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ОглавлениеFrench
Military Turnbolts FdH
French Model 1886/93 Lebel rifle chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge, has two-piece stock and a tubular magazine under the barrel in the forend.
THE FIRST IMPORTANT metallic cartridge shoulder arm adopted by France was the Model 1874 Gras single shot rifle— developed by General Basile Gras (1836-1901) of the French Army. This turnbolt arm evolved from the bolt-action breech-loading Model 1866 Chassepot needle-fire rifle, so called because the firing pin was needle-like to penetrate the self-consuming paper or linen cartridge, and strike the priming mixture positioned at the base of the bullet. The Gras rifle was chambered for the 11x59R French Gras centerfire cartridge, developed and adopted with the Gras rifle in 1874. Usually called the 11mm Gras, this cartridge is very similar to, but not interchangeable with, such other 43-caliber cartridges of the same period as the 11mm Mauser, 11mm Murata and 11mm Werndl. The Gras rifles (there were three principal versions having barrels of different lengths) were widely used in countries other than France.
Unlike some other 11mm foreign military arms, Gras rifles never were commonplace in the United States. Even before the Model 1874 Gras rifle was officially adopted, France converted many of her older M1866 Chassepot needle-fire rifles to the Gras system to handle an 11mm self-contained cartridge.
The Gras rifle had a very simple action. The bolt was locked in the receiver by the heavy base of the bolt handle engaging in front of the receiver bridge. The extractor was fitted in the separate bolt head. The action cocked by lifting the bolt handle. There were two notches under the cocking piece and a checkered thumbpiece depression on top that positioned the striker at “half-cock.” It had no safety. The stock was of one-piece construction. Gras rifles, of value only to military arms collectors, are quite scarce today in original and very good condition.
The Kropatschek Rifle
After the single shot Gras was in production for a few years, there was a growing demand for a repeating rifle. An Austrian inventor named Alfred Kropatschek worked out a method to make the Gras rifle into a repeater. France adopted his system about 1878, and it became known as the Model 1878 Gras-Kropatschek. The repeating mechanism consisted of a Henry-type tubular magazine in the forend, under the barrel, and a pivoting cartridge carrier positioned under an opening in the bottom of the receiver. The magazine was loaded by pushing the cartridges into it through the opened action. On closing the bolt, the carrier would tip down, allowing one cartridge to move back onto the carrier platform. On opening the action the bolt would tip the carrier up, placing the nose of the cartridge in line with the chamber. On closing the bolt, the cartridge would be pushed into the chamber and the carrier depressed again to pick up another round. Gras-Kropatschek rifles were used largely by the French Navy. Like the Gras rifle, the Gras-Kropatschek rifles had a one-piece stock. They are quite rare and are prized by arms collectors.
The Lebel Rifle
The original Gras rifle and the Gras-Kropatschek repeater were soon obsoleted by improved rifle and cartridge designs. In France, a commission was set up to develop a new rifle and cartridge. Headed by General Tramond of the French Army, Colonel Nicolas Lebel was one of the other leading men on this board. The result of their efforts was the adoption of a new rifle and cartridge in 1886.
Actually, the new rifle was merely an improvement of the Gras-Kropatschek rifle. The cartridge, however, was really new; it was the first relatively small-bore smokeless powder cartridge to be adopted by any world power. Lebel is credited with being largely responsible for developing this cartridge, and on this account it was named after him. He probably had a hand in the design improvements of the rifle too (some sources refer to the “Lebel System”), but the rifle bore his name largely because of the cartridge. At any rate, the cartridge is now universally known as the 8mm Lebel, and the rifle as the French 8mm Model 1886 Lebel, or variations thereof.
Actually, the Lebel action is a major “beef-up” job on the Gras-Kropatschek. The changes consisted mainly of providing a boxlike receiver to house the action parts, incorporating dual-opposed locking lugs on the bolt head, and making the receiver accordingly. This made the action much stronger to handle the more powerful 8mm Lebel cartridge.
The Lebel receiver is a long box-like housing. The barrel is threaded into the top front of this housing. The separate forend containing the magazine tube is attached to the barrel by two bands and a hook at the rear of the magazine tube—engaging a recess in the front of the receiver. The separate buttstock is attached to the rear of the receiver by two tang screws. One of these screws connects the separate lower tang to the upper tang (an integral part of the receiver) while the second screw passes through a plate inletted into the bottom of the stock grip and threads into the upper tang.
The top of the receiver is bored and milled to accept the bolt assembly and provide one opening for loading and another below the bolt for the carrier. The bolt handle and its heavy rectangular base are integral parts of the bolt, positioned about midway on the bolt body. The receiver bridge is slotted to allow passage of the bolt handle.
Top view of the French Lebel action.
When the bolt is locked, the heavy bolt handle base becomes the safety lug ahead of, but not contacting, the right wall of the bridge. At the front of the bolt body, in line with the bolt handle base, is another heavy rectangular lug. The separate bolt head has a stem which fits into the front of the bolt body. A heavy stud screw, threaded into this forward lug and extending into a hole in the stem of the bolt head, holds the head to the body so it can rotate with the bolt.
The locking lugs are positioned on the forward end of the bolt head. When the bolt is locked the locking lugs are horizontal—just as the Russian Model 1891 Moisin-Nagant. The left (lower) locking lug contacts the cartridge carrier to tip it up and halt the rearward travel of the bolt when the bolt is opened. The extractor is mortised into the bolt head. The face of the bolt head is recessed for the cartridge rim.
The firing mechanism—firing pin, mainspring, cocking piece and firing pin button—is essentially like that in the Berthier action to be described later.
The feeding and trigger mechanisms of the Lebel rifle are not attached to the receiver, but rather to the carrier plate which closes the bottom of the receiver. The trigger guard, combined with the lower tang, is attached to this plate with a screw. The entire assembly is held in the receiver by a lip at the front of the carrier plate engaging in a groove in the receiver, and by one screw through the rear of the receiver.
The sear is pivoted and attached to the upright projection on the carrier plate on the pivot axis of the magazine cutoff lever. The trigger pivots on the sear via a pin. A V-type spring compressed between the sear and the carrier plate tensions the sear.
The cartridge carrier is also held in place by, and pivots on, the axis of the magazine cutoff lever. The carrier is tensioned to keep it either in the up or down position by a lever and a flat spring. The front end of this pivoting lever also functions as the cartridge stop at the magazine tube opening. The carrier is tipped up when the bolt is opened by the lower locking lug contacting a lug on the rear of the carrier. It is tipped down when the bolt is closed (and locked) by the base of the bolt handle depressing a lever linked to the carrier.
The checkered round button of the L-shaped magazine cutoff extends to the bottom rear edge of the receiver housing. Swinging this button forward disengages the carrier-depressing lever so that the carrier remains in the tipped-up position when the action is opened. The rifle can then be conveniently loaded and used as a single shot while cartridges in the magazine are held in reserve.
The M86 Lebel action (as well as the rifle) underwent some changes to improve it; the result was designated the Model 1886/93— presumably, the changes were adopted in 1893. The M86 receiver was made with a long forward extension into which the barrel was threaded. This extension, called the barrel reinforce, accounts for the extra length of this receiver when compared to the M86/93 receiver, as shown in the specification chart. The bolt head to bolt body junction on the M86/93 was strengthened by the addition of a separate collar and lug between these two parts. The latter action was also made safer by having a small gas vent hole in the bolt head, plus other minor changes. These various improvements made the M86/93 action considerably stronger and more reliable than the M86. M86/93 rifles are usually marked to indicate the 1893 changes by Modele 86/93 or M 93 stamped on the left side of the receiver.
French Lebel action.
The caliber designation was not stamped on the Lebel rifles. They were serial numbered, however, with the full number usually stamped on the bolt handle base, barrel breech, receiver and carrier plate— last two digits of this number were stamped sights. It is one of the shoulder arms used by the French army during WWII, indicating the reluctance of France to discard old rifles.
Lebel rifles were not very satisfactory militarily; the tubular magazine could not be loaded quickly and it could be dangerous if loaded with spitzer-point bulleted ammunition.
Quite to my surprise, on taking apart the Lebel rifle (illustrated) I found the entire rifle well made. The action parts were very nicely finished, fitted and polished. In fact, parts like the springs, levers, sear and some bolt parts were flawlessly polished. While the design of the action and rifle can be criticized, quality workmanship is evident, especially in the action.
All true French rifles are much more common in the United States than are the body. Turn the firing pin button so its slot aligns with the notch in the rear of the thumbpiece on the cocking piece. Grasp the bolt and cocking piece firmly and, placing the firing pin tip on a hard surface, press down on the bolt until the firing pin button clears the cocking piece and can be slipped off to one side. The firing pin and mainspring can now be removed. Reassemble in reverse order.
To remove the carrier plate assembly, remove the rear tang screw and the carrier plate screw from the left side of the receiver and, grasping the trigger guard bow, pull the assembly out of the receiver. The buttstock can now be removed by turning out the front tang screw. Take off the forend by removing the two barrel bands, depressing the magazine follower with a finger from inside on some of the other important parts. Various inspector’s arsenal and proof marks are stamped on the breech end of the barrel, receiver and bolt. Date of manufacture (year) is usually stamped on the breech end of the barrel, as well.
French Lebel action, open.
Lebel Models
There were three principal models of the Lebel: 1) the 1886 rifle has a 31.4” barrel, is 51.3” overall and weighs about 9.3 pounds; 2) the 1886/93 rifle has the same specifications as the 1886, but has the improved action; and 3) the 1886/93 R35 carbine has a 17.7 ” barrel, is about 37.65” overall and weighs about 7.84 pounds. The carbine is merely a modification of the Model 1886/93 rifle— shorter barrel, forend and magazine tube holding only three cartridges, and different French Gras and Gras-Kropatschek rifles. The Lebel rifles are of more value and interest to the collector than to anyone.
Takedown and Assembly/Lebel
To remove the bolt, raise bolt handle and pull the bolt back about halfway. Turn the large-headed screw out of the forward bolt lug, turn the bolt head one-quarter turn clockwise and, while holding the bolt head, pull the bolt from the receiver. The bolt head can then be removed. Reassemble in reverse order.
To disassemble the bolt, remove the extractor by raising the hook end with a screwdriver, then drive the extractor to the rear. To remove the firing mechanism from the bolt, first rotate the cocking piece counterclockwise so it falls against the bolt the receiver, and then lifting the front of the forend away from the barrel until it is free. Reassemble in reverse order.
To remove the carrier plate assembly, remove the rear tang screw and the carrier plate screw from the left side of the receiver and, grasping the trigger guard bow, pull the assembly out of the receiver. The buttstock can now be removed by turning out the front tang screw. Take off the forend by removing the two barrel bands, depressing the magazine follower with a finger from inside the receiver, and then lifting the front of the forend away from the barrel until it is free. Reassemble in reverse order.
Disassemble the trigger and carrier mechanism as follows: remove the screw from the right side of the carrier plate which aligns with the bottom leaf of the trigger spring and, using pliers, pinch the spring together, pull it to the right and remove.
Remove the screw from the left front of the carrier plate and remove the magazine cutoff spring and carrier lever spring; with the magazine cutoff button straight down, lift it out. The cartridge carrier, sear and carrier lever (cartridge stop) can now be removed and separated. Drive out the trigger pin to remove the trigger from the sear. Turn out the carrier lever spring screw to separate it from the carrier lever. Remove the trigger guard front screw and drive the guard rearward to separate it from the carrier plate. Reassemble in reverse order.
French Lebel M1886 and 1886/93
(Uses 8mm Lebel cartridges)
General Specifications
Type . . . . . . . . .Turnbolt repeater.
Receiver . . . . . .One-piece machined steel forging with integral upper tang. Slotted bridge. Lower tang/trigger guard separate part fastened to receiver with screw. Made for two-piece stock.
Bolt . . . . . . . . . .Two-piece with dual-opposed locking lugs on separate bolt head. Base of bolt handle is safety lug.
Ignition . . . . . . .One-piece firing pin powered by coil mainspring. Cocks on opening bolt.
Magazine . . . . .Tubular magazine in fore-end loaded through opened acton. Eight-shot capacity for rifle.
Trigger . . . . . . .Non-adjustable, double-stage military pull.
Safety . . . . . . . .None provided.
Extractor . . . . . .One-piece spring type mortised into the bolt head.
Magazine cutoff Lever type positioned at rear right side of receiver.
Bolt-stop . . . . . .No separate bolt stop; see text.
Ejector . . . . . . .Stud screw threaded into the left receiver wall.
Lebel rifles, as well as the Berthier and MAS rifles described later, have two types of screws. The main screws that are removed for field-stripping (bolt head, trigger guard, magazine housing and carrier plate screws) are slotted so they can be removed with a screwdriver or similar tool. Practically all other screws are unslotted and require special two-pronged screwdrivers to remove them.
The Berthier Rifle
The Lebel design was soon superseded by another, and similar, turnbolt system. M. Berthier, a Frenchman and an officer of the Algerian Railway Company, adapted a Mannlicher-type magazine to the Lebel 8mm rifle, eliminating the unsatisfactory tubular magazine. The main changes were as follows: 1) the “housing” type receiver was made more like a conventional receiver; 2) cartridge-carrier mechanism and tubular magazine were replaced by a single-column magazine under the receiver, making it largely a separate part of the action; 3) the two-piece stock was replaced by a one-piece design; 4) relocating the dual-opposed locking lugs on the bolt head so that they are vertical when the bolt is locked, and the receiver machined accordingly.
French Berthier action with five-shot magazine.
A carbine form of the new design was adopted in 1890, chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge. In time, various rifles and carbines were developed around the Berthier action, these becoming the standard French shoulder weapon in both World Wars. By far the most common French military rifle, it is one of the few foreign arms that appeared on the surplus market after both wars. Remington made several thousand “Lebels” for France during WW I which were never delivered; these were the first ones offered on the U.S. market.
The Berthier rifles and carbines have long been known as “8mm Lebel” rifles, perhaps because they’re chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge, but the correct designation is the “Berthier.” In any case, the French rifle discussed here has a single-column Mannlicher-type magazine.
In the 1920s and ’30s many of these rifles were imported and sold at very low prices and they became the first French rifles to be sporterized. In the 1930s Stoeger offered a sporter stock for it, and other commercial stockmaking firms followed suit. Although most firearms experts and gun writers dismiss this action as being wholly unsatisfactory for a hunting rifle, the fact is that many of them have been remodeled in years past.
The Berthier Action
The receiver is machined from a one-piece steel forging. The barrel is securely threaded into the receiver. The V-type threads are right hand. The barrel breech is slightly coned and part of its circumference is beveled for the extractor. The receiver bridge is slotted to allow passage of the bolt handle. The right wall of the receiver is partially cut away for loading and allows the bolt to be turned down to the locked position. Raceways are milled inside the left and right walls of the receiver for passage of the locking lugs. The raceways end abruptly inside the bridge. The magazine well opening is milled from the bottom of the receiver to allow insertion of the clip and cartridges. The cartridge loading ramp begins at a point about midway in this opening, narrowing toward the front and sloping upward to guide the cartridges into the chamber.
Bolt head of the Berthier bolt showing: (A) dual-opposed locking lugs, (B) ejector slot, (C) extractor and (D) bolt guide lug and screw.
Berthier action, open.
There is no recoil lug as such, but a slotted lug under the receiver ring is fitted with a cross pin to engage the front end of the magazine wall. Two flat surfaces at the rear tang junction take up most of the recoil, but other parts of the receiver and trigger guard also absorb some recoil and prevent the action from moving back in the stock.
The magazine shell is attached to the trigger guard by two screws. The follower assembly (follower arm, follower plate, two flat springs and a screw) is positioned by and pivots on, a screw in the front of the shell. The front part of the trigger guard provides a housing in which the clip latch and trigger are fastened—a single V-spring tensions both parts. The top of this housing extends into the bottom of the receiver and is attached by a screw passing through the receiver and the housing. The receiver and the magazine/trigger guard are held together in the stock by this screw, the hook on the front of the magazine shell engaging the receiver and the two guard screws which connect the rear of the trigger guard to the receiver.
The trigger let-off is the usual double-stage type. The Berthier trigger, like that of most other French military rifles, is practically straight and extends into the guard bow like a peg or stick.
There were several variations in the Berthier magazines—all required a clip. The cartridges are first placed in the clip, then the clip and cartridges are inserted into the magazine through the top of the open action. When fully inserted, the clip latch holds the clip and cartridges down against the pressure of the follower. After the last cartridge is fed from the clip, the clip drops free from the bottom of the magazine.
Left side of the French Berthier action.
Most early Berthier rifles had a three-shot magazine capacity, with the rear bottom part of the magazine open for the empty clip to drop free. Later, the magazine was modified to hold a clip of five cartridges. This extended the magazine well below the trigger guard. The bottom shell or cover of this magazine has a hinged cover plate to block the clip opening and retain the clip within the action after the last cartridge is fed from it. The cover plate can be opened, allowing the clip to fall out. Many Berthiers were made for the five-shot clip, while many three-shot rifles were later converted to the five-shot system.
The bolt assembly, rather complex, has a separate head with dual-locking lugs at the front; neither lug is slotted. The simple hook spring-extractor is dovetailed into a slot cut into the bolt head. The bolt face, recessed for the cartridge rim, is cut only for the extractor and ejector.
The bolt handle has a heavy rectangular base which appears to be an integral part of the bolt body. When the bolt is locked, this heavy base is in front of the receiver bridge and becomes the safety lug. On the front of the bolt body, in line with the bolt handle base, is a heavy lug which acts as a bolt guide. This lug extends forward of the bolt body and is notched to engage over a small lug on the bolt head when it is in place. In addition, there is a large-headed screw threaded through this lug and into a hole in the bolt head. The notch, lug and screw hold the bolt head in place, preventing it from rotating on the bolt body.
The bolt body is drilled from the front to accept the coil mainspring and the one-piece firing pin. When the bolt head is in place the mainspring is compressed between a shoulder on the firing pin and a collar in the rear of the bolt body.
The heavy cocking piece fits over the back end of the firing pin, which projects from the bolt body. The firing pin is anchored within the cocking piece by a double hooked button fitted in the rear of the cocking piece and engaging notches on the end of the firing pin. On top of the cocking piece there is a heavy lug which fits the slot in the receiver bridge. Below this lug is a cocking cam matching a notch in the bolt body. The action is cocked on lifting the bolt handle.
The Berthier action has no safety, no magazine cut-off, nor any separate bolt-stop. The bolt stops when the locking lugs contact the ends of the lug raceways in the bridge. The ejector is merely a small projection on top of the housing on the trigger guard which protrudes into a groove in the bolt body and head.
Top view of the Berthier action.
French Model 1916 Berthier rifle chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge.
Operation
To load, raise the bolt handle and pull the bolt back. Insert a fully- or partially-loaded clip into the opened action, pressing the cartridges down until the clip latch has engaged the clip. Pushing the bolt forward moves the top cartridge out of the clip into the chamber, allowing the follower to raise the next cartridge in the clip against the bolt. Turning the bolt handle down locks the cartridge in the chamber and the action is cocked. Pulling the trigger releases the firing mechanism, discharging the cartridge. On raising the bolt handle, the striker is cocked and the fired case is cammed back when the front of the bolt guide rib moves over the inclined surface of the receiver ring. Pulling the bolt back draws the case from the chamber, ejecting it up and to the right. When the last cartridge is fed from the clip, the clip is free to drop of its own weight, either falling from the magazine or when the hinged cover plate is opened. To unload a full- or partially-loaded clip, open the bolt and slightly depress the cartridges and clip while pressing the clip latch in the trigger guard. Releasing the pressure on the cartridges allows the clip to rise and be pulled from the action.
Takedown and Assembly
To remove the bolt, raise the bolt handle and pull the bolt about halfway back. With a large screwdriver remove the large-headed screw from the bolt guide rib lug. Move the bolt until the bolt head can be turned free from the bolt body, then pull the bolt to the rear and lift out the bolt head. Reassemble in reverse order.
To disassemble the firing mechanism, remove the bolt from the action and rotate the cocking piece counterclockwise so it falls against the bolt body. Turn the firing pin button so its slot aligns with the notch in the thumbpiece on the cocking piece. Grasp the bolt and cocking piece firmly and, placing the firing pin tip on a hard surface, press down on the bolt until the firing pin button clears the cocking piece and can be slipped off. The firing pin and mainspring can then be pulled from the bolt. Reassemble in reverse order.
To remove barrel and action from the stock, remove the barrel bands from the forend. Remove the screw from the right of the receiver bridge and the screw from the rear of the trigger guard, grasp the trigger guard and pull it out of the stock. Remove the tang screw and lift the action and barrel from the stock. All other parts can then be removed by turning out various screws and driving pins from the receiver and magazine units. Reassemble in reverse order. The barrel should not be unthreaded from the receiver unless absolutely necessary, and then only if the proper tools are available.
Comments
The French Berthier rifles (there are many models and variations) were rugged and serviceable military weapons and their long use has proved this. The action is strong and safe enough for the 8mm Lebel cartridge. The rifles, provided the bore is in excellent condition, are generally quite accurate. Feeding, ignition, extraction and ejection are positive and reliable.
All action parts are well made, generally, well-finished and smooth. No doubt good steels were used in the manufacture and heat-treated where needed. All in all, Berthier rifles are good.
However, the Berthier action has a number of faults and undesirable features. The worst feature is that a special clip must be used to fire the rifle as a repeater. Requiring the bolt to be separated before it can be removed is also bad. The lack of a safety may also be highly undesirable. The five-shot magazine projecting so far below the stock is never liked, and the belly of the three-shot magazine is often disliked.
Berthier Markings
Usually the place of manufacture and the model designation are stamped on the left side of the receiver, such as: St Etienne Mle 1892.
Since many Berthiers were “transformed” to another model at a later date, the original model designation may not always be correct. The serial number is stamped at the base of the bolt handle and breech end of the barrel. The date of manufacture (year) is usually stamped on the breech end of the barrel as well, along with an assortment of inspector’s, arsenal and proof marks. Sometimes there are two dates stamped on the barrel; the earliest date probably indicating when the rifle was made originally and the later date perhaps showing the year of “transformation.” The letters MAC, MAS or MAT are often stamped on the barrel. These indicate the French arsenal where the rifle or barrel was made, or where it was rebuilt or transformed. In each case, the letters MA stand for “Manufacture d’Armes,” and the last letter—C, S or T—indicates the arsenal located at Chatellerault, St. Etienne or Tulle.
French Berthier Model 1890 (and later)
(Uses 8mm Lebel cartridges)
General Specifications
Type . . . . . . . . .Turnbolt repeater.
Receiver . . . . . .One-piece machined steel forging, slotted bridge. One-piece stock.
Bolt . . . . . . . . . .Two-piece, dual-opposed forward locking lugs on separate bolt head. Base of the bolt handle is safety lug.
Ignition . . . . . . . .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 bayonet carried reversed in a tube within the forend under the barrel. The leather carrying sling is attached to the left side of the rifle on a bar on the buttstock and on a loop on the middle barrel band. The aperture rear sight, mounted on the receiver bridge, is adjustable for elevation only—from 200 to 1200 meters.
The only variation of this rifle is the paratroop model, designated the MAS Model 1936 CR39 rifle. This model has a folding aluminum stock, hinged just forward of the trigger. When unlatched, it can be swung under and to the left of the forend. It weighs about 8 pounds. Both rifles are chambered for the 7.5mm French cartridge.
French M1936 MAS action, open.
The M1936 Action
The receiver of the French Model 1936 rifle is a box-like affair, or housing, with the entire magazine box made as an integral part of the steel forging. The magazine housing extends to the front of the receiver and is hollow forward of the front magazine wall. There is no receiver ring as such; the receiver housing is bored and threaded to receive the barrel shank instead. There is a complete ring of steel in the receiver against which the breech end of the barrel butts, and which surrounds the head of the bolt when it is closed. The ring is about ¼” wide and the bolt is enclosed to this depth.
The loading/ejection port begins at the rear of this ring and extends to the receiver bridge—an opening 2.925” long. When the bolt is open the breech end of the barrel and the chamber are clearly visible. The right side of the ejection port is cut down to the level of the cartridge guide lip of the magazine well, while the left side is cut slightly below the level of the top of the bolt, leaving a wall about ½” high. A thumb notch is cut into the rear of this left wall to aid in stripping cartridges from a clip when loading the rifle. Because the bolt diameter is quite large, the loading/ejection port is also, but this is not at all objectionable.
The receiver bridge, about 2.60” long, is unslotted. An integral raised strip is milled on top of the bridge to form a housing for the rear sight components. At the front of the receiver bridge is the clip charger guide.
The one-piece bolt, very rugged, is also quite large in diameter; .800” as compared to the Mauser and Springfield .700”, and the Mark V Weatherby .840”. The front of the bolt is recessed for the cartridge head. The only break in the recess is the narrow ejector slot and the cut for the extractor, about .320 ” wide. The extractor, made of spring steel, and about 2.80” long, is mortised and dovetailed into the bolt body. It has a sturdy beveled hook which easily slips over and engages the extractor groove in the cartridge head. A small round stud under the front of the extractor fits into a matching hole in the bolt; this prevents longitudinal movement of the extractor in the bolt.
The solid, dual-opposed locking lugs, about 1.75” from the rear of the bolt body, engage in dual raceways and shoulders milled inside the heavy receiver bridge. The raceways are inclined on the shoulder approaches and provides camming action to draw the bolt forward as the bolt is closed and the handle is turned down.
The bolt handle is an integral part of a collar at the rear of the bolt—the collar is also part of the bolt. The bolt handle stem is round and tapers to the round, hollow grasping ball—the stem is bent forward and down. When the bolt is closed, the collar closes all openings at the rear of the receiver. A raised portion on the collar is beveled to match a similar surface on the left rear of the receiver, and provides the initial extraction power on raising the bolt handle. On moving the bolt forward to close the action, these surfaces impart initial turning motion to the bolt.
The bolt is drilled from the rear to accept the one-piece hollow firing pin. The collar at the rear of the bolt is milled to accept the bolt closure button. This button has two lugs, and the inside of the collar is milled leaving shoulders and recesses so the button is locked in place when it is rotated after insertion. There is a rod projecting forward out of the bolt button and the small coil mainspring is compressed over this rod as it extends into the hollow firing pin.
The rear underside of the bolt body, just forward of the bolt collar, is milled to form a cocking cam surface. The cocking cam on the rear of the firing pin fits into this notch. The cocking cam extends below the bolt body into a groove cut into the receiver, and has a notch to engage the sear. On raising the bolt handle, the firing pin is forced back until the cocking cam slips onto a flat spot on the end of the camming surface. On closing the bolt, the sear engages the cocking cam and holds the firing pin back as the bolt is fully closed and locked.
The sear is positioned in a groove below the receiver bridge and is held in place by, and pivots on a pin. Tension is provided by a stiff coil spring. A projection on the rear of the sear protrudes through a hole in the receiver to engage the cocking cam of the firing pin. The trigger is pivoted on a pin in the sear.
Underside of M1936 MAS bolt showing: (A) twin gas vent holes in the bolt stop groove, (B) center gas vent hole, (C) dual-opposed locking lugs and (D) cocking cam.
The combination bolt-stop/ejector fits partially inside the sear, partially over the trigger, and pivots on the pin with the trigger. The front of the bolt-stop/ejector projects upward through a hole in the receiver and is provided upward tension by a small coil spring between it and the sear. A narrow inclined groove is cut into the bottom of the bolt, extending into the bolt face recess for the narrow ejector. A wider groove is cut beside it for the bolt-stop, but this groove ends abruptly about ¼” from the head of the bolt. The bolt-stop is released (to remove the bolt) by pulling the trigger back as far as it will go. The bolt-stop/ejector, riding in the grooves, also acts as a bolt guide when the bolt is operated and prevents the bolt from turning as it is drawn back.
Two gas vent holes in the front of the bolt-stop groove effectively take care of any gases that enter the firing pin hole by venting them rearward through the thumb notch in the left receiver wall. If this is not enough, there is another hole, in about the center of the bolt, to vent any gases getting back this far into the magazine. The firing pin, bolt and bolt button are constructed to make gas escape impossible through the rear of the bolt. There is no danger of the firing pin or button ever being blown out of the bolt.
The trigger guard bow is a separate part and a hook at the front engages a groove in the rear wall of the magazine box. The buttstock is clamped between the trigger guard bow and receiver by the guard screw threading into the receiver tang. The rear of the magazine housing is hollowed out slightly, and the tenon on the front of the buttstock fits into this hollow to help secure the stock to the receiver and prevent it from splitting.
As mentioned before, the four walls of the magazine box are an integral part of the receiver housing. The walls are quite thick (about .090”) and reinforced in spots. A machined, hollow floorplate fits in the bottom of the magazine box. It is held in place by a lip at the rear of the plate engaging in a groove in the magazine box and by a push-button latch on the front engaging in a groove at the front of the right magazine wall. A conventional steel follower and W-shaped follower spring are used. The ends of the spring are mortised into the follower and floorplate.
Operation
The MAS M36 rifle operates like most other staggered-column box magazine bolt-action rifles. The bolt handle is raised and drawn back to open the action. With the bolt open, the magazine is loaded by pressing single cartridges directly into the magazine, or placing a loaded stripper clip in the clip-charger and pressing the cartridges into the magazine. The bolt is then pushed forward, feeding the topmost cartridge from the magazine into the chamber. Turning the bolt handle down locks the cartridge in the chamber. The action is left cocked when the bolt handle is turned down, and pulling the trigger will release the firing pin to discharge the cartridge. The rifle cannot be fired unless the bolt handle is nearly all the way down and the bolt locked. On opening the bolt the fired case will be extracted and ejected from the action—the cycle can then be repeated. The rear of the follower is beveled and does not prevent the bolt from closing when the magazine is empty. The magazine can be unloaded by removing the floorplate. There is no safety, but the bolt handle fully raised makes an effective safety.
Takedown and Assembly
Make sure the chamber and magazine are empty. Remove the buttstock by turning out the trigger guard screw. Pull the trigger guard from the stock and away from the receiver, and pull the stock back and down from the receiver. Remove the forend and handguard by turning the cross screw out of the front barrel band and pulling the band forward. Turn out the screw from the middle barrel band and remove it, then lift off the forend and handguard. Reassemble in reverse order.
Remove the bolt by raising the bolt handle and drawing the bolt to the rear as far as it will go; pull the trigger back all the way and then remove the bolt. To disassemble the bolt, grasp it in the left hand and, with the right thumb, depress the bolt button and turn it clockwise ¼-turn or until it snaps out. The bolt button, mainspring and firing pin can then be removed from the bolt. Reassemble as follows: insert the firing pin in the bolt with the cocking cam lug resting on the flat spot of the cocking cam. Insert the mainspring and bolt button, aligning the left index mark on the bolt button with the index mark on the bolt. Press the button all the way into the bolt or until it can be rotated counterclockwise ¼-turn.
The extractor can be removed using a screwdriver and lifting its front end up, away from the bolt, until the extractor can be pulled forward and out of the bolt. Reassemble in reverse order.
Depress the button on the right front of the floorplate and pull it, along with the spring and follower, from the magazine box. The follower and floorplate can then be pulled off the ends of the follower spring. In reassembling, the narrow end of the follower spring goes into the follower. To remove the floorplate latch and spring, drive the small latch retainer pin from the floorplate.
Remove the trigger assembly by driving out the sear pin, then pull down on the rear of the sear until it is free of the receiver. The trigger pin can then be driven out to separate trigger, bolt-stop/ejector and bolt-stop/ejector spring from the sear. Reassemble in reverse order.
The barrel is threaded (right-hand threads) tightly into the receiver and it should not be removed unless necessary, and then only if you have the proper tools.
Markings
The French MAS Model 1936 rifles are boldly marked with the designation MASM LE 1936 stamped on the left side of the receiver. The serial number is stamped below the designation marking, as well as on the floorplate and on the stem of the bolt handle. Various French proofmarks and inspector’s marks are stamped on the receiver ring and the breech end of the barrel.
Comments
I have gone to some length describing the MAS Model 1936 rifle and action because I think this action is most interesting and unusual. To be sure, this action has some faults, but it also has some excellent features worthy of comment and consideration.
It appears to be a very strong action. The two locking lugs are solid and massive. There is a lot of metal in the receiver bridge to support the lugs when the bolt is locked and there is no chance that these supporting shoulders will fail. Though the left side wall of the receiver has a thumb notch, there is ample metal connecting the receiver bridge to the ring. The receiver is strengthened further by the ridge of metal along each side and by the heavy walled integral magazine. There is little chance of the receiver parting in the middle even though the locking lugs are at the rear of the bolt. I cannot see how the receiver could “stretch,” and the very heavy bolt is certainly not going to compress when firing the rifle. For many years, the prevailing opinion has been that only a bolt action with at least two forward locking lugs is worth considering. If we consider the success of the fine Schultz & Larsen action, the Remington Model 788, the Steyr-Mannlicher SL and others with locking lugs at the rear of the bolt, then I can see nothing wrong with the MAS design. The MAS design also results in a shorter bolt travel (the reader may want to compare the action specifications in this book), and this may aid in speed of operation. An important result of this design is that the cartridges do not span any gap between the magazine and chamber, the resultant feeding being more positive and reliable.
I believe the MAS M36 is also a very safe action because the front of the bolt is surrounded by a solid ring of steel when the bolt is locked, the bolt face nearly contacts the barrel, and the rim of the cartridge is almost fully enclosed; the rear of the bolt is entirely closed so that gases can’t escape.
The bolt of the MAS is relatively short and the long receiver bridge gives considerable support resulting in little “play” or looseness of the bolt when the action is open. On the few rifles I have examined and handled, bolt operation was easy and smooth. I noticed too, that the actions were generally very well made and finished. I especially like the extractor of this action. It is simple and strong—modern designers of turnbolt actions might do well to copy it. I certainly would consider it better then some puny modern rifle extractors like those of the Remington M700 and Weatherby actions.
As for the magazine box being made as part of the receiver, I have not decided whether I like this or not. The same goes for the two-piece stock design imposed by the “housing” type receiver. However, I have always admired the Model 99 Savage rifle with its exposed receiver, and I do not believe I’d mind the exposed MAS M36 receiver on a sporting rifle. To my way of thinking this receiver has rather nice lines, including those where the buttstock contacts the receiver. I like the magazine floorplate and the way it is released, although I’d rather have the floorplate fitted so it would be flush with the bottom of the magazine box.
Bolt head of the M1936 MAS showing: (A) extractor, (B) cartridge head recess, (C) ejector slot and (D) bolt stop notch.
Top view of M1936 MAS action.
French Model 1916 Berthier carbine in 8mm Lebel caliber.
I found the box magazine to be a marvel the way it will accept and feed a wide variety of cartridges. It will only handle cartridges about 3.0” in overall length, but many cartridges fall within these limits. For example, it will feed perfectly such cartridges as the 22-250, 25-3000, 243, 6mm, 257 Roberts, 7mm, 284, 308, 35 Remington and 358. All of these cartridges have a smaller rim diameter than the 7.5mm French cartridges and this would require that the rim recess in the bolt might have to be reduced in some manner, and the claw of the extractor made longer.
The MAS M36 is an astonishingly simple action with a minimum of parts—fewer than any other high-powered turnbolt repeater of which I am aware. For example, this action has twelve fewer component parts than the M98 Mauser, which has fewer part than the 03 Springfield. The entire M36 bolt assembly consists of just five parts; bolt, extractor, firing pin, mainspring and bolt button. An action that has few parts is not always an indication it is good, but like any piece of machinery, fewer parts lessen the chance for breakdown.
This action has no safety and that may be a strike against it—depending on one’s viewpoint. I can’t see how a safety could be incorporated in the bolt to lock both the bolt and firing pin, but a simple safety could be built into the trigger guard to lock the trigger.
There is one thing I do not like about this action—the bolt handle. To keep the action and the rifle as compact as possible, the trigger and trigger guard were positioned well under the receiver bridge. Since the base of the bolt handle must be on the rear end of the bolt due to the bolt design, in order to keep the grasping ball from bruising the shooter’s finger it had to be arched forward. I haven’t found this bolt handle placement to be awkward or inconvenient when operating this action, but I don’t like the looks of it. So far, I’m still not used to the looks of the forward-bent bolt handles on the 600 Remington and 800 Mossberg rifles, but like the MAS M36, one should not mind the looks of the handle if the bolt is convenient to operate and is out of the way of the trigger finger.
7.5mm MAS and Rechambering
As previously mentioned, the 7.5mm French MAS (7.5x54mm) cartridge was introduced in 1929. It is a rimless bottlenecked cartridge nearly identical in appearance and ballistics to the 308 Winchester or 7.62mm NATO cartridges. The 7.5 indicates the caliber and bore diameter, which is .295”, and 54 indicates a case length of 2.12”. The overall length of the cartridge is about 3.00”. The standard military ball loading drives the 139-grain jacketed pointed bullet of .307” diameter at a muzzle velocity of 2674 fps.
The above figures for the bore and bullet diameter show that the cartridge is very close to being a 30-caliber like our 308 and 30-06 which have a normal bore size of .300”, and normally use .308” bullets. The groove diameter of the 7.5mm MAS barrel runs about .3075” to .3085”, and has a rifling twist of one turn in 10”. In handloading this cartridge, regular .308” jacketed bullets can be used.
The 7.5mm MAS cartridge was loaded only for military use and was Berdan primed. The problem presented to the handloader is that the 7.5mm case is an odd size, having a head diameter of about .481” compared to the .470” for the 30-06 case. The 7.5 MAS ammunition has always been very hard to obtain. I have heard that the best cartridge case to use in handloading the ammunition is the 6.5x55mm. However, I cannot vouch for this because I have never tried it.
Sporterizing
Since the end of WW II, military surplus arms dealers have imported and offered for sale many different bolt-action rifles. Most abundant of these have been the many models of the Mausers, Lee-Enfields and Carcanos. MAS M36 rifles seem to have been more scarce for I have not seen them advertised for sale for many years. There are, however, a sprinkle of them throughout the country, and I suspect that most of them were sent home by GIs who liberated them from the German Occupation Forces in France.
Though I have never remodeled this rifle, and probably never will, if I had one in the days when I did much remodeling and rifle building, I probably would have approached the job with great enthusiasm. This is what I would have done: I’d replace the barrel with one 22” of sporter weight chambered for 257 Roberts or 7mm Mauser; fit a tapered forend of the Model 99 Savage rifle pattern; remove the military rear sight and base from the receiver and install a Lyman or Redfield receiver sight and a ramp front sight on the barrel, or mount a scope on the receiver using a Buehler blank base. I’d weld a strap to the front of the trigger guard to move it about 1” farther to the rear and make a similar tang extension on the receiver for the guard screw; the trigger would be altered, positioning it to the rear in the relocated trigger guard. A crossbolt safety in the rear of the trigger guard would lock the trigger and a new buttstock with a capped pistol grip and panels forward of the grip like the Model 99 Savage stock. With the trigger, trigger guard and grip located farther back on the action, I would then bend the bolt handle down, and shorten its stem to place the grasping ball within easy reach. Finally, I’d polish and blue the metal parts, jewel the bolt and checker the grip and forend.
In my search for information about the MAS M36, I came across an item written by a well-known gun authority stating that Manufacture d’Armes had made a sporting rifle on the M36 action. According to him these were made in 7x57mm, 8x60mm Magnum and 10.75x68mm. The last two cartridges are longer than the magazine opening of the military action, therefore, the sporter action must have had a longer box. A safety was also provided in the trigger guard.
