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MAS 36 Saftey Question

2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Carguy714 
#1 · (Edited)
I picked up a used and abused MAS 36 recently, very inexpensively. As I explain you'll understand why. Bubba got to it and "sporterized" it. But I figure I can put it back together and have it look 95% like a milsurp MAS 36 just with an enfield muzzle as Bubba chopped the barrel a few inches! So the muzzel crown will just stick outside the fore stock when finished...I think.

Anyways I just got it and haven't even had time to clean it up, I have but 1 question. What is that thing rattling around just under the back of the bolt? It appears to function like a saftey...when pushed in (toward the bolt) the trigger will not fire, when pulled back the trigger can fire. The problem is I understood the MAS 36 had no saftey!? And even worse if I hold the gun aimed toward the ground the saftey engages by gravity and yup you guessed it if I aim it skyward it disengages!

It is the turned up lip to the right of the end of the bolt in the picture.

Is this a saftey? Is this something someone added on importation? Can I remove it, tighten it up, do something with it so it doesn't rattle around and randomly put the rifle in and out of safe mode??? I have fallen in love with the looks of this rifle and I wanted a project to play with so I really want to make this thing work!

Thanks in advance for any guidance.
 
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#4 ·
Carguy,

Whatever it is you have fitted to the back of the receiver is not of French origin.

The Mas 36 built by the French arsenals for military use never had a safety fitted, as it was deemed superfluous on a military bolt action rifle.

The procedure for carrying the Mas 36 rifle loaded was to keep the bolt at half notch, pulling the trigger from that position would close the bolt but not set the shot.

The hunting rifles built out of Mas 36 parts and sold to hunters in the 1947/1960 period had a safety fitted at the back of the trigger guard.

The picture below shows the back of a Mas 36 receiver and the safety fitted on hunting rifles and later used on the sharpshooter rifles FRF1 & 2.

kelt
 
#5 ·
The MAS 36 safety pictured here is a kind of double trigger arrangement with a finger groove cut in the wood for quick disengagement. Looks odd but works surprisingly well… modification courtesy of an Import shop I’m sure. (Left is safety off - fire , right is safety on.)

Not sure what that thing is on your MAS 36 tho, might be a prototype?

The French had a very cavalier attitude towards rifle safety systems (Lebels-Berthiers-MAS 36s), which no doubt led to soldiers devising risky alternatives.

C’est la vie.
 
#6 ·
Golden State Arms Safety

What you have is one of the famous (to us!) GSA imports from the 50's. The morons fitted a safety made of sheet steel, and drilled the receiver tang laterally to hold it, plus, they cut away the wood underneath the tang to clear the metal. Bubba did not do the one you have, an importer did. The geniuses also fitted safeties to Berthier Carbines and Rifles about the same time.

Kelt is correct, the French training obviates the need for a safety on the bolt action rifles.

Dale
 
#7 · (Edited)
VONMAZUR, you are correct!

I finally tore this thing apart...boy did I get what I paid for...a mutt with lots of serial numbers,lots of surface pitting and a dark bore. Anyways, the receiver tang is drilled for the mounting of the most simple, yet effective and noisy saftey. I guess it could be removed by unscrewing the small (appears to be threaded through the receiver) screw and just tossing the rattle thing.

Thanks for your input. I can't wait to play with this little rifle and if all else goes as well rebuild it to as close to original as possible...with that Enfield muzzle look (due to the cut barrel).

New question , is the finish on these parkerized or blued? Mine appears black, pitted parkerized because there is little sheen or gloss to the finish. Is this simple the finish of the metal work and it is truly blued? Sorry for the most basic of questions but I am really new to these and am trying to suck in what I can be there doesn't seem to be much out there about them!



That saftey is not threaded just pinned. One good tug and out it came...cheap bent sheet metal now stored in a zip lock bag...not on my MAS!
 
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