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Well oomans, we finally managed to get our paws on fifty 7.5x54 Frog canned bangs and took our MAS 36 out to the range today. It was a bright sunny day with just a little wind blowing directly across the range. We bought our MAS from Dromia of this parish a while ago and a thoroughly spiffing example of the type it is too. We found the MAS to be very accurate, achieving a 2.5 inch group at 100 yards, but it's an odd rifle to shoot. The bolt is plain weird and awkward to manipulate - nowhere near as fast as a Mauser let alone a Lee ! The sights aren't great either, and the stock seems a little short. Maybe it was designed for midgets with triple jointed thumbs, telescopic eyes and short arms. That said, it's a great addition to the collection even if only as an example of how things can go awry when the committee are tasked with designing a horse...

...so the Froggy version of the even more useless as a main battle rifle than the Carcano

The MAS 36 was meant to be the ultimate bolt action rifle. The French set up a committee to study the best rifles of WW1 and incorporate the best features of each into a single rifle. It could have been so much better. Its accuracy can't be faulted but the ergonomics leave much to be desired...

Very little use and only dropped once springs to mind

The MAS36 is one of my favourite rifles. Its extremely accurate with the right ammo and well they just work.
I don't understand why you waited so long to shoot it the MAS36 is one of the easiest rifle calibers to re load for I have ever owned.
All you need to buy to get going is a set of dies. lee do them for about £30.
Just grab a paw full of 6.5x55 fired cases and resize them with the MAS36 dies then trim them to length.
Prime the cases grab a paw full of any .308 bullets I use 155grain. Then reload them using .308 data.
My load is 155grain bullets with 43.2 grains of N140. Job done. How difficult is that.
I get tighter groups with the MAS than I do with my Lee Enfield No4 and I have had more success shooting the MAS at 100-200 yards than I have ever had with a Swedish Mauser.

You just have to remember that a camel is a horse designed by a committee, and you have the explanation for any French small arms. Not seen one yet I would give house room to.

saddler wrote:...so the Froggy version of the even more useless as a main battle rifle than the Carcano

Sounds like you're confusing (or combining) the abilities of the troops using the rifle with the rifle's performance.

I'm surprised that you find the bolt awkward, Lee Enfield it isn't but I find it definitely superior to the Mauser in operation. It looks as though it shouldn't work but it does so surprisingly well. The trick with Mas's is not to look at them.

Also I like the sights far better than the notch and blade.

I believe that you have a 36/51 and they do seem to be bit shorter than the 36s I have had, perhaps they were made that way for Asian troops as France tried to keep Indochine after the second world war.

As Dave says it is a doddle to load for and the round has very good accuracy potential.

Nothing wrong with the Carcano either.

The bolt being awkward? It's definitely not as fast as a Lee Enfield bit the bolt throw is so short, the last time I shot mine (the first time in a few months) I let off 5 rounds in just over 10 seconds, I lack stripper clips (on order) so can't perform a mad minute.

The sights are thick but I find them great especially with my crap eyesight. The only issue I have is the stock is just too damn short for me.


Have yet to use my M1891 Carcano :(