french MAS 49/56
Anyone have one in 308 cal. I was thinking about getting one, are they any good?
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who knows the skinny on this battle rifle---except it was used once then dropped. i saw one in a pawn shop locally, converted to 7.62 NATO. workmanship, accuracy, dependable? any info would be helpful 0 -
If it was converted to .308 dependability is no longer going to be a consideration; those conversions are trouble prone. Otherwise the MAS 49/56 is a pretty typical semi auto firing a full sized service cartridge (7.5mm French). Accuracy is good and the rifle easily accepts a French scope which makes it suitable for marksman useage. These were once extremely rare and expensive rifles selling for thousands of dollars (like the old SKS carbines). Eventually brand new examples were imported and sold for a fraction of the old prices (like the SKS carbines) and usually came with a ton of what were once very rare accessory items
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The MAS 49/56 served French forces well and honorably in many places, including Vietnam. Remember the WWII settlements that left that mess to be addressed by the French and later by the US? The 49/56 served very reliably in conflicts there and elsewhere under the worst conditions. There were reported some problems with the conversions to 7.62 NATO from the French 7.5, done here in the US by the importer; the original worked fine. 0 -
thanks, i believe the conversion sit there 0 -
Discusdad, if you can find a copy, get the 2006 Guns & Ammo "Surplus Firearms" magazine. There's an excellent article in there about the MAS 49-56.
Sounds like Century International rechambered a bunch to 7.62 NATO.
Mark, that's gotta be the nicest example I've seen yet.0 -
If the conversion was done with a chamber insert, it is garbage. However the good news is, a broken shell extractor will yank that out; follow with a good chamber brushing and it is good to go in the original caliber.
If a re-barrel (and a few were) then the conversion poses no issues.
Not as accurate as my M1 but a nice gun.0 -
Mine was (sold some time ago) a .308 conversion. Had a rough chamber that left rings on the spent brass. Very accurate but had the worst trigger slap I've ever experienced. Ten rounds left my right hand and forearm numb. Hated to sell it but it needed more work than it was worth. 0 -
I've read a few gun rag articles on the conversion and have otherwise not heard anything good about the gun in 308. Mine is in original form and I think it's a great gun. Relatively accurate and absolutely reliable. Privi makes good new ammo for it and Grafs sells brass, reloading components for it so I don't see the great attraction of getting the 308. Some attraction based on cheap ammo, but not alot.
The trigger is a bit long and heavy, but smooth.
KVAR used to make a great sidemount, don't know if they still do. McCann Industries still does according to their website.
If 49/56 magazines could be had in 15 or 20 round capacity, I think I'd feel pretty comfortable with it as compared to an M1A - the MAS 49/56 is generally found for about $400.00, that's a pretty good deal. I think I paid $250.00 for mine a few years ago, so they must be doing OK in the milsurp market.0 -
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discusdad...I have two, both in the original French caliber...7.5. One is a sniper like the one in Mark's photo, the other is just a regular 49/56. Love them both. Accurate and light, both are a pleasure to shot. The conversion to .308 gets mixed reviews as you can see from the posts. Would stay away from that rifle. The French get the usual bad knock for weapons but this rifle is great for what it is and is better than most battle rifles. Getting ammo for it can be somewhat of a problem but if one reloads that issue is solved. One could do a whole lot worse in the semiauto battle rifle market than the 49/56 in 7.5. I would compare it favorably to my Swedish AG42's. Good shooting! 0
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