Posted: 1/29/2005 8:36:15 PM EDT
Anybody have experience with one of these. Played with one at the pawn shop today. First time I have ever seen one. Heavy and looked like it had been dropped quite a bit 
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Yeah, good rifles, very solid but kinda clunky. McCann industries is making a conversion kit to make them AR-like. Gotta try that out. Gotta use CCI 34 primers. The firing pin is built like a truck axle. They have a standard 308 bore, and use Swedish Mauser brass. Go for it. |
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I have one of the 308 butcher jobs. Mostly , it is fun and accurate, too much rapid fire and I get stuck cases after it heats up. If I use less pressure rounds, when I get the home made gas system set screws right it works better. Most of the time I use it as a novelty , not a weapon to depend on. If I space shots slowly all is ok. I like it's ugly looks, I wish I had one in 7.5 french, I like them that much. |
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I have 2 of them, both purchased with my C&R FFL. I kept one of them in the original 7.5 French caliber. Ammo is expensive, but it is very accurate and shoots like a dream. The second one I sent out to a gentleman who does .308 conversions. He has designed his own conversion after years of trial and error. Does his own reaming, redoes the gas port, magazines. and a bunch of other little secrets. Unlike the Century conversions which were garbage, this one functions 100% with surplus ammo. It is a really cool little .308. If you got the MAS 49/56 when they first started to sell them (like mine), you stood a very good chance of getting a quality weapon, I don't know what is out there today. I have tons of military rifles and these are among the coolest. |
| I had one in 7.5 French. Yes, it is built like a tank. Homely too, but in an endearing sort of way. The ammo can be a little scarce but I ended up not shooting it much because it was a bitch to field strip. Not too bad tearing it down but I never developed the knack for putting the pieces back together. I finally sold it when the French really started to piss me off....used the money to buy a Polish pistol. |
| I have one in the 7.5 french. Its a nice carbine. Old School. Forged and milled Steel & wood. It's very accurate.Controls are in the right place( for me ) . I like the sights, and it's built like a tank. I paid $189 several years back. The ammo sells for about $9 for a box of 20 . Non corrsive stuff out of Portagal. But don't buy the heavy stuff 170 something grain. Mine wouldn't function with it. I went to 130 something grain and it runs like a scalded dog. Its a nice piece for a collection.The french rifle is a very well made rifle.The Only complaint I have is the goofy way the mags are held. Kinda silly. WarDawg |
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The Frenchies have played a big role in the development of auto-loading rifles. The 49/56 has lots of history. If you own one, I recommend Proud Promise, by Jean Huon. Lots of pictures. It's a Collector Grade publication, but on the cheaper end of their line. About $30, IIRC. |
I have a 7.62 NATO and had the same FTE problem, due to the bodge-job CAI did on the conversion. Sent it to a guy in PA who came up with a mod of the gas system. Now it works with great as long as the cases don't have too much surface corrosion. I'd love to get an original 7.5 version. They are very accurate, have nice sights and are solidly built. Also handles great, like an M1 Carbine in a real round. It's one of my favorite rifles to shoot. |
That would be the guy! (Bill Toth) My surplus ammo has no surface corrosion so I don't have any problems. Bill has improved on his design several times. I have the latest version as far as I know. Had some "turnaround time" problems, but he took care of me, and I would reccomend his work. |
Yes, that's him! I just got mine back about a month ago, so it must be the latest version. Between Bill's try-out and mine, eight different types of ammo were put through it and only the variety with the cruddiest cases (my1970 Headstamp Norma) had problems. Bill was a pleasure to deal with. The time it took didn't bother me since he did the job well and was a complete gentleman about it. I'd recommend him to anyone trying to get one of the Century conversions to work. |
| $170. He adds an expansion chamber to the gas system (to compensate for the higher pressure of the 7.62 NATO) changes the recoil spring and polishes the chamber. His latest conversions maintain the outward appearance of the rifle - important to me because I actually like the way it looks. |