ft·lbf)
Effective Range50 m (55 yd)
Maximum Range200 m (219 yd)
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Number of Grooves4
Frame MaterialSteel
Slide MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Variants

Base model

Mle-1935a

Service history

Operators

Conflicts

Production

Estimated total produced: 85,000 · Production years: 1939-1953

Limited pre-war production; bulk of manufacture occurred post-WWII before MAC Mle 1950 replaced it

Origin

Country of origin: France

Designer: MAS team

Discontinued: 1953

Notes

Easier and cheaper to manufacture than the 1935A; the 1935S used a more conventional Browning tilt-barrel system. Captured by Germans during occupation as Pistole 626(f).

Background

Despite being designed in 1938 to simplify the 1935A for mass production, the Mle 1935S still chambered the proprietary 7.65x20mm Longue - a cartridge so unique that even by the late 1940s ammunition supply was a logistics headache, hastening the adoption of the 9mm MAC 1950.