From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from MAS 38)
Jump to: navigation, search
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
Weight 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
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[1]
Maximum firing range 200m[1]
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 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 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.



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.


On April 28, 1945, it was used by Italian partisans to shoot the former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.[2]

Production ended in 1946. By that time 1958 were manufactured 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[edit]

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 was chambered for the 7.65mm Longue cartridge, which 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.



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.



  1. ^ a b
  2. ^
  3. ^ Chris Bishop (1996). Vital Guide to Combat Guns and Infantry Weapons. p. 29. ISBN 1853105392. 
  4. ^ Dale A. Dye. Small Arms of the Vietnam War: A Photographic Study. p. 22. ISBN 0986195510. 

External links[edit]