MAS-49 rifle

MAS-49
Syrian contract MAS-49 rifle
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1951–1979 (as standard French service rifle)
Used by	See Users
Wars	First Indochina War Korean War[citation needed] Algerian War Suez Crisis Cyprus Emergency 1958 Lebanon Crisis Vietnam War Eritrean War of Independence Chadian Civil War Shaba II Lebanese Civil War Syrian Civil War
Production history
Manufacturer	Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne
Produced	1949–1965
No. built	20,600 (MAS-49) 275,240 (MAS-49/56)
Variants	MAS-49 MAS-49/56 MAS-49 Syrian contract
Specifications
Mass	4.7 kg (10 lb 6 oz) (MAS-49) 4.1 kg (9 lb) (MAS-49/56)
Length	1100 mm (43.35 in) (MAS-49) 1020 mm (40.2 in) (MAS-49/56)
Barrel length	580 mm (22.8 in) (MAS-49) 525mm (20.7 in) (MAS-49/56)
Cartridge	7.5×54mm French .308 (Century Arms mass conversions)
Caliber	7.5 mm
Action	Direct impingement gas operation, tilting bolt
Rate of fire	Semi-automatic
Muzzle velocity	820 m/s (2,690 ft/s)
Effective firing range	400 m (437 yd) 800 m (875 yd) (with telescopic sight)
Feed system	10-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Iron sights adjustable from 200 to 1,200 m (660 to 3,940 ft) Removable APX(SOM) telescopic sights

The MAS-49 is a French semi-automatic rifle that replaced various bolt-action rifles as the French service rifle that was produced from 1949. It was designed and manufactured by the government-owned MAS arms factory.^[1] The French Army formal designation of the MAS-49 is Fusil semi-automatique 7 mm 5 M. 49 ("semi-automatic rifle of 7.5 mm model 1949").^[2]

The initial MAS-49 semi-automatic rifle was produced in limited quantities (20,600 units), whereas the shorter and lighter variant, the MAS-49/56, was mass-produced (275,240 units) and issued to all branches of the French military. Overall, the MAS-49 and 49/56 rifles gained the reputation of being accurate, reliable and easy to maintain in adverse environments. All the MAS-49 and 49/56 rifles feature a rail on the left side of their receivers to accommodate a designated rifle scope.

The MAS-49 and MAS-49/56 were replaced as French service rifles by the FAMAS assault rifle in 1979.