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Prototype French MAS-49 SMG in .45ACP (Ad-free)

In the late 1940s the French developed a new suite of small arms, including a competition to replace the 7.65mm MAS-38 submachine gun with a new 9x19mm SMG. The eventual winner of this program was the MAT-49, which became an iconic part of French Army weaponry in Algeria and elsewhere. The St Etienne arsenal also submitted a design though, and theirs was a lever-delayed system. In addition to the variety of models in 9x19mm, it appears that they also made a couple examples in .45 ACP. I'm not sure why this was done, but it is interesting to see!

Many thanks to the IRCGN (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale) for allowing me access to film this prototype for you!

Prototype French MAS-49 SMG in .45ACP (Ad-free)

Comments

Not that surprising, given that ads are their whole raison d'être…

Alexander Thomas

yt again. homepage...

Guido Schriewer

Didnt B&T just unveil a gun with a folding magwell?

z c

Yeah, YouTube age-restricted the ad free version of this one, for no conceivable reason. It is also available on all my other platforms, and the regular YouTube version with ads is unrestricted (???).

Forgotten Weapons

Age restricted and only available on YouTube?

Terry

Yes, it's always very interesting to see French arms development, they have their own distinct approach to things, and their very own aesthetic.

Lance Thundercock

I'm not 100% sure of just how foolproof the disassembly setup is on this gun (seems like the kind of thing which a reckless soldier might damage), but an open-bolt .45 with a delayed action and folding magwell is an extremely compelling weapon to me.

Lance Thundercock

It's guns like these that make me understand why Ian loves french guns so much. Much of them are just pure weirdness, but there's some incredibly ingenuity going on some of them (brilliant use of the back plate and wire stock on this one). I always loved the folding magazine idea, shame it was never more popular.

Guy Mendes


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