MAS Question

[Liv2Shoot]

I went to the range today and did a lot of shooting with my 49/56. Over time the barrel got very hot, of course. I noticed that the forearm was getting rather warm also, and there was some sort of liquid, oil I suppose, leaching out of it. Is that from the oil that was used to finish the rifle, or what? I bought it used so I didn't know if the previous owner get a little crazy with the lubrication, or he didn't clean it properly when he got it, or .........

I don't know if the French pack their rifles is cosmo or not, I would guess they do. The liquid didn't smell like cosmo. In fact, it didn't have much of a smell at all. Is that something to worry about, or is it normal? Thanks guys.

[Richard Simmons]

Did you detail strip the rifle before shooting? If the oil is coming from around the wood then it is probably Cosmo that is underneath the forearm and oozing out. If it is coming from the surface of the wood than it is probably still Cosmo or possibly something the previous owner used on it. A Boiled Linseed Oil finish that has been on for a long time shouldn't be doing that. Some of my really nasty wood gets a low bake in the oven and the old Cosmo sweats out in dark patches and beads up on the wood surface. I'd strip the wood off and make sure it's not packed with Cosmo underneath, you could then degrease the wood and reapply a BLO finish. In lieu of this you could wipe the wood down with Mineral Spirits and buff with a dry towel or T-shirt. The oil may ooze next time you get her fired up but it should gradually stop. By the way, how do you like your new rifle?

[Liv2Shoot]

I love it. It is my favorite rifle. It's very accurate at 100 yds (I haven't had the chance to shoot beyond that), well made, and looks very cool. I am amazed with its simplicity. If you don't have one, I highly recommend you get one, or three.

As for the oozing......

It looks like it is coming from the wood itself, but I'm not sure. The oil, or whatever it was, was clear and odorless. If it was cosmo I would think it would smell like it.

I stripped it down today but, I was unable to get the forearm off. I got the hand guard off without much of a problem. The hand guard looked good. Not a spot of cosmo. It was a little charred, however. There was some smoke coming from the hand guard last night when I was done. I guess I was more than it could handle. It looked like there was a pin through the forearm. Is that what is holding it on? Thanks.

Mark

[Richard Simmons]

To remove the forearm you need to make two special little tools from a flat bladed screwdriver. Remove the screw in the sling swivel on the middle band of the forearm. There is a similar screw only smaller on the side of the nosecap at the end of the forearm. Remove that screw and slide the nosecap off, remove the bayonet first. The handguards will come right off. If the wood is charred then it was getting pretty hot. It could have been Cosmo that had soaked into the wood. Clean her up and go for more.

Whoops. Just realized I was thinking MAS36 not 49/56. Remove the barrel band that has the sling swivel attached and the forearm sections should come right off. Sorry about that. Didn't have my coffee yet.