MAS-38

Pistolet Mitrailleur de 7,65mm MAS modèle 38
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1939–1950
Used by	See Users
Wars	World War II First Indochina War Vietnam War
Production history
Designed	1938
Produced	1939–1946
Specifications
Mass	2.87 kg (without magazine) 3.56 kg (with magazine)
Length	623 mm (24.53 in)
Barrel length	224 mm (8.82 in)
Cartridge	7.65mm Longue 7.65×17mm Browning SR
Caliber	7.65mm
Action	Blowback
Rate of fire	600–700 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	350 m/s (1,148 ft/s)
Effective firing range	100m
Maximum firing range	200m
Feed system	32-round detachable box magazine

The MAS-38 was a French submachine gun designed prior to the Second World War and used by French and German forces. It derived from a small arms development program that took place between 1918 and 1922 under the control of the Service Technique de l'Armement. A submachine gun, a light machine gun and a semi automatic rifle were developed to replace all the existing small arms. Budgetary constraints due to choices like building the Maginot Line led to the delay of adoption of these new arms except for the LMG 1924.

History

The Pistolet Mitrailleur MAS modèle 38 (MAS Model 38 Submachine Gun) was developed from the experimental MAS-35, itself derived from the STA 1922 and the MAS 1924 both in 9 mm produced immediately after World War I. Prior to the development of this weapon France used a variety of German and Swiss submachine guns.

MAS, the Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne (Weapons industry of Saint-Étienne), was a French supplier of arms that manufactured several firearms for the French military, including the MAS-36 rifle, the MAS-49 rifle, and the FAMAS. It is now part of Nexter. The French Ministry of War approved the MAS-38 in 1938, but production did not begin until 1939. Initially the weapon was supplied to the Garde Nationale (National Guard) rather than the French Army.

The MAS-38 was chambered for the 7.65mm Longue cartridge, although similar to the .30 Pedersen cartridge, is not an exact copy. The 7.65 French Longue cartridge is several millimeters longer than its predecessor used by the Pedersen device. This was also the cartridge used for France's M1935 series of service pistols, allowing for limited standardization, but with the effect of preventing French soldiers from using captured enemy ammunition.

Production ended in 1946. By that time 1958 were built before German occupation, and further production is unknown. The French police continued to use the MAS-38 after World War II until it was replaced in the 1950s by the MAT-49 submachine gun.

Design details

The MAS-38 is 623mm (24.53 in) long with a 224 mm (8.82 in) barrel; it weighs 2.87 kg (6.33 lb) empty. It uses a 32 round box magazine. The muzzle velocity is 350 m/s (1,148 ft/s) and it has a rate of fire of 600 to 700 rounds per minute.

The MAS-38 is easily recognizable due to its unothodox receiver layout. This is because the receiver and butt diverge in alignment from the axis of the barrel by several degrees, making the weapon compact as its bolt recoils inside a tube running through the buttstock . To allow a natural aiming stance, the butt had to drop while the receiver had remain in alignment. This required that the bolt approach the breech at an angle and the face of the bolt was cut obliquely to allow it to close evenly on the cartridge. The MAS-38 also features an unusual safety catch: the bolt was locked (in either the forward or rear position) by pushing the trigger forward. A valuable feature was that tools were not required for its disassembly.

A very high quality weapon, the MAS-38 was machined from solid steel with only a few stamped parts. It was designed with a buffered sear assembly to prevent wear and increase the life of the internal parts. A dual range sight system was concealed within the receiver so as to be out of sight until it was flipped up for use.

The odd appearance of the MAS-38 did not detract from its accuracy, but its cartridge was underpowered compared to the German 9mm standard pistol ammunition. However this cannot have made any difference to the outcome of the Battle of France, and in any event the German army seized the MAS plant in 1940 just as the MAS-38 was entering large-scale production. The Germans accepted the gun as a substitute standard weapon, naming it the 7.65 mm MP722(f). They continued production of the gun for their own armed forces and supplied some to the Vichy French.

On April 28, 1945, it was used by Italian partisans to shoot the former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Users

• France
  • French Resistance
  • Free French Forces
• Nazi Germany
• Vietminh

External links

• French SE MAS 1935 submachine-gun (catalog no. FIR 6058) at Imperial War Museums