Ian might be an agent for the french army, dispatched to increase the value of french firearms on the civilian market in preparation for the famas sells.
@@louisromero2320 Century Arms Imported thousands of them about 15 years ago for like $150. The only problem is century arms being brain dead assclowns with literally 100 intoxicated primates working as gunsmiths improperly converted most to .308 so now they are useless and almost worthless.
The firing pin spring is where Marcel Bich (Bic) got the spring for his ball point pen design....I worked for Bic in 1965 and got the whole story from the French management in Milford CT...
French gunsmith: "Quick, Fritz is coming, hide the rifles!" *Tosses rifles under bed Fritz: "What are you doing? Are you making ze rifles?" "Noooooo..." "Oh, ok then."
@@duncanmurphy8085they probably waved off the development (what could be found) as untested and or failed attempts to convert the 36 to semi auto. As a two stage design (build a 36 then unbuild chunks of it to fit new pieces) in a cartridge the Germans didn’t use in an occupied factory it almost certainly isn’t worth the effort.
The US: “Yeah the Garand is good but we need more capacity and a detachable mag. Let’s take over a decade to figure out how!” France: *GOttA gO FAst!!!*
@@ST-zm3lm It's better to have a stopgap solution, than no solution at all. The real problem we have in France is that once the stopgap solution gets implemented, the people who get handed the bill take ONE look at how much it really cost and decide to cancel R&D for the ACTUAL solution.
plus this thing, MAS 44, is a far better design and operating mechanism compared to M1/M14. It's a sealed and protected and works good in mud and dirt.......something American designs of around the same era definitely do not do well
@SpaceNerd117 yeah it's a semiauto but at they time they would have been called automatic loaders, it could mean both depending on the context and especially the time
I am REALLY impressed they were able to hide their development program from the Germans! The Garand being a semiautomatic was a significant advantage for us, going up against a widely adopted semiauto design instead of the Mauser would have been a very different prospect.
@hi there "Black widow" anything is usually a direct jab at it being fake. "Black widow X" where X is any gun you so choose was different only in that it has a black finish. It's a sale pitch for gullible gun enthusiasts who aren't too familiar with the history behind the weapon(s) they're buying. It's the gun world equivalent of "I have an elephant/bridge I'd like to sell you".
A little french advice: Your pronunciation of Saint Etienne is almost perfect, you only miss the "liaison", we often link the last letter of a world with the next one. So when you say Saint, the 't' is silent, but then you should pronounce Etienne linked with that silent 't', which give something like "Saint tEtienne". Have a nice day, congrats for your book, i can't wait to receive it i'm currently like a kid the day before Christmas.
Ian: whatever happened with your MAS-38? I've been hoping to see a new video of you with it, perhaps shooting it at a range. But I haven't been notified of any yet. Is there a chance you will return to its story?
Likely as Ian himself has said a few times, particlarly in the last Q&A, weapons he owns himself, he tends to avoid reviewing them, so that incase he needs to film, make and upload them for 'emmergency content' reasons, they're still able to be used.
If they are so relatively common in the US, if you can get hold of one in shooting condition, it'd be really interesting to see a 2-gun match with you and Karl: one of you with this rifle and one with the M1 Garand. You both always praise the Garand a lot (I'm sure that with good reason), and it'd be great to hear your thoughts after having given this one a go in a practical environment, as you have done with other historical firearms in the past :).
Nah, it's either that no one had yet watched the video long enough for it count as a view, and/or RU-vid was behind in showing up-to-date view count numbers.
I always thought the external magazine release looked super weird...Then I got the chance to play with a MAS 56, and it just made a lot of sense and felt really nice.
Can you do one on the 308 conversion? I bought one without knowing anything about the weapons. I knew it was a French rifle in NATO cartridge but that's the bullets I have the most of.
So because he doesn't do French bashing, he's not relevant? Do you have more knowledge than Ian on the matter? Or, are your sources your personal feelings and few clichés?
This is a pretty decent reference on the Carcano series of rifles: The Model 1891 Carcano Rifle: A Detailed Developmental and Production History (0) www.amazon.com/dp/0764350811/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fY63Cb8GY28ZA
@@caprise-music6722 yeah! One of most the versatile assault primary weapon. I consider it French M1 Garand without the "PING!" with slightly higher mag capacity because of it's versatility
It's interesting how the French really pushed plastic components very early on. The French bicycle component manufacturer Simplex switched to a nylon framed design for its derailleurs in the early 1960s. This decision essentially killed the company, the nylon twisted and deformed under load and frequently shattered like that bolt handle on the MAS. They had been the largest derailleur manufacturer in the world and by the start of the 1980s were out of business.
Hi Ian! Great video as usual ^^. A little tip for you speaking in french, always make the link between the T and the E of Saint-Etienne. So instead of saying "Sain-Etienne", pronounce "Saint-Tétienne". It works everytime except when the next word starts with an H.
I remember this weapon that came out recently in Rising Storm 2 Vietnam. It's not bad but I hate the reloading it's a pain. You can also use a Grenade attachment to this baby.
I think the standard combat load was a couple mags and the rest clips because clips are lighter than magazines. Plenty of other box mag rifles around this time (like the Czech Vz 58 rifle) also have clip cutouts.
@@CountArtha No: first of all the Maginot line runs all the way from the French border near Basel Switzerland to Dunkirk up north at the border with Belgium, so the Germans went _though_ the lightly fortified Belgian border Ardennes stretch of the Maginot line, not "around it" in any way. And second: my point is that the French neglected small arms development for 20 years because they were confident an invasion on the eastern border was impossible due to the Maginot line. The fact the French military only lightly fortified the Ardennes stretch because they failed to understand that the nature of war had changed from the drawn-out trench warfare of WW1 to fast-moving vehicular assault, and thus overestimated the ability of Holland and Belgium to withstand a German attack and serve as a buffer with Germany, is separate critical mistake.
These are great little shooters. I got to shoot one at 100 yds. it gave about a 1 1/2 or 2 inch group off the bench. Recoil was very manageable. Just a nice time. Ammo was a bit higher in price but better now. If I find one for sale I would love to own it. Thanks Ian
My buddy from Sikorsky bought one of these in the early 90s when he got his C&R license and these rifles appeared on the market (IIRC he got it from the now defunct Southern Ohio Guns - where I bought my MAS 49/56)...surplus ammo was always a problem with French rifles - I doubt he shot it much...he' now a captain in the Jupiter, FL police.
@@MOVIE1MAN1 Oh, right. Actually, not sure... Guess the doctrines for full-power rifles up to WW2 simply emphasized marksmanship and ammo conservation over high magazine capacity? Like, there were higher capacity prototypes and limited production weapons, but those actually adopted by militaries didn't usually go over 10 rounds. Also, fixed magazines fed via stripper clips were favored as being more economical compared to much more expensive detachable magazines that would inevitably end up being damaged and lost by soldiers.
As a bit of a European military history reader and a Francophile especially visiting sites and places of historic interest,this series on French military rifles has been great. How do soldiers clean the gas tube if it gets blocked or dirty?
Because the gas passes out of the gas tube into the bolt carrier and thence to the world it clears itself. When a piston is involve some of the gas stays in the port/tube and leaves fouling.
Given how readily they adopted looted/booty model pistols this probably would have been finished and produced under occupation if they hadn't hidden it so well.
I would love to find one these in Canada, such interesting history and not that bad looking of a rifle. Also that nylon charging handle is just begging for replacement with a brass knurled knob.
Hey Ian, greetings from Canada, i just purchased one of these for around 700 dollars USD when converted from Canadian dollars to US dollars. Does that sound like a good purchase? The rifle is in VG condition with the older paint over park rather than just park finish
Damn I wish I could afford your book. I've always appreciated the French for being at the front of firearms technological innovation and design. I guess I'll have to be happy with another shirt.
@@TheMCD1989 no those were MAS 36 bolt actions. As the name states, the 49/56 wasn't made until 1956. 2 years after the utter defeat of 1954 and just in time for the Algerian War.
You're both right and wrong. You're right in that the magazine IS detachable and uses an external catch. But you're wrong in implying it's similar to the MAS 44... because you're not really supposed to remove a K31 magazine. Essentially it's a detachable internal magazine that sticks way out of a gun fed with stripper clips. Each magazine has its gun's serial number stenciled on it. Soldiers were issued (real fancy) disposable stripper clips ("lames-chargeur") and precisely zero spare magazine. It gets really noticeable when you feed GP11 straight into a detached K11 magazine: it's pretty easy to accidentally slide the elevator way out of position and jam the whole thing... Source: I have my K31 right in front of me.
@@GigAnonymous well i never claimed that the k31 magazine was designed to be replaced. i know this from my own k31 sitting in front of me. i'm not disagreeing. however my argument still stands, you CAN interchange their magazines and they do use a magazine mounted clip to retain the magazine within the magazine well.
@@neverknowsbest4994 Of course. What I meant is that the K31 magazine is essentially part of the firearm, so whether the catch is on the gun or on the magazine make no difference in the end. On the MAS 44 however, the magazines seem to have been designed as the main way to reload the gun... if every infantryman was supposed to carry 2-3 magazines, it would have made for some unnecessary expenses.
Always thought these French rifles were neat looking and have been wanting to pick one up for some time but never have. Looks like I REALLY need to now before they start jumping up in price because of videos like this and the book coming out. lol
The rifle looks obselete even for the cold war and the post war conflicts that France was involved in like Indochina and Algeria. It is surprising, this was the only rifle available prior to the FAMAS, when it comes to small arms, the French were pretty behind, compared to their counterparts, such as the UK, USA and even Russia. If it was up to me, I would have armed the French military with FAL's.
"This video has gone on long enough as it is " I almost always treat Ian's statements as Fact. I think the statement I just used is simply a matter of opinion , Ian's videos always seem to end too soon for My liking , I could listen to Gun Jesus preach all day , He frequently enlightens Me on firearms history . Thanks Ian .
I'd really like to know the manufacturing details about the common rifles. I know the M1 receiver was forged, that gets the material into shape & strength much faster then milling.
What is an Electro-Pencil? Ian frequently refers to these markings but my research has turned up too many different answers. www.vintageprojects.com/workshop/etch-your-tools-metal-etching-pens says there are two kinds: a mini arc welder and a sharp vibrating engraver. There's also info on "etching" electropencils that use a salt solution to electroplate wherever the pencil touches. Which one is Ian talking about?
Ian - you have an error. France surrendered to Germany in 1940 (starting on 6/25/40) not 1941. I don't know if this means that the MAS 39 was to be delivered in mid-40 or mid-41.
Hey! Where is the video on the 1885 kropatcheck!!! I was waiting for it :) (and to see the comparaison with the 1884 and better understand why they separate the wood)
Since when does the AR gas tube end in a sealed gas piston system? The gas rube fits into the bolt carrier key where the gas is then directed into the bolt carrier to expand and push the bolt carrier back and acting on the cam pin to rotate the bolt to unlock from the barrel extension, now the newer AR's might have a non impingement system if that's why you said unl8ke the AR.
