Mine seems to be un issued, and had no rust at all. Parkerization is 95% wood has no cracks or big dings. It came witha sling. I have 200 Non corosive rounds waiting for Saturday, and I ordered the die to reload the emptys. Great handling rifle, and the bore is pristine.



I was online an viewiing a online auction, and a MAS 49 came up for bid, I won the auction for $190 so Ill be in it $235 after shipping and transfer. Who has the cheapest ammo? Anyone else got one? How do you like it?
I like the size.... They dont seem like a bad rifle.
Gary

I just got a 49/56 in 7.5.  Checkout Aim Surplus they have a pretty good price on ammo for it.

Post pics of it when you get a chance.  I'd like to see it.

Will do. This is 7.5 swiss? Whats the nomenclature?

Quoted: Will do. This is 7.5 swiss? Whats the nomenclature?

Nope, its 7.5 French

Ai7.5French 7.5 French 139grn FMJ

Ok I ordered 200 rounds of the stuff, and it is reloadable so I am set for awhile as long as I can catch the brass in a box while shooting.

What kind of accuracy should I expect? I know these are well respected. I had one in 308 years ago that I paid alot of money for, but had to sell it. It would only digest the steel cased ammo, bradd got stuck in the chamber. I was told to get the rifle in it's orriginal calibre to enjoy it fully. SO that wheel has gone fully around once more. Wish I had saved the mags I had. Now I need to find some (3)

Item#Ai7.5French
New Commercial ammunition manufactured by Prvi Partizan in Serbia. Features a Brass Case, 139grn FMJ bullet, Reloadable Boxer primers, and is Non-Corrosive. This is a Limited Supply being sold at a special discounted price. While supplies Last.
 Got it 1 mm difference?
8.25$ for 20 rounds dont hurt my feelings.

jeez coulda saved some time on manufacturing if they had added a mm to the case length.

I've got a pair of MAS 49/56's that work just fine.  You got a deal on that rifle.

P.S. I once saw a picture of a French round that was fired in a Swiss rifle.  Not pretty.<G>

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: Ai7.5French 7.5 French 139grn FMJ Ok I ordered 200 rounds of the stuff, and it is reloadable so I am set for awhile as long as I can catch the brass in a box while shooting. What kind of accuracy should I expect? I know these are well respected. I had one in 308 years ago that I paid alot of money for, but had to sell it. It would only digest the steel cased ammo, bradd got stuck in the chamber. I was told to get the rifle in it's orriginal calibre to enjoy it fully. SO that wheel has gone fully around once more. Wish I had saved the mags I had. Now I need to find some (3) Item#Ai7.5French New Commercial ammunition manufactured by Prvi Partizan in Serbia. Features a Brass Case, 139grn FMJ bullet, Reloadable Boxer primers, and is Non-Corrosive. This is a Limited Supply being sold at a special discounted price. While supplies Last.  Got it 1 mm difference? 8.25$ for 20 rounds dont hurt my feelings. jeez coulda saved some time on manufacturing if they had added a mm to the case length.

new pics updated.

I remember seeing those in Shotgun News about 7-8 years ago in .308.  I asked a local smith who said get in the french cal or forget it.





Ok so who wants to give a history lesson on this neat looking firearm.  Did the French and the French F.Lers use these and if so did they fight at Din Bein Phu?

There's a book about these called "Proud Promise."  There's a French section with several French on Gunboards.

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: I remember seeing those in Shotgun News about 7-8 years ago in .308.  I asked a local smith who said get in the french cal or forget it. Ok so who wants to give a history lesson on this neat looking firearm.  Did the French and the French F.Lers use these and if so did they fight at Din Bein Phu?

French foreign legion and standard legs used it to good use in Algeria, & Dien Bien Phu.

Algeria

The MAS-49 proved to be a particularly long-lived infantry rifle, serving with French Army and French Foreign Legion until 1979. It had a reputation for reliability in conditions of poor maintenance, sometimes being cleaned with nothing more than rags and motor oil. The rifle could also endure harsh service environments (many Foreign Legion MAS rifles saw service in Algeria, Djibouti, Indochina, and French Guiana).


[edit] Variants
An improved version called the MAS-49/56 was introduced in 1957 and incorporated lessons learned from service in Algeria, Indochina, and the Suez Crisis. The rifle was shortened and lightened to improve mobility for mechanized and airborne troops, and a bayonet was added. Other improvements included a built-in grenade launcher sight and combination grenade launcher/compensator for use in destroying enemy strongpoints. The MAS-49/56 ended production in 1980 (at which time a few of them were rechambered for the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO cartridge) and was replaced with the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO caliber FAMAS bullpup assault rifle.

Many MAS-49/56 rifles imported as surplus in the USA had been rechambered locally to fire the 7.62 x 51 mm 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 7.62 mm NATO cartridge generates much higher chamber pressures than the original 7.5 x 54 mm round.






and Dien Bien Phu

After WWII France reclaimed their colonial influence over the Southeast Asian region known as Indo-China. The French fought an eight-year war against communist Vietminh rebels that culminated in the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu.
Algeria

Dien Bien Phu.

The commander of the French expeditionary forces in Indo-China was General Henri Navarre. Part of his difficulties at Dien Bien Phu was a result of him being given no clear strategic objectives. After eight years of fighting France was not so much intent on winning the war as they were on stabilizing the region in order to bring about a negotiated settlement and save face. The only strategic intent Navarre received from France was to ensure the safety of the expeditionary corps. His operational goals were to protect Laos, which was a French territory and had been attacked by the Vietminh. Another operational objective was to use a buildup at Dien Bien Phu to draw the Vietminh out into a set piece battle that the French had been successful at in the past.



Dien Bein Phu was located in a remote, forest covered area in northwestern Vietnam. It was located in a bowl-shaped valley that had a flat enough bottom for a major airbase, and was surrounded easily defendable hills. Navarre’s tactical plan was to drop forces in by parachute, secure an airbase, and establish defensive positions on eight surrounding hills in order to secure the area. Operation Castor was launched on November 20, 1953 when the French dropped in 9,000 troops. By early 1954, French troops totaled 13,000, including artillery and light tanks.








The Vietminh were commanded by General Vo Nguyen Giap. Unlike the French, the Vietminh had very clear, consistent objectives. Strategically, they wanted an overwhelming military victory to force the French to negotiate on Ho Chi Minh’s terms. Operationally, General Giap also wanted to engage in a set piece battle to decisively defeat the French but would only do this when he had his forces massed, had artillery support, and secured his lines of communication. His tactical plan involved massing his forces at certain points at Dein Bein Phu’s defenses and overwhelming them with artillery and superior numbers.



In early 1954, the Vietminh had massed four divisions totaling 50,000 troops surrounding Dien Bien Phu. This was compared to the only 13,000 French troops. Giap was also launching diversionary attacks throughout the region to prevent more troops from reinforcing them. The Vietminh were much more mobile than the French had anticipated, surrounding the area within a month after the initial drops and had managed to get over 200 pieces of heavy artillery into the surrounding hills, something no one thought possible given the region’s terrain.  



At the beginning of the attack in early March the Vietminh had dug over 100 kilometers of trenches around the northern French strong points of Beatrice, Gabrielle, and Anne-Marie. The attack began on March 13, 1954, with the strong point of Beatrice completely engulfed in artillery fire. The command post at Beatrice was destroyed in the initial artillery attack and all radio communications with the outpost ceased. At the same time, the Vietminh bombarded the airfield, leaving Dein Bein Phu completely cut off from reinforcements. Beatrice finally fell to human wave attacks by the Vietminh.




The next strong point to fall to the Vietminh was Gabrielle. Instead of using human wave attacks like they did on Beatrice they used massive artillery fire and infiltration. By now the only aid available to the French was coming in by airdrop and even that was next to impossible with Vietminh anti-aircraft guns thoroughly emplaced and hidden around the area. The French launched an assault to destroy enemy anti-aircraft positions in the hills around Claudine. They were successful but could not hold the area and the Vietminh soon replaced the guns.



The Vietminh continued to dig trenches approaching the strong points of Dominique and Elaine. The Vietminh launched an infantry assault at these to areas on March 30 but were beaten back. However, a division of Vietminh had overcome the outpost at Elaine. The outpost Isabelle was isolated seven kilometers to the south and the 1,000 troops located there were fighting only for their own survival. Anti-aircraft guns had choked off almost all aid to the French.



By the end of April, the fortress at Dien Bien Phu had been substantially reduced. The French only held parts of Huguette, Dominique, and a few highpoints on Elaine. The final assault was launched on May 1. Waves of Vietminh followed artillery barrages. The French would beat back one assault only to be hit with more waves. Finally, on May 7th the situation became hopeless. Plans for a breakout had been considered but by now the French had neither the strength nor the means to enact any such plans. Colonel de Castries, commander of the troops at Dien Bien Phu, signaled his intent to stop fighting to the Vietminh and ordered his men to destroy what weapons and equipment they had left.



Although they inflicted heavy casualties on the Vietminh, Dien Bien Phu was a tactical and operational failure for the French. Their losses totaled 7,184 casualties, included 1,142 dead and 1,606 missing. The Vietminh suffered 7,900 dead and over 15,000 wounded. The French conceded many sound principles of warfare, to include initiative, high ground, and concentration of forces, to the Vietminh in an attempt to draw them out into a battle. They were also completely surprised by the logistical capabilities of the Vietminh. Their ability to get heavy artillery pieces and ammunition into the high, roadless mountains surrounding Dien Bien Phu was not even considered a possibility. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN) had mobilized over 33,000 workers to support the contingent at Dien Bien Phu, which allowed it to sustain the 50,000-man siege for the five-month operation.



It is hard to say whether or not Dien Bien Phu was a strategic failure for the French since they did not have any clear strategic goals. It was a tactical and operational success for the Vietminh; they had achieved their decisive victory over the French. However, their strategic goal of using the victory to obtain concessions at the Geneva negotiations failed. They were forced to accept a temporary partition of their country with elections to be held two years later. However, the south government headed by Ngo Dinh Diem and backed by the US established a separate government and ignored the call for elections in 1956. This would lead to many more years of Western involvement in Vietnam.

Wow thanks for the History lesson that is cool.

Looks like you got a nice one.  I went out and shot mine for the first time yesterday after work and I love it!  May have to just start collecting these babies! And you got a great deal on yours.  Let us know how it shoots when you finally get it out to the range.  I'll do some target shooting with mine and post pics/data.

I wonder why the French never made a high cap magazine for it?

I'd sure like to have some 20's even if they would interfere with prone shooting.

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: I wonder why the French never made a high cap magazine for it?

Great shooting rifle.

I was one shot one killin the skeet at 100 yds.

Quoted: I'd sure like to have some 20's even if they would interfere with prone shooting. Dennis Jenkins Quoted: I wonder why the French never made a high cap magazine for it?

Even though the mag is detachable, these were intended to be loaded w/ stripper clips(don't ask me why).  Anyway they are GREAT rifles in the original chambering and just heavy clubs in .308. If it wasn't for 7.5 being so corrosive, I would say these are the equal to an FAL or M-14 as a main battle rifle, and actually a little better in certain areas.

Pros
Handy and short yet hard hitting
Can launch rifle grenades
Robust in the extreme
Good sights

Cons
Corrosive ammo, no chrome lining
The aforementioned clip loading

CHLmama, thanks for that great write up. I'd just like to add a tribute to the brave American CIA pilots who died while flying in support materal to the heroic defenders!