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1938 7.56 machine gun old & rare

SCOOTER666
I am trying to do some reserch for a friend of mine on a gun he found apparently there are very few of these guns around. It's a small full auto 7.65 I think it was a bringback from the korean war it's a small gun it has a 30 round clip you push a button and turn the stock and it comes apart. [img][/img]it has MAS on the side also Mle 1938 cal. 7.65L Can't figure out how to put pitchers on this site. so if anyone can help me with this please e-mail me at scooterc@i1.net and I will send you some pitchers of it . any help would be great.

THANKS, SCOOTER
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Comments

11 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    Here is a link, to what I believe is the French Submachine Gun, your inquiring about.

    http://www.gunsworld.com/gun_smg/mas_38.htm

    Be advised, if it wasn't registered prior to, or during the amnesty of December 1968, their would be no legal way to possess it.

    luger_4.jpg
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  • captkirk3@dslextreme.com
    Like Rufe-Snow said...If it is'nt registered....You and your Buddy stand to share the same Federal Resort....For about 5 to 10 Years...It sounds like an MAS Model 38....Ammo is virtually impossible to come by anymore....Not to say that there is'nt any....but very limited and difficult to locate in any quantity...Parts are another factor...You break it....and You're up a Creek, unless You are a Gunsmith....

    Captain Kirk, Tech Staff
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  • Mooseyard
    This gun was probably a Vietnam bring back. Since the French were in Vietnam long before us, they left some guns behind. I have seen a few of these around and they were all Vietnam bring backs registered in the '68 amnesty.
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  • mark christian
    These are very interesting submachineguns and were virtually unknown outside of France and its colonial empire when they were in production and service. Originally these guns were chambered for the standard French Army pistol cartridge known as the 7.65 Long and finding ammo today, as already mentioned, is a problem so reloading new commercial brass is a MUST if you want to shoot it. The Viet Minh captured large numbers of these little guns from the French when they left Viet Nam and many were rechambered. Since the standard cartridge is so tough to find the MAS 38 is one of the least valuable of the Curio and Relic submachineguns, although it should still be worth thousands if properly registered (I'll leave the legal issues to the true experts like Competentone). These were actually very pleasent guns to fire and I think that the same weapon chambered in a cartridge like 9mm or even .32 ACP would have enjoyed commercial success.

    Mark T. Christian
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  • v35
    Scooter said it was a bringback from the Korean war, not Vietnam.
    Army Ordnance Technical Intellegence (OTID) had a collection of odd captured firearms. I recall seeing some unusual submachineguns there.
    Ammunition headstamps indicated the enemy was getting ammunition from many sources all over the world. This was especially true of 8mm Mauser used in Chinese Mausers and the Czeck BRNO LMG.
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  • mark christian
    I also noticed the claim where he tought it was from the Korean War. This could only be explained away by the fact that the MAS was still the standard French Army submachinegun up until the 9mm MAT-49 was adopted in 1949, although as I understand its issue to french forces did not begin until 1950. That being said, I suppose there were MAS 38s in the hands of French troops assigned to UN forces in Korea (did you see any French army units in Korea v35?). I've seen about one dozen MAS 38s over the years and every single example was a Viet Nam bring-back. I've never encountered a true ex-French military MAS 38 inside this country, although some may exisit in private hands.

    Mark T. Christian
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  • v35
    I dont recall French but there may have been a Belgian contingent attached to the 3rd Div. Some foreign units were very small and not widely known outside of their area e.g. the 1st Norwegian MASH unit and an Ethiopian unit among others were attached to the 7th Div..
    Some captured French weapons may have found their way from Indochina though ammo supply would have been a problem.
    John Blatz of Blatz Beer (Milwaukee)was my contact in OTID. He would be a definitive source on the French SMG and other odd weapons found in Korea if he's still alive and can be found.
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  • Mooseyard
    Keep in mind V35 that scooter thought that the gun was a Korea bring back. It is possible, all I was doing was telling him from my experience that ALL of the French SMG's that I have seen were Vietnam bring backs. It is much more likely that it was a Vietnam gun rather than a Korea gun.
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  • joel_black
    These were actually very pleasent guns to fire and I think that the same weapon chambered in a cartridge like 9mm or even .32 ACP would have enjoyed commercial success.

    Mark,
    Have you actually shot one? I did in 1969 at the county police range. Even though it was very heavy and used a pip squeak cartridge it had sustantial muzzle rise. We assumed it was due to the down slanting barrel. The .45 grease gun we shot at the same time was much more pleasant.
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  • mark christian
    I see that you ar a fairly new member Joel so trust me when I tell you that any gun related opinions I give here on GB are based on my own first hand experiences with firearms. If I am passing on second hand information I will always quote my sources or simply say "I have been told by informed sources...". My own opinion based on first hand experience (post dating 1969 by about 30+ years) is that the MAS 38 is a pleasant gun to fire (more so than any M3/M3A1), but then these are only my opinions and others may not agree with what I have to say (many disagree quite often) and I have no problem with that at all.

    Mark T. Christian
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  • competentone
    quote:Originally posted by mark christian
    ... but then these are only my opinions and others may not agree with what I have to say (many disagree quite often) and I have no problem with that at all.


    That seems to be in contradiction to your previous "smart" remark above.

    Did you get my email, Mark? I'm curious how long it will take you to "get over" what seems to me should have been a "non-issue" in your life. Did you make your $25 sale on the pistol grips?

    --Joe
    "Strength is the outcome of need; security sets a premium on feebleness." -- H.G. Wells (The Time Machine)
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