MAS-49 rifle

MAS-49
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; Algerian War; Suez Crisis; Cyprus Emergency; 1958 Lebanon Crisis; Vietnam War; Laotian Civil War; Cambodian Civil War; Rhodesian Bush 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	~80,000 (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. The formal French Army designation of the MAS-49 is Fusil semi-automatique 7 mm 5 M. 49 ("semi-automatic rifle of 7.5 mm model 1949").

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 starting in 1979.