MAS36 - Anyone know how...

[lpspinner]

to remove the bayonet holder from the lower handguard/foreend piece?

Thanks

[Richard Simmons]

I'll have to tear mine down and have a look see. I probably is held in place by tension/friction and some sort of a wedge device. Is there an opening on the inside of the forearm anywhere above it? I haven't had my wood off in a few months so I'm a little foggy here. Are you looking to remove it for a thorough cleaning? It might be better to leave it be. I'll see if I can find the answer to your question either way.

[REDSTAR]

When I had my two MAS rifles apart it looked like that was pinned right into the wood so I left it be. I think it's permanently attached, I could be wrong but those two rivet like pins seem like they would not go back in if you took 'em out.

[lpspinner]

There seems to be some type of wedge that holds it in the wood. I wanted to give this stock the soaking in hot water treatment to do the initial cleaning and decosmo.

I was going to buy a new stock, Sarco had advertise LN-Excellent 3 piece sets for $23.50, but when I spoke to the parts guy, he told me they were more like fair to good.

If I can't remove it, I hope I don't have to worry about any rust from soaking them.

[Richard Simmons]

I wouldn't soak it if I were you. Pour boiling water on it, rinse it in the shower, spill your beer on it, but don't soak it.

[lpspinner]

Originally posted by Richard Simmons
I wouldn't soak it if I were you. Pour boiling water on it, rinse it in the shower, spill your beer on it, but don't soak it.

Ok, I didn't soak it, I used scrubbing bubbles on the upper and lower handguards to get off the initial dirt, the buttstock was soaking in Hot water with Dawn dish washing soap and that help loosen up the dirt and cosmoline on it. These 3 pieces are now slated to go into the oven as soon as someone leaves the house. :)

Thanks all.

[Guinny_Ire]

I see where some were converted to 30.06

[lpspinner]

Originally posted by Guinny_Ire
I see where some were converted to 30.06

The original 7.5 french.

[Richard Simmons]

Originally posted by Guinny_Ire
I see where some were converted to 30.06

I think you meant .308. Century converted some MAS 36 and MAS 49/56 rifles, maybe even some MAS 49s. A number of the converted rifles seem to have extraction problems possible to a dull or worn chamber reamer when comverted. Seems like they had other difficulties as well. Some experimental MAS 49 rifles were chambered in 30.06 early in 1949.

[Guinny_Ire]

that's right.

[Tracy]

Okay, it has been two months since this was brought up and I've just run across the same problem. Has anyone learned how to take out that bayonet tube yet? :confused:

I tried to pull out that wedge on the underneath side but didn't have any luck. I didn't try really hard, though, as I didn't want to break anything. I don't suppose that it screws out????

Anybody???

Anything???

:bye:

[Richard Simmons]

Nope. I haven't found anyone that's ever removed theirs. Probably best to leave it intact.

[vonmazur]

DUH!! It is a right hand pipe thread, get the punch from your sks kit, turn the fat end down slightly till it fits the hole tight, and unscrew it.....OR Get a strip of leather, put some rosin powder on it, and wrap the protruding end of the tube with the leather, making in essence a strap wrench, then using vise grips, remove by unscrewing........

IMO putting the wood in the oven is totally unnecessary.....I clean them with oven cleaner, wash in the shower, then make a paste of ZUD Cleanser, brush it on, this rebleaches the wood, wash in hot water, and then dry with a "Princess Vespa-Heavy Duty" hair drier, the French Walnut and Beech stocks usually do not require any stain, just mix RAW Linseed oil with acetone, and brush it on, let dry a couple of days, and re-coat as necessary.../BOILED Linseed oil is a waste of time, as it sits on top of the grain, and does not soak in like the raw. I have discovered that all alkali cleaners will darken hard woods, so I use the ZUD, which has oxyolic acid in a grit base, to return the finish to the original color.

Anyone else notice this???

Dale in Ala

[Tracy]

Originally posted by vonmazur
DUH!! It is a right hand pipe thread, get the punch from your sks kit, turn the fat end down slightly till it fits the hole tight, and unscrew it.....OR Get a strip of leather, put some rosin powder on it, and wrap the protruding end of the tube with the leather, making in essence a strap wrench, then using vise grips, remove by unscrewing........

Dale in Ala

AWESOME! Thanks Dale. I KNEW that it had to come out somehow. So that wedge underneath is also threaded and the pipe just screws into it. I knew that they didn't grow the tree around it. The French aren't that patient (no harm intended Richard: you're French, right?). :rolleyes:

Anyway, I like your ideas about the wood restoration too. It is nice to see a little bit of variety here and there. I've noticed that Goop seems to work pretty good at taking off the cosmoline too. I let mine set overnight, though I'm still in the experimentation stage. Thanks again. :jump:

Ooops! One last question: What is that prong thing on the barrell end for?

[Richard Simmons]

It's a stacking rod so that the troops could stack three or more rifles together in a pyramid shape when in camp.

Actually I'm no more a Frenchman than anybody else born in Texas. I just like love the rifles. :D

[Tracy]

Originally posted by Richard Simmons
It's a stacking rod so that the troops could stack three or more rifles together in a pyramid shape when in camp.

Actually I'm no more a Frenchman than anybody else born in Texas. I just like love the rifles. :D

So, it's a stacking rod? I never would have thought of that. Now I guess I'm going to have to get a couple more just to try it out. With all the teasing you get, I just thought that you were a Frenchman who moved to Virginia. :doh:

Thanks, Richard.

[vonmazur]

When you get yours out, you can readily see the relationship of the various parts. I have had some that were really stuck, to the wood not the metal!! That is why the rosin and leather trick!!! BTW: The pre war guns had a square slot and shape to the retainer nut, post war they used a casting and rounded slot. I think a round slot is a lot easier to cut than a square one!!!

Dale in Ala

[Tracy]

I got mine out. However, I should have used a hole punch rather than one end of a set of needlenose pliers (careless). It buggered it up just a little--live and learn. I just ordered another one, so I'll be a little better prepared. Now the $64,000 question: Why didn't they just drill that whole all the way through? It would have been a lot easier to get out if you could have put a small screwdriver all of the way through the tube, rather than having to deal with the angle that results from putting something in a single hole and turning it. Anyway, I think that the leather is the best idea. It's kinda' hard to bugger up the metal that way.

[vonmazur]

I am not sure why they did not just drill it thru the tube. I'll bet there is a good logical reason, but since the hole was added to release bayonets stuck in the tube, I think they installed and removed it with a leather strap...If the punch is a tight fit, it works much better, a half round spanner would be nice too.....

Dale in Ala