French Model 1950 pistol

red9 · Sep 19, 2016

I buy guns that fall into the areas that I collect. I also have this bad habit of buying guns only because I have never seen one before. I recently found this French (MAC) 1950 pistol in 9mm Luger. Apparently it was the replacement for the model 1935 pistol in .32 Browning Long.

Bob

Texas Star · Sep 19, 2016

Our man Cyrano likes those. Will probably show up and comment. He likes French stuff and Mausers.

paul s · Sep 19, 2016

Rare gun in USA, most if not all were bring backs from Vietnam. How much did you have to give for it?

Cyrano · Sep 19, 2016

Thanks, T-Star; yes, I'm very interestd in Mle 1950 pistols

The pistol was designed at the arsenal at St Etienne, so the lockwork and general layout look a lot like the Mle 1935S in 7.65 Long. However manufacture was assigned to the arsenal at Châtellerault. They numbered them in blocks of 10,000 with alphabetical serial number prefixes. It remains the French service pistol today and most of them have been rebuilt more than once. Agencies assigned to the Ministry of the Interior: Gendarmerie and Customs for instance, use the SIG P2022.

The PA 50s in the US came from Vietnam. It was introduced about the time the French were withdrawing from Indochina so the pistols were numered in the A, B and early C series. Some pistols are stamped FRANCE in small letters on the right side behind the trigger: these were purchased from Vietnam after the war by an Ameican importer. The unmarked ones were wartime bring-backs, and are often accompanied by 'capture papers".

The PA 50 is a good combat pistol. It's very reliable and bullt like a tank to withstand the hot French 9mm ammo made for the MAT 49 SMG: 125 gr bullet at 1185 fps. It feels good in the hand and has good, big combat sights which are not adjustable. The only awkward part is the safety which takes a second hand to operate.

The grips may induce 'hammer bite'. If so, try to find a set of Traush grips which make the pistol ride a little higher in the hand. The picture shows a PA 50 with Trausch grips. Trausch used to have a US office; I dont know whether they still do. The grip screws are small and loosen and fall out easily. Make sure they're tight. There's a washer under each screw which is also hard to find if you lose one.

The easiest holster to find is the Mle 48/50 shows.

This information is based on a five page article I wrote for the journal of the National Automatic Pistol Collector's Association.

Texas Star · Sep 20, 2016

Do the grips on those wrap around in back, like on a P-38? Or are they conventional grip panels?

red9 · Sep 20, 2016

The grips are separate panels. I agree about it being built like a tank. The French are associated with style. Unfortunately, that tradition did not carry over to any of their military firearms. I picked it up at a local auction for under $300.

Bob

Arik · Sep 20, 2016

red9 said:
I buy guns that fall into the areas that I collect. I also have this bad habit of buying guns only because I have never seen one before. I recently found this French (MAC) 1950 pistol in 9mm Luger. Apparently it was the replacement for the model 1935 pistol in .32 Browning Long.

Bob

The 1935 that this pistol replaced was the bases for the Sig P210. Sig licensed the model 1935 in the late 30s

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Texas Star · Sep 20, 2016

Arik said:
The 1935 that this pistol replaced was the bases for the Sig P210. Sig licensed the model 1935 in the late 30s

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

You're thinking of the Model 1935A. This gun is based more on the different 1935S.

Arik · Sep 20, 2016

Texas Star said:
You're thinking of the Model 1935A. This gun is based more on the different 1935S.

I was referring to the gun this one replaced... the OP quoted. Didn't know there was an S. Knew the A though

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Cyrano · Sep 20, 2016

The grips don't wrap around in back. The Trausch grips wrap around at the very top, which gets the hand out of the way of 'hammer bite'.

Here are the two French Mle 1935 pistols. The 1935A, at the top, is the Petter design, from which evolved the SIG P 210. The 1935S, at the bottom, is the father of the Mle 1950.

Texas Star · Sep 21, 2016

Cyrano said:
The grips don't wrap around in back. The Trausch grips wrap around at the very top, which gets the hand out of the way of 'hammer bite'.

Here are the two French Mle 1935 pistols. The 1935A, at the top, is the Petter design, from which evolved the SIG P 210. The 1935S, at the bottom, is the father of the Mle 1950.

Thanks, Colin. That pic makes the differences clear.

LVSteve · Sep 21, 2016

red9 said:
The grips are separate panels. I agree about it being built like a tank. The French are associated with style. Unfortunately, that tradition did not carry over to any of their military firearms. I picked it up at a local auction for under $300.

Bob

I'd all that an excellent score. Colour me jealous.

Cyrano · Sep 22, 2016

red9 said:
The French are associated with style. Unfortunately, that tradition did not carry over to any of their military firearms. I picked it up at a local auction for under $300.

Bob

It's probably worth north of twice that.

French military arms are best described as 'functional', not graceful. This did not carry over into their civilian arms.

Texas Star · Sep 22, 2016

Cyrano said:
It's probably worth north of twice that.

French military arms are best described as 'functional', not graceful. This did not carry over into their civilian arms.

I've seen pics of the work of noted gunmaker Nicholas Noel Boutet that were quite elegant. He made pistols for Napoleon and other wealthy Frenchmen. But I generally prefer the lines of contemporary English arms.

red9 · Sep 23, 2016

Cyrano,
Here is another example of French graceful. Later than your single shot, this is a Galand based on a percussion design, in caliber .44 Russian. Unlike your Darne, the breech is fixed and the barrel slides forward for loading.

Bob

Cyrano · Sep 28, 2016

red9 said:
Cyrano,
Here is another example of French graceful. Later than your single shot, this is a Galand based on a percussion design, in caliber .44 Russian. Unlike your Darne, the breech is fixed and the barrel slides forward for loading.

Bob

I think Galand also mae revolvers along those same lines.

scoobysnacker · Sep 30, 2016

LVSteve said:
I'd all that an excellent score. Colour me jealous.

Just saw this thread, and I have to agree, on both points.

I'd love to find a similar deal, I love steel duty guns

Great little part of history, currently being phased out by polymers

edited to add: actually, I think what's even worse than polymer guns, is universal adaptation. I wouldn't mind the Glock so much, if it were considered the Austrian option... but a quick search shows something like 40 countries employ it.
Having a common ammo caliber isn't a bad thing, it allows us to shoot things affordably. But I miss seeing different designs coming from different countries.

MCorps0311 · Oct 6, 2016

Very nice old 9mm.

OLDSTER · Oct 6, 2016

French 1950

Thanks guys for an interesting and very informative thread

I noticed the 1911 style barrel and swinging link. As a fan of the VIS35, I love these old, relatively unknown, battle pistols

French Model 1950 pistol

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