. . . . . . . .One-piece firing pin powered by coil mainspring. Cocks on opening bolt.
Magazine . . . . .Single-column non-detachable box magazine. Special clip required. Three- or five-shot capacity.
Trigger . . . . . . .Non-adjustable, double-stage military pull.
Safety . . . . . . . .None provided.
Extractor . . . . . .One-piece spring type mortised into bolt head.
Magazine cutoff None provided.
Bolt-stop . . . . . .No separate bolt-stop; see text.
Ejector . . . . . . .Stud type, made as integral part of trigge
The 8mm Lebel Cartridge
This cartridge was the first relatively small-bore smokeless powder rifle cartridge to be adopted by a world power. In doing so, France led other countries by about two years. The 8mm Lebel cartridge is based on a rimmed, bottlenecked case, with the case body having a double taper. Although originally loaded with a full-jacketed flat-nosed bullet, for use in the tubular magazine Lebel rifle, in 1898 it became the first military cartridge loaded with a spitzer-point boattail bullet.
During WW I, Remington contracted with France to make both rifles and ammunition. As a result of contract cancellations after the war, a great many of these rifles remained in the United States and were sold on the commercial market. Remington then loaded sporting ammunition for these rifles until about 1964. Remington loaded 8mm Lebel sporting ammo with a 170-grain softpoint bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2640 fps. At 200 yards the velocity is 1960 fps, remaining energy 1450 foot pounds, while midrange trajectory over this range is 3.4”. This compares favorably with such more popular cartridges as 30-40, 303 British, 300 Savage and 8mm Mauser. Regardless of what I said about the French rifles chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge (to my knowledge no other rifles were so chambered), it is a good load.
French Model 1936 MAS rifle chambered for the 7.5mm French cartridge. Like the Lebel, this rifle has a two-piece stock.
The number of models, variations and transformations of rifles and carbines based on the Berthier action are too many to list here. Starting with the very old Gras action, we have seen how France used this basic turnbolt system with various types of magazines of Kropatschek, Lebel and Berthier designs. This brings us to the last version, a turnbolt action fitted with a Mauser-type staggered-column magazine. These rifles (there are about three different variations) are known as the French Model 1934.
French M1936 MAS action.
The Model 1934 French Rifle
I have to backtrack a bit here. In 1929, France developed a modern rimless military cartridge for light machine gun use—it was difficult to make or adapt any machine gun to handle the rimmed 8mm Lebel cartridge. The new cartridge, a rimless, bottlenecked case loaded with a 7.5mm bullet, is known as the 7.5mm French Ml929C, 7.5x54mm French MAS or as the 7.5mm MAS. It was almost impossible to use the old 8mm Lebel cartridge in anything but a tubular or single-column magazine and, since the prospects for continued peace looked poor, the French officials decided to adapt the Model 1907/15 rifle (a Berthier variation) to this new cartridge.
This was done by fitting the old receiver with a box magazine wide enough to hold a staggered-column of five 7.5mm cartridges. The bottom of the magazine box has a detachable floorplate which fits in place and is held closed by a spring-loaded plunger— like the M98 Mauser. The magazine well opening in the receiver was milled so integral cartridge guide lips remain—also like the Mauser system. A follower, with a rib on one side and set on a W-shaped follower spring, completed the magazine. Notches were then milled in the front of the receiver bridge slot to accept a stripper clip—so the magazine could be loaded quickly. Other necessary things were done with the action to handle the 7.5mm cartridge. The barrel and action were set into a one-piece stock, and the result was the Model 1934—the year in which it was adopted.
The outside appearance of the M34 is not too unlike the three-shot Berthier, except that it does not have quite as much belly. At best, the new rifle was only a makeshift stop-gap affair, practically obsolete before it was made. Probably not too many M34s were made—they are rare in the U.S., hence of considerable interest to the collector.
The MAS Model 1936
A year or so after the 7.5mm French cartridge was introduced, French ordnance began to develop a new shoulder arm for it. Discarding all previous turnbolt rifle designs, they devised an entirely new action system in 1932, and that rifle is the MAS M-1932. A limited number of M32s were made for testing, and after four years (with a number of modifications) the final version was approved and adopted as the MAS Model 1936. The development work was done in France’s largest arms making city, St. Etienne, by the Manufacture d’Armes St. Etienne, of which “MAS” is an abbreviation. It was the latest and the best military bolt-action rifle adopted and made by France.
French MAS Model 1936
(Uses French 7.5mm cartridges)
General Specifications
Type . . . . . . . . .Turn-bolt repeater.
Receiver . . . . . .One-piece, machined steel forging with integral magazine box. Non-slotted bridge. Two-piece stock.
Bolt . . . . . . . . . .One-piece, with dual-opposed locking lugs at rear. No safety lug.
Ignition . . . . . . .One-piece hollow striker powered by coil mainspring. Cocks on opening bolt.
Magazine . . . . .Staggered-column box magazine made integral with receiver. Five-shot capacity. Quick-detachable floorplate.
Trigger . . . . . . .Non-adjustable double-stage military pull.
Safety . . . . . . . .None provided.
Extractor . . . . . .One-piece flat spring extractor mortised into bolt.
Magazine cutoff None provided.
Bolt-stop . . . . . .Pivoting type engages in groove at bottom of bolt.
Ejector . . . . . . .Pivoting type integral with bolt-stop.
The MAS M36 rifle weighs about 8.25 pounds, has a 22.6” round, stepped barrel and is 49.13” overall. The buttstock, held in place by a single screw, is very short. The distance from buttplate to trigger is only 12.62”. A separate forend (extending to within 5” of the muzzle) and the full-length wooden handguard are held to the barrel by two bands. A metal hook, attached to the rear of the forend, engages in a recess at the front of the receiver and holds the forend assembly against the receiver. The M36 is fitted with a skewer-type
