MAS-38
| Pistolet Mitrailleur de 7,65mm MAS modèle 38 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1938–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II First Indochina War Algerian War Laotian Civil War Vietnam War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1938 |
| Produced | 1938—1949 |
| No. built | 1,958 (made before May 1940) thousands more made under German occupation and post war |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2.87 kg (6.3 lb) (empty) |
| Length | 630 mm (25 in) |
| Barrel length | 224 mm (8.82 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.65mm Longue |
| Caliber | 7.65mm |
| Action | Off-axis bolt travel 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 is a French submachine gun designed in the 1930s and used by French and German forces during the Second World War. It was 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 semiautomatic rifle were developed to replace all the existing small arms. Budgetary pressures resulting from the building of the Maginot Line led to the delay of adoption of these new arms except for the LMG 1924.