The MAS 49 is a French designed semiautomatic rifle that was intended to replace the motley collection of aging French bolt-action rifles and captured German rifles after the end of WWII. The MAS (which stands for Manufacture d'Armes St. Etienne--one of the several French government-owned arms factories) 49, in 7.5x54mm caliber, evolved from the prototype MAS 44, and began production in 1950. It saw significant service with French troops in the latter stages of the 1946-54 Indochina war. An improved version called the MAS 49/56 was introduced in 1957 and incorporated lessons learned in Southeast Asia--it was shortened and lightened, and a bayonet, built in grenade launcher sight and combination grenade launcher/compensator had been provided.

Like the earlier Swedish AG-43 Ljungman semiautomatic rifle and the later US M-16 assault rifle, the MAS 49 and 49/56 employ the direct impingement gas operating system, which operated a tilt-locking bolt (like that of the FN FAL assault rifle.) Both the 49 and 49/56 use a 10-round detachable magazine. The MAS 49/56, although relatively unknown to shooters and collectors in the Americas until quite recently, is a high-quality, compact, lightweight and noticeably accurate weapon. The MAS 49/56 ended production in 1980 (at which time a few of them were chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge) and was replaced with the 5.56.x45mm NATO-caliber FAMAS "bullpup" assault rifle.

Many MAS 49/56 rifles imported as surplus in the USA had been rechambered locally to fire the 7.62x51mm NATO round, but several user reports have noted this conversion was unsatisfactory (resulting in numerous action stoppages and misfires) at best and possibly dangerous at worst, since the 7.62mm NATO cartridge generates much higher chamber pressures than the original 7.5x54mm round.

External links

• Modern Firearms

References

• Huon, Jean; "Proud Promise-French Semiautomatic Rifles: 1898-1979"

• Smith, W.H.B; "Small Arms of the World"