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Q for M. Christian/anyone familiar w/Euro rifles

familyguy
For anyone familiar with the French MAS (49/56), I've seen plenty of the .308's going dirt cheap. Overheard a dealer explaining to a customer that they are all converted to .308, and between the action and the bore size they are unreliable at best, sometimes dangerous.

Straight poop or someone sneering at a cheap import?

Got my C&R not long ago, like old military rifles. Have a ton of bolt actions, looking for some semiautos (have an SVT40), looking at an FN49 and maybe Hakim, thought I'd inquire about the MAS (is there such a thing as an affordable G43?).



Got a new gun for my ex-wife.....pretty good trade, huh?
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    My understanding of the matter is the importer screwed them up!

    He tried to have them converted from the original 7.5 French to 7.62 x 51 as quickly and as cheaply as possible.

    The French had converted some themselves, on the other side of the pond to 7.62 x 51. Those were the good ones.

    Here's a couple of links to excellent sites that specialize milsurps, they might be able to give you some pointers on how you can tell the good from the bad.



    http://pub113.ezboard.com/fparallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforumsfrm32


    http://www.surplusrifle.com/



    luger_4.jpg
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  • mark christian
    I would avoid the converted MAS rifles. The French did make a small number of MAS 49-56 series rifles in 7.62 NATO but these requiered a large number of modifications to the standard MAS service rifle and the project was soon abandoned. There were also some MAS 49-56 rifles converted to .284 Winchester (a non military caliber then legal for civilian ownership) for commercial sales inside France but these rifles are seldom seen outside that coutry-- I've seen one in 20 years. What you are seeing marketed today are rifles being modified, not in France with factory assistance, but by the importers themselves with no technical support at all. Nearly everyone I've spoken to with such a modified MAS rifle has experienced problems and I'd pass on any such conversion. The danger claim is exagerated but when the French modified their MAS rifles to fire the NATO caliber ammunition or the .284 Win they found that they needed to exchange the standard firing pin for a special aluminum variation with a steel tip. The reason for this was due to French ammunition using extremely HARD primers and firing NATO spec or sporting type ammunition using the standard firing pin could lead to inertia ("slam") firing. Thanks again to my friend Jean, a former French para, for his insight into French military firearms.

    Mark T. Christian
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  • jonk
    The french modifications I believe consisted of rechambering properly and modifying the gas system, in which case it works perfectly. The import modifications consist just of a chamber insert and often cause jams. Buy one in original caliber and it is just as reliable as an AK; but if you handload, DO use milspec CCI 34 primers; anything else WILL at least occasionally slamfire.

    "...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf
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  • allen griggs
    Get a Ljungman instead, and shoot 6.5 Swedish.
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  • toolman9mm
    i would not buy the converted models...i had one blow the bolt out of the top of the rifle and open up the reciever..sent it back to CENTURY ARMS along with three others...the 7.5 49's and 49-56 are nice rifles for the money and ammo is widely avalible. i have a Ljungman if interested...thanks tom toolman9mm@yahoo.com
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  • familyguy
    Thanks to all for the input. Since I have the C&R and deal mostly through the mail, I think I'd just as soon avoid any hassle over original vs. converted. If I REALLY feel the need for a .308 (right now, not really) I can always find one of those argentine FN's.



    Got a new gun for my ex-wife.....pretty good trade, huh?
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