Mle 1935A S.A.C.M. Finish: Highpolish-finish, phosphated and black painted. Grips: chequered plastic grips: Serial number: 4-digit number with Prefix left on frame. 2-digit number inside slide: Acceptance stamp: E/WaA251 left on frame: Test proof stamp: E/HK left on barrel. LSB#: 200605DW11 Make: Societe Alsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques (S.A.C.M.) Model: 1935 A Serial Number: E 3094A Year of Manufacture: 1944-1946 (German occupation production ceased in 1944 at D4550A, F-prefix serial block began in late 1946, likely produced 1945).
MAS 1938 Submachine Gun
By Jean Huon
Beginning in 1921, a new program was established for the armament of the French infantry that included a submachine gun. The submachine gun was then considered, 'as a weapon of crisis, which must allow the fast organization of resistance. From its action of immediate response it should be entrusted only to people on courage and the coolness of which one is in right to count: to officers and NCOs.'
The development proceeds rapidly and in 1924 two prototypes were ready: that of the Technical Section of the Army (STA) and that of the Saint-Etienne National Weapons Factory (MAS).
These two models are very close to one another - they appear as a small carbine, with a wooden stock, a tubular frame, a curved magazine and chambered for the 9mm Luger cartridge. The STA 1924 was manufactured in small numbers for tests by troops. It was used in Morocco and some specimens still appeared in the armament of the Corps Francs (commandos) in 1939-1940.
The development of other models continued, particularly at the MAS factory where the STA 1924 was improved. It received two triggers to allow single shot or full automatic burst. This weapon led to another new prototype which precedes the MAS 38. It still uses the 9mm cartridge and has a perforated cooling jacket. But Headquarter directs a new calibre and from 1927 the prototypes are constructed for the .30 Browning Automatic Rifle cartridge (.30 Pedersen), which will be renamed 7.65mm Long.
Other prototypes follow but years pass and no decision of adoption is made. One can attribute this delay to the reduction in the military budget in the 1930s, the uncertainty of soldiers who do not manage to define coherent choices and to doctrines of use which suggests that the Châtelleralt M1924 M29 LMG could replace the submachine gun.
By 1935, three guns were in consideration: the prototype developed by the Service des Etudes of the MAS, the SMG made by the E.T.V.S. in Versailles, and another invented by Charles Petter and made by SACM.
The S.E.-MAS 1935 was adopted in 1938 as the MAS 38 and the Petter is also adopted in 1939 but it was never produced. The result is that during the 1939-1940 campaign, French troops did use a few S.T.A. 1924s, some S.E. MAS 1935s, 700 or 800 Erma Vollmers seized from the Spanish Republican troops, and 3,750 M1921 Thompsons delivered in February and March of 1940.
Production
The MAS 38 is adopted in 1938, but its production began in April 1940. Manufacture is continued on a small scale for the Vichy Forces and after November 1942 for the Germans. They received approximately 20,000 or 30,000 weapons designed MP 722 (f). The provisional technical note of the weapon is published in April 1940 and the final technical note in March 1941. Normal production restarts in October 1944 and ceased in February 1951, after 203,000 were delivered.
The French Task Force in Indochina jointly used the MAS 38 with others foreign weapons (Sten, Thompson, MP 40) and the weapon also equips the young Vietnamese Army. The gun remained in service in Algeria, the Police in Paris and for instructional purposes in the Air Force until the 1960s.
Description
The MAS 38 is manufactured according to traditional methods. Its triangular stock is made of wood and is provided with a sheet metal butt plate and has a bar on the left side for the fixing of a sling. The stock also contains the recoil spring. The assembly of the stock on the receiver is carried out by means of a bayonet catch that is locked by means of a spring lever located at the bottom of the front of the stock.
The receiver is of machined steel. The ejection port is on the right side and can be closed by a sliding plate attached to the cocking lever. It is retained at the rear position during shooting with a spring. On the left side of the receiver is a ring to fix the sling and its screw is used as the ejector.
The bolt is cylindrical in shape and receives the extractor and the firing pin. This bolt does not move along the axis of the barrel; it is off-set approximately 6 degrees, which corresponds to the slope of the stock. The recoil spring is spiral and there is a recoil spring guide to assist its guidance on part of its length.
The pistol grip has two smooth wooden plates affixed by two screws. The grip comes to be assembled with the lower part of the receiver by two T grooves. The trigger mechanism is composed of the trigger, the sear, a trigger and respective pins and springs. There is no selector switch as the weapon fires in full automatic only. A variation with two triggers was proposed with the S.E.-MAS 1935 but was not adopted. The safety is located inside the trigger mechanism and is actuated by pushing the trigger forward and it acts by blocking the bolt head in the open or closed position.
The barrel is screwed to the front of the receiver. Its calibre is 7.65mm (.30) and it has four right groves with one turn in 250 mm (9.84 inches).
The gun receives a 32-round straight magazine that is locked in place with a push button located on the left side. A folding plate makes it possible to close the magazine housing when the magazine is not in place.
The rear sight consists of two peeps bored out of two folding small strips set for 100 or 200 meters. The front sight is a simple post attached to a band around the muzzle. The sights are not aligned along the center axis of the gun but slightly on the left side of the weapon.
Marks
Markings are located on the left face of the receiver and indicate the calibre, model designation and the serial number. (Example: CAL. 7.65 L MAS Mle 1938 F 82843.) The serial number can also be seen on the left face of the stock, close to the rear sling attaching bar.
Serial Numbers
The MAS 38 was numbered: F 00001 to F 10000, G 00001 to G 10000, and H 00001 to H 03000. Some guns repaired or built from spare parts have a serial number with prefix FG, GH or FH.
Operation
Open the plate closing the magazine housing and introduce a loaded magazine. Select the appropriate eyepiece for range before shooting. Pull the cocking lever to the rear until the bolt is locked on the sear. Pull the trigger to shoot. The gun works with a blowback bolt operation will fire until the trigger is released or the magazine is out of ammunition.
Characteristics - MAS 38
Calibre: 7.65mm (.30)
Ammunition: 7.65mm Long
Overall length: 0.630 m (24.80 inches)
Barrel length: 0.220 m (8.66 inches)
Weight w/o magazine: 2.9 kg (6.4 lbs)
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds
Cyclic rate: 700 rpm
Disassembly
Remove the magazine and clear the gun. Place the bolt in the forward position. Press the latch bar of the stock and turn it a quarter of turn. Separate the stock from the frame. Extract the recoil spring and the bolt. Separate the grip/trigger unit from the frame. Reassembly is carried out in the reverse order.
Variations
- MAS 38 used by the Police of Paris. The wooden stock is replaced by a metallic telescopic wire stock. A grip safety replaces the folding trigger device. Magazine housing receives an extension that can be folded under the barrel. A perforated cooling jacket is placed around the barrel. A selector switch lever is placed on the left side of the receiver above the trigger that permits single shot.
- Accuracy submachine gun, for night shooting, with long distance sights and folding bipod (prototype).
- MAS 38 with folding wooden folding stock (prototype).
- MAS 45, 9mm prototype with wooden stock or moulded light alloy stock.
Accessories
- Black or natural leather sling.
- Cartridge pouch common to the MAS 38 or Thompson magazines (Vichy Forces).
- Black or natural leather cartridge pouch for four magazines.
- Canvas sheath transport.
- Cleaning kit: M1915 oil can, rod in two parts, bore brush, pin drift, wooden scraper.
- Replacement parts: extractor, extractor spring, extractor pin.
Evaluation
We tested the MAS 38 numbered F 23938. The weapon is light and easy to handle though the pistol grip is small and the stock a little bit too short. Trigger pull is 5.5 kg (12 lbs), which is correct for a submachine gun. There is no selector switch allowing for single shot operation. The safety consists of pushing the trigger forwards. The recoil is soft and the gun is very accurate. Unfortunately, old cartridges were used resulting is operational problems with the gun. This was the fault of the cartridges, not the gun.
Users of the MAS 38 appreciated his lightness, its handiness and its accuracy, but unfortunately the weapon does use ammunition which lacks power.
This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V14N2 (November 2010)
and was posted online on November 1, 2011 |
Sacm 1935 A Serial Number Lookup
Sacm 1935 A Serial Number Search
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Towards the end of the 1920s Beretta had a range of three models of pistols, of which the intermediate 7.65 calibre model (the Model 1922) was considered outmoded compared to the other two - an attitude which was reflected in market demand. The 1923 model, however, was not officially adopted by the armed forces, thereby raising the problem of having to create a new product that would attract the interest of the military. Out of this came the Model 1931, a gun with the excellent mechanical features of the 23 in a more compact design which was also much lighter since it was designed for the classic Browning 7.65 cartridge. This pistol can be considered as the forerunner to the very famous Model 1934, from which it differed in only three ways: the line of the handgrip; the grips themselves, which were made of wood; and mechanically in the lack of half-cock on the hammer. As usual, there is no documented evidence available about production of these guns, although we know that it was rather limited and ceased by 1935 with the appearance of the Model 1935 in the same calibre. A number of Model 1931 s were acquired by the King's Navy, while another quantity, presumably very few, were sold to the civilian market. The serial numbers seem to start from 400.000, and one example from 1933 of the civilian model which we have examined was numbered just under 402.000, while another example from 1934 was numbered above 406.000. | Beretta model 1931 pistol in the version for the Italian King's Navy | The guns manufactured for the Navy are easily recognised by the medallion applied to the grips, bearing the seal RM. The civilian pieces still sport the classic medallion with the monogram 1313, together with the stamp from Apparently in 1932, but it is possible this happened one or two years later, a new version of the Model 1931 appeared, modified with a more comfortable and functional handgrip. The few surviving examples of this gun show a clearly visible correction in the numerals on the left side of the slide, where we find the description «Mo 1932», with the number 2 obviously stamped over an existing number l. We can assume from this that the gun was not in production, but made in small numbers as experimental prototypes or as samples to supply to the military commissions which at the time were searching for a new pistol for the Italian Armed Forces. In effect, the Model 1932 appears identical to the future Model 1934, which was officially adopted by the King's Army. The only difference was in the grips, which were made of wood instead of bakelite, but this sort of modification is quite normal in an experimental gun. It is also known the existence of some pistols which, while bearing strict resemblance to the Model 1932, are marked as Model 1931. This creates some confusion but considering that ali of this anomalous guns are in the 7.65 calibre we can reasonably assume them as provisional variants in development of the final Model 1935 from the original Model 1931.
| An engraved and nickel plated model 1931 pistol. | Apart from the now classic 7.65, the Model 1932 was chambered for a cartridge which Beretta was to use for the first time, the .380 ACP, one of the numerous creations of J.M. Browning. The cartridge was renamed the 9 “corto” (short) in Italy, evidently to avoid confusion with the 9 Glisenti, which had a case that was longer by a few millimetres and was consequently nicknamed the 9 “lungo” (long) - all of which contributed to the already notable confusion among the 9mm calibre cartridges intended for use in automatic pistols. As already mentioned, during the first half of the 1930s the new Berettas were subjected to a series of tests by the armed forces and the police. During the course of these tests several modifications were made, including the introduction of half-cock. Various experiments were carried out, including the manufacture of one lot of 650 pistols furnished with a safety on the striker, one pistoi which was definitely abandoned. It seems that comparisons were made with the Walther PP, but in the end the Beretta pistol was adopted under the name of «Modello 1934 calibro 9 corto». The adoption of this new 9mm pistol by the army did not impede the development of the 7.65 calibre version, the Model 1935, which was supplied to the navy and the air force, and continued to be produced independently of the larger calibre model. | One of the 650 (very rare), Model 1934 pistols fitten with firing pin safety. | It is interesting to note how these two pistols, which are apparently identical, have differences in dimensions which make it impossible to exchange essential components such as barrels or magazines.
It is also interesting that while the Model 34 was considered a completely new gun and numbered separately (the numbers seem to start from 500.000), the Model 35 was considered a new version of the 1931 model and was numbered in the same series as it's ancestor (this can be deduced from analysis of the serial numbers). It should be added that a Model 1937 exists, although in fact it is rather rare. This is nothing more than the commercial version of the 1934, and differs only in the writing on the slide and the lack of military stamps. Naturally, we find the stamp of the “Banco di Prova” in their place. At the end of the 1930s Beretta began experimenting with light-alloy frames for its pistols. In the years after the war the 7.65 calibre version of this pistol enjoyed some commercial success, while the 9mm version proved altogether unsatisfactory and continued to be produced exclusively in steel. The Beretta Model 1934 (like the 35) was a top-grade gun, and was practically without rivals in its functional class. Despite criticisms due for the most part to the Italian vice of denigrating its own national product and revering the import, a Beretta automatic pistol was an attractive spoil of war for the soldiers of all armies that crossed our land during the tragic years of the last war.
| A model 1934 pistol built in 1943. The weapon still presents a good finish, althought it was built during the war. | Its fundamental attributes were its dependability and portability, qualities which are essential for a soldier who depends on his pistol for his very life. To this must be added the minimal cost and simplicity of any repairs that were on rare occasions required. Naturally we cannot dismiss the limitations of this gun, which did not use very powerful ammunition (by military standards), and which did not allow very high standards of marksmanship.
In fairness, however, these drawbacks are only apparent when the pistol is compared with larger, costlier and more complicated guns, which in the end proved to be less efficient. it is also a telling point that these Beretta models are still sought-after many years after going out of production, and many thousands of these guns which factory withdrew from the armed forces at the advent of more recent models were quickly absorbed by the civilian market after a complete overhaul. The production of the 34 and above all the 35 continued for the duration of the war, and the evolution of the conflict had a significant influence on the quality of the guns, especially those produced in 1944 and 1945. Fortunately, the simplicity of these pistols meant that any defect in production affected only their external finish, and not their performance or safety. | A model 1935 pistol Built in 1941. This gun shows the «Regio Esercito» (Royal Army) markings although it is in 7,65 calibre instead of 9 mm, which is what the army usually used. Below, the same pistol is shown in its service holster. | Model 1935 pistol as produced during last months of second world war. These guns have no external finish and show deep machining marks. Serial number and calibre indication are the only markings of this weapon and are badly impressed on frame just above trigger guard. | It is interesting that during the time that the production fell into German hands the criteria for serial numbers changed. The simple progressive numbers which Beretta had always used was replaced by a mixed code of letters and numbers - typically German. Naturally, this does not help any investigation into wartime production at Beretta. We have ascertained, however, that the Model 35 was not produced exclusively at the Beretta plants. Several examples exist with the writing «Pistola Beretta Cal 7.65 M35 S.A. Armaguerra-Cremona 1944», together with the usual mixed German numbering. Unfortunately we have no data regarding this production, which can be defined as external. We cannot tell whether the pistols were produced at other plants as well, or indeed how many of them were made. | | The Beretta 1935 model by Armaguerra in Cremona. Eccept for the slide markings the weapon does not present differences worth of any noticie. | | SERIAL NUMBERS RANGE | Model 1934 cal. 9C / .380ACP Start / end of production: from 1934 to 1980 (1991*)
Quantity produced about 1,080,000 Start - End - Serial numbers
1934 - 1942 - from about 500073 to 999996
1934 - 1942 - from 1 to about 40000
1943 - 1945 - from F00001 to F99997
1943 - 1945 - from G00001 to G57486
1943 - 1945 - from 0001AA to 9997AA
1943 - 1945 - from 0001BB to 9971BB
1946 - 1949 - from C00001 to C99998
1949 - 1954 - from D00001 to D99999
1954 - 1967 - from E00001 to E95760
1967 - 1973 - from F50001 to F61693
1970 - 1975 - from G00007 to G49620
1972 - 1974 - from H00001 to H25000
1971 - 1980 - from T 1 to T 10217
1991* onwards from A28530Y
| Start / end of production: from 1935 to 1967
Quantity produced about 525,000 Start - End -Serial numbers
1935 - 1959 from about 411000 to 923048
1962 - 1963 from A10001 to A14130
1966 - 1967 from H14131 to H14673
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Sacm 1935 A Serial Numbers
| Owner Manual |
Interesting Links about 1934 / 1935 Beretta Models | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia / Beretta M 1934 From CLUB LITTLEGUN / ITALIAN GUNS From Tactical Life / Beretta 1934 |