Mas 36

[Toney]

Anybody shooting one? I'm looking for something new. {to my rack}
Passed one up a while back for $125

[Toney]

Found one in tulsa for $65. Bubba got ahold on it and cut the forarm and removed the hand guard. Should i buy it anyway? Oh the butstock was loose

Toney

[Bullshop Junior]

There should be some way to tighten it. We have two enfields that someone got a hold of and did the same thing. The one is a very nice rifle and alot of people that come into our gun shop think that it is factory.

The other one is not so nice. The stock is a little rough and the bore is .318" and the groove is .321". it came with the nicer sight.
DANIEL/BS JR.

[kg42]

What caliber Toney? I just found an article at www.surplusrifle.com about 49/56 being "rechambered" to 308 by merely shortening the barrel n handguard. This doesn't work for us handloader as the chamber is still too large for 308 and stresses the cases a lot.
http://www.surplusrifle.com/articlesNew.asp

If I found one in original chambering and good price I would buy it. i like the short action, separate stock/forearm, almost wildcat caliber, etc... :smile:

kg

[Toney]

It's a 7.5 they had ammo every where at the gun show for around $8 just did'nt have the ammo i went for 7.5 swiss

[Buckshot]

.............I've got one. I converted it to 45-70. Helluva rifle!

.............Buckshot

[Toney]

Bought it today, it's got a tang saftey? don;t think it was a bubba job after all. On the barrel it got stamped SANTA FE MODLE 1949 GOLDEN STATE ARMS CORP PASADENA CALIF

The butstock tightened with a 1/2 turn of the screw cool!!! The barrel looks good, a few pits but you can still see machine markes in it.

Need ammo!!!

[Bullshop Junior]

Bought it today, it's got a tang saftey? don;t think it was a bubba job after all. On the barrel it got stamped SANTA FE MODLE 1949 GOLDEN STATE ARMS CORP PASADENA CALIF

The buttstock tightened with a 1/2 turn of the screw cool!!! The barrel looks good, a few pits but you can still see machine marks in it.

Need ammo!!!

TONEY,
I was pretty share that that was the problem with the buttstock when you decribed it the other day.:roll: :???:

I think that you can fix the problem about not having ammo!!!!
DANIEL/BS JR.

[kg42]

Are we still talking MAS 36? The Santa Fe thing is tickling me... We need pics !!!


http://www.angelfire.com/realm/cruffler/reloadin.htm
http://members.nuvox.net/~on.melchar/75french/index.html
http://www.huntingtons.com/cases_grafhornady.html

that forum has posts about reforming and loading. I think they are now two sources fo brass.
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=15

also Cartridge of the world has 3 loads for 150/180gr bullits and 4831/4895 powders.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_6_48/ai_85472061

[Toney]

The safty, don't think you can see the stamping on the barrel. Got to get good cam

[Toney]

Thanks for the info Kg Was worried the the o6 cases was to small. Had forced a 7-57 case into it the shoulder was fine but the neck was little long

Since i read some of you thread i'm gonna try the 7mm cases with a cast load. Need to get the sizing die for the lee .314 rn. how far down does it need to go? .310 or .309

[kg42]

Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, guns pics!

I'm just making a search on "SANTA FE MODEL 1949". Interesting. I was afraid You got a barrel coming from an other gun in an other caliber.

Also I found that on the net when you started the thread (it comes from some forum archives, maybe rec.guns; can't find it again of course...):

************************************************** *****
Duane,
I use 43gr H4895 with 140-150gr bullets in my MAS autoloaders with good
accuracy and functioning. Velocity with 150gr bullet is about 100fps
lower than the French Military surplus ammo, point of impact at 100yds
is approx. the same
Guy E.
Assuming you use due caution and approach max loads
cautiosly, my limited experience would indicate that .308 Winchester
data works quite well. 42.5 gr. of ACC 2520 behind a 168 Matchking
yields about 2,600 fps, no signs of excess pressure and excelent
function in my MAS 49-56s. Brass is former Lapua 6.5x55, resized
w/ no trim, Winchester large rifle primers.
-Tom
I have used 39-43 gr of 3031 with a 150 gr Hornady
SPBT in reformed Winchester Swedish Mauser and CCI
LR primers. This was in a MAS 36. I wasn't happy
with the accuracy of any of the loads. I'm going
to try other powders in the future.
Dorn
************************************************** *********

[kg42]

The bore is supposed to be 308.
(12/15, I should have written groove here and not bore; bore diameter is at the top of the lands. For example SAAMI specs for the 30-06 call for a .300 bore diameter and .308 groove diameter) .

Do you have soft .32 bullets you can fatten with a hammer?You could then check bore and throat.
I once bought a Lee "309" sizing die which gave me .311 bullets.... it was actually better for my use but makes it hard to tell you what to buy.
As a guess, the throat on that military gun will take large bullets.

kg


edited on 12/15 for appropriate technical language (hopefully!).
kg

[Toney]

Thanks agian Kg Did pretty good for $64 out the door

Under the barrel it's got MAS-1952-FY stamped

[kg42]

You're welcome. Let us know how it turns out.

P.S.: I was talking about 32(acp) bullets, but if you use freshly (wheelweight) cast bullets from your 314 mold, they will be quite soft.
If the nose does drag/ride the bore you can cut it to limit friction. Maybe leave only two bands.
I'm not sure it's necessary to slug the bore if you start with large bullets.
I would'nt know what to use as a rod in such a small caliber. Wood can split and jam everything. I've capped wood dowels with brass cases in bigger calibers, and I slug handguns barrels with very squibby loads.

And one more link:
http://www.gunsworld.com/75/fr_75_rel_us.html
check the case forming at the end of the page.

kg

[Toney]

Got some ammo!!! some FNM for $12 . Was dark before i got home but i stoped at the hill and tryed one. Will have to go and shoot some paper

[Roudy]

Toney,
I bought an MAS 36 a couple years ago, it was in its original configuration and was brand new....can't remember the price but about $150. The MAS 36 does not have a safety on it, that's the way it was designed. Guess the designers felt that it was to be used by real 'riflemen'. One of the things that confronted me at the time was the cost of 7.5 French ammunition (some people have had their MAS 36's re-chambered to shoot the .308 cartridge).

Couldn't find a supply of cases at the time but I did find that you could make 7.5 French cases from 6.5 Swedish cases....I did and they work just fine.

The other thing that bothered me about shooting it was the odd looking bolt handle but after shooting it a while I've come to realize that it really is a good idea. The oddly bent bolt handle puts the bolt knob further back so that is more easily grasped. Not as good as an SMLE, but better than a mauser.

Congratulations on your purchase and good luck.

[Toney]

Welcome to the guide Roudy I'm looking foward to shooting it tomarrow

[twotoescharlie]

you can resize 6.5 swedish mauser cases to fit the mas, bases are almost identical in size.


TTC

[kg42]

Hi Toney

I did some further reading at "rec.guns on the web, Google groups", "7.5x54" search.
So far I found two posts mentionning tight barrels around .307 for the model 36.
I quote:

************************************************
"The old "HANDLOADING" by Wm.C. Davis, Jr. published by the NRA in
1981 has some data on the cartridge. They meantion that 7.5 barrels
are frequently tighter than the american .300 standard and that loads
with .308 bullets should be approached with caution. I suggest you
search used book stores or contact the NRA for this book."
-Bob Hollingsworth

************************************************
..."My pristine model 1936 MAS measures .296" land diameter. That same 1936
MAS slugs .3068" diameter for the grooves."....

..."Conventional reloading wisdom recommends jacketed bullet diameter be the
same as groove diameter. Too satisfy my rifle nut curiosity, I obtained a
custom bullet sizer from Lee Precision, specified at .307" ($25). Working
with bullets from Sierra and Speer, I worked up reloads with virgin .308"
bullets and with those run through the sizer. The sized bullets measured
from .3072" to .3074" (springback). By measuring fired case expansion, it
appeared that the smaller bullets could be driven from 100 fps to 200 fps
faster than the .308" bullets with similar case expansion. No difference
was noted in accuracy between the fat bullets and the sized bullets.

My conclusion is that the French 7.5 can be reloaded with .308" bullets, as
long as the reloader uses the same caution that he or she should use with
any reloading activity. One can get a bit more safe velocity by squeezing
..308" bullets down a bit, but most will find the extra work superfluous."
Al Rodgers
*************************************************
Of course we bullet casters live with different rules and look more for the throat diameter, but this is interesting information.

Also I would like to clarify some technical vocabulary:
In a previous post I wrote that the " bore is supposed to be .308".
Technically, as in the SAAMI data, bore diameter means top of the lands and groove diameter means bottom of the grooves.
For example SAAMI specs for the 30-06 say:
bore diameter .300 (7.62mm)
groove diameter .308 (7.82mm)

So I meant "groove", or "barrel" in a general way.
Which terms do you guys use and understand? I've spend too much time not listening to range talks and only trying to help beginners.....

kg

[Toney]

Yep thats what i've read to kg Have you tryed the rem .307carbine bullets cabelas has got them for around $6.59 a hundred i was thinking if they did'nt work in the 36 i know the work in the swiss k31

[kg42]

Yep thats what i've read to kg Have you tryed the rem .307carbine bullets

No Toney, I mostly shoot pistols and haven't bought bullets since about the first Gulf War. :smile:

Got an other link for you, if Numrich/GunpartCorp didn't have what you need:
http://www.americanweapons.us/french_mas_36.htm

They seem a bit more expensive, and I never heard of them before.

kg

[Toney]

Took it hunting this evening. put it on paper this afternoon it shoots pretty good! was printing around 6-7" low at 40yd with the sights set on 400yds it was right on! groups just kept getting better first one was 2'' and the last was close to an inch YEA!!!

[kg42]

This is the mark of the best guns: they come cheap and accurate ! :p

[kg42]

... was printing around 6-7" low at 40yd with the sights set on 400yds it was right on!

I've read that from other shooters too.
I think you have an aperture sight on that rifle. The top of the front sight is supposed to point in the middle of the ring but most shooters will barely let it appear at the bottom. it might be why you're shooting low.

kg

[Toney]

I'm shooting it centered. I'm glad it's not shooting high. They did a good job when the remounted the sight

[Bullshop Junior]

Hey Toney,
They are asking questons about the french mas 36 over at cast boolits. mabe you beter help them out.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=1544
DANIEL/BS JR.