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New Project: French MAT-49 NOW WITH SHOOTING VIDEO

buffalowinter

Freer of the Oppressed
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Mar 17, 2014
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    Llano, TX
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    Latest project in the works; a French MAT-49. The MAT-49 saw widespread combat use during the First Indochina War and the Algerian War, as well as the 1956 Suez Crisis by the French Army. The weapon found considerable favor with airborne and mechanized troops, who prized it for its simplicity, ruggedness, firepower and compactness. I only have a couple of original parts, notably a stripped lower missing everything, the magazine well grip, the wire stock, grip panels, and a bolt knob. Everything else must be fabricated...fire controls and housing, upper receiver, sights, charging handle, trigger linkage, and all the small parts.

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    Waiting on the SBR form 1 to complete, until then it's a pistol. It utilizes an Intratec TEC-9 receiver, bolt, and barrel. For a gun that is synonymous with cheap gangsta, thug crap, they are not easy to find and have achieved "collector status" as far as pricing goes. I paid $799 for mine. So far I have completed the fire control housing and fire controls and mounted it to the receiver and it works fine. Now I have to build a trigger and linkage to keep the trigger in its' original location.

    Not very pretty, but it works and is solid. None of the housing group will be visible. The trigger linkage will connect to the long screw. The small screw was used to adjust the sear contact and ejector height and will be used to secure the housing to the receiver, along with two additional screws.
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    Some history
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    Progress. Sights fabricated and receiver test mated to frame and dust cover. Broke a spring so work on the trigger linkage has stopped. Going to work on securing the receiver/dust cover to the frame, cutting the channel for the charging handle, cleaning up the ejection port, fabricating the charging handle, fabricating grip safety, ejection port cover, folding magazine lock, and the toughest...the magazine catch and getting it to feed reliably.
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    Test fired and...
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    Trigger pack completed...this is the fourth iteration. So much simpler to build the gun as designed...but that would be a felony. Instead, multiple tries and part fabrication to convert to semi-auto only firing from a closed bolt.
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    Trigger pack installed on receiver, ready for test firing.
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    Completed and test fired in pistol form, still waiting on Form1. Minor problems to fix...need to install a spring to help trigger reset. CeraKote Graphite Black and Sniper Gray arriving tomorrow and then on to mixing proprietary color. Final completion pics and shooting video to follow.
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    So, for about the third time, I am finished and ready to CeraKote. Went to sight in and had to shorten, i.e. rebuild, the front sight and raise the rear sight. The charging handle, an aftermarket replacement, was defective and broke in two, and for some reason the mating of the upper and lower had changed enough that the mag wasn't seating. I also fabricated a new trigger. Thoroughly test fired, about 100 rounds, and the gun is dead on at 25 yds and working well. Waiting on the form one for the stock and a new charging handle. The old one, which I repaired works well enough, but it's not very pretty.

    Close up of my electro-chemical engraving.
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    Wow, that came out nice. Your determination and dedication is most impressive!
     
    The good news is I got the Form 1 back. The bad news is I'm still waiting on five Form 1's (Make that four, just got another in for my HK UMP) that I sent in before this. Shooting video to follow shortly. Also shown is my French 1935 SACM pistol in 7.65 Long.

    MAT 49, 9mm, NFA Registered.
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    My French wings, earned 1987 during JCET with French Mountain troops.
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    French Mountain troop with FRF2 sniper rifle...yeah, I got one. Love the distinctive "Tarte" (Pie) mountain beret.
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    Throwback to the Cold War...a war without battles, without heroes, only casualties. In 1973, in response to the Yom Kippur war and the Soviet intention to deploy forces in the Mid-East, US Forces deployed to their fighting positions along the German Border. At the time US Special Forces were preparing to parachute into Soviet territory to conduct direct action and follow on stay-behind unconventional warfare operations. When the situation de-escalated, it was realized that we almost had dozens of Special Forces deployed inside Soviet territory. As a result of this, our strategy was changed to where we would fight a delaying action and stop the enemy at the Rhine. US Special Forces would conduct unconventional warfare operations with the indigenous population and our language expertise was equally focused on French and German as well as Soviet languages. I was part of the 1AD Division Staff for Exercise Able Archer, when the Soviet's misinterpreted a nuclear release communication exercise as the real thing and almost launched a pre-emptive attack on NATO.
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