Refurbished My A$$ (Royal Tiger MAS-49/56) "B-Grade" 🇫🇷 RTI French Military Surplus Rifle Review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 лип 2024
- To be honest, I'm not surprised the French Military Surplus MAS 49/56 I received from Royal Tiger Imports came in such poor condition. However, I did expect the restoration job on this B-Grade example to be a lot better. RTI had this batch of rifles refurbished by James River Armory, and I think they should be ashamed for even letting this milsurp leave their shop in this kind of shape. Out of the box, it was non-functional due to all the rusty crud in the chamber. There was gritty sand everywhere, and the new stock is ill-fitting at best. The rusty bore and gas system seem to have been totally untouched. I would expect a 'professionally refurbished' firearm to be cleaned at the very least.
Thanks for Watching!
My Military Ration Review Channel, Readiness Rations- / @readinessrations
Follow me on Social Media:
Facebook- / readinessreviews
Instagram- / readinessreviews
TikTok- / readinessreviews
Contact me via Email - ReadinessReviews@gmail.com
#ReadinessReviews
#milsurpminute
#RTI
DISCLAIMER: Our videos are strictly for documentary, educational, and entertainment purposes only. All shooting is performed on state-approved firing ranges under the supervision of trained professionals. Imitation or the use of any acts depicted in these videos is solely AT YOUR OWN RISK. All work on firearms should be carried out by a licensed individual, and all state and federal rules apply to such. We (including UA-cam) will not be held liable for any injury to yourself or damage to your firearms resulting from attempting anything shown in any of our videos. We do not endorse any specific product, and this video is not an attempt to sell you a good or service. Readiness Reviews is not a gun store and DOES NOT sell or deal in firearms. Such a practice is heavily regulated and subject to applicable laws. Readiness Reviews DOES NOT sell parts, magazines, or firearms. We are not instructing our viewers on how to modify firearms, accessories, or otherwise to change their basic legal function. These videos are free to watch, and if anyone attempts to charge for this video, notify us immediately. By viewing or flagging this video, you are acknowledging the above.
Fair Use: In the rare instance we include someone else’s footage, it is covered in Fair Use for Documentary and Educational purposes to drive commentary and allow freedom of speech.
Copyright 2024, Readiness Reviews, LLC - Розваги
Damn its a miracle RTI still sells you weapons, great review appreciate the honesty!
They don't care
I'd be more impressed if he'd talk to RTI first and get info at least before making a video like this. I have zero relation to RTI.
Rti is a joke. I ordered a rifle completed the order twice was never charged I had money just there website is junk or they cancel the order
No kidding
The MAS 49/56 uses a floating firing pin. If anyone buys one of these and plans on shooting it, they should order an aftermarket firing pin with the added spring retainer in order to prevent slam fires or a runaway. I really wish that they would stop letting JRA "refurbish" these rifles, as they always do a poor job (ask me how I know) and add a disclaimer about the firing pin when you purchase. Glad you got out of all this with no permanent issues!
And to clarify, I bought my MAS from Classic refurbished by JRA about 4 years ago, and there was still desert sand built up in all the internals, and like yours, had poor stock fitment. The fact that its been this long and those issues haven't been rectified just shows that they don't care.
I own a standard MAS-49 (Syria contract). If I were experiencing these issues with my gun, I'd do the above....or, buy a new old stock original firing pin. There's a lot of original replacement parts for these rifles still available.
Got mine from Rose's in the early 90s. Been lucky it was in great shape and shoots fine.😊
sounds like you, Readiness and I need to have some sort of like... mental health group: RTI Mas49 owners therapy group. It's ok.. you're safe here...
@boltforward3611 yeah, basically any MAS that JRA touched is gonna cause ya mental stress.
I like the fact that you don't hold back when a firearm has issues or is just crap! Thank you wholeheartedly!
Royal Tiger strikes again. It's too bad, because the MAS-49/56 is a cool rifle.
If anyone else is curious another UA-camr named “bolt forward” did a review of his 49/56 from RTI and he pretty much got the same rifle condition. RTI can have some really rare and obscure stuff, but I personally wouldn’t trust them as far as I can throw them…. Good video though and I liked the longer format of this one!
I have had my MAS49/56 for over 40 years. I got it from a gi who had been stationed in France in the early 60's. It shoot very gòd. I have never any problems
I refurbish all my firearms at the beach, while the kids play in the water
guns around sand doesn't sound too great.
Long but thorough with facts, honesty, and no background noise !!
From their page. "We do not test fire these rifles before they leave our warehouse, so the bores on some of these rifles still need cleaning in some cases. There also may be some leftover oil or grime in small areas inside the action and/or in the gas tube. We recommend doing a brief field strip and wipe down of the internal parts and bore before firing." These things have always had issues. They are neat rifles but too many issues to take a chance with.
So they should not call them "Refurbished Excellent" then, its that simple. If the gun still needs to be fully field stripped and cleaned, then its NOT refurbished. From their site it also says "These rifles have been completely disassembled, refinished, reassembled, and function tested."
Very cool that your dad participates with you. I miss my dad and shooting with him.
I had considered getting 1 of these from RTI.. I probably wouldn't, now. 👍🏽
YOU MIGHT THINK THE SLAM FIRE IS A BAD THING, BUT TO ME, THATS JUST THE SURPRISE FUN MODE
Yeah,just don't take videos or the ATF will come and unalive your dog
Thats how people get killed, you kidding.
It's all fun and games until you have to ride the lightning ⚡😁
THX Readi ..This is one of your best videos very informative !! I hope every one watches it. I watched it all the way through THANKS again. RUSTY
RTI should define 'professionally refurbished'.
Definitely b******* I don't think they have a certified gunsmith on site I've called there numerous times with customers with problems and they give me the runaround
The professional in question is some guy in sales and marketing. Get em. Paint em. Sell em. Pure genius.
I paid classic firearms around 1200 for my "refubished" 49/56 professionally redone by James River armoury. The sob still had sand in every crevice, big crack in stock between mag housing and trigger housing causing the stock to pivot on the barreled action. Biggest waste of 1200 ever..if it weren't for my m1 carbines from rti, but that's another story.
Yeah the M1 carbines were the only decent thing they’ve sold. I decided to bulk order 10 other guns (this was in 2020) and I’ll never buy from Royal Tiger ever again.
That's because the ones classic sells are from RTI
For $1200 you can have gotten one of the ones imported from France in the 80s. The price on 49/56s went way up, and then it dropped like a rock when the RTI guns came in.
I got an ak from JRA. 5 years and no issues.
If you reload. Hard primers. Update the firing pin.
I really appreciate your reviews. A wealth of information for anyone.Thank you much.
Really Appreciate The Honest Review!! Thank You!!
Glad you got through this safe, brother.
I bought "B-Grade" AK mags from RTI once. They seemingly forgot ship them twice, since I had to call them twice about it. After far too much waiting, I got a full batch of poor AK mags that were too rusted and dented to function. Never did business with RTI again. Just don't see a point.
Back in the mid 70s, I as stationed at Ft Hood, TX, and there was a discount store named Gibson's, and they sold surplus military rifles. They had cardboard barrels of them all over their stores. I picked up a MAS 36, owned it for several years before I got to shoot it the first time due to ammo scarcity. Mine, with some French milsurp ammo shot groups much like yours. I passed on the 49/56 bccause they didn't have magazines with them. wish I still had my 36, but I swapped it for a Madsen 30-06 since ammo was easier to find. It shot just as well, but eventually, I had to reduce my arsenal because it was getting hard to ship them every time I got transfered. So, pared down to only a SMLE and a K98 as far as ,milsurps go. Kept my sporting rifles. I love your videos, whether ration or firearms. Keep them coming. You are a great presenter. You would make a great teacher of public speaker
Many Thx for your thorough and professional review
Great review and I learned a lot.
Excellent video. Thank you for all of the info regarding this firearm. I have bought 2 of these, and having only worked on cleaning up one of them - I will very interested in the range performance.
In 1989, I bought (@shotgun news) a original 7.5 french MAS 49 (that yous is modified from) and 500rds of Egyptian 7.5 french (still shoot the rifle) ammo was bad and would fire 3 out of 10 the rifle had only light metal finish left and the stock look like it set a tank of oil about 1ft up that left that part black. I soaked the wood in soapy hot water for 4 days at 4hrs a day, refinished it with Truoil, the bore was dark but no key holes. After reassembly it also did slam fires. I found out because the wood had swelled and spaced the carrier away from the hammer, the hammer would ride on the firing pin, slam firing 2-3 shells when firing but would stay back when pulling back by hand. When I tighten the trigger group to stock effectively raising the trigger group and hammer locking the hammer farther back, stopped it. Love shooting it. Thanks for the video review and all your other reviews.
This is such an excellent channel. Thank you brother!
Ever heard the old saying “Bout as rare as a good reliable French battle rifle.”?
I found that English speakers give a different meaning to "professional" and use it as a synonym for quality when the difference between professional and amateur is that one charges for a service and the other does not.
Back in the 90's we had one of these that would do bursts and we're supposed reconditioned !
Holy smokes I saw those for sale and I started to pull the trigger on one and get it. I’m glad now that I had second thoughts. Thank you, so much your video had lots of great information. It’s sad that James River is putting out junk like that. And how they skipped the most important steps of a refurbish product. Thanks again for the great videos. Sure helps a lot on my decision making.
I was considering getting one, so I’m pretty happy you made this video
Very interesting review here. Lots of valid issues raised and clearly some extremely dangerous issues with that firearm. Hopefully the firing pin issue as you mentioned and ways to resolve it are easy to get. I would wonder if a replacement of the gas tube may also be a good idea. If there is erosion of the gas port then its a new barrel probably as well. Not a good start to a firearm purchase. Having looked at these rifles recently I am thankful to have learned more. Great channel and keep up the good work.
Awesome review. Thanks!
Great show!
Same experience I had with a "refurbished" Enfield from classic firearms. Literally the grittiest surplus rifle I've ever purchased.
Great review. 100% Agree with your conclusions on RTI & JRA and the rifle itself. Had very similar experience with my refurbished MAS 49/56.. Swapped out my firing pin for a Murray Gunsmith firing pin to help with the slam firing issue. So far, so good. However similar to your example, my chamber needed deep cleaning and polishing. The barrel looked like sewer pipe. It appears the refurbishment process was more likely a refinish only. And even it was done pretty poorly.
Great review. I have had some poor experiences with RTI on anything I have ever ordered from them.
Excellent video. I have a 44 and a 49/56 and your disassembly process was very helpful. Great info.ref the slam fire safety issues. That "refurbishment" is a disgrace and an embarrassment. I have never purchased anything from RTI and don't plan too. Made one purchase from Classic and will never deal with them again either.
Thanks for doing this. I get the three times a day e-mails from RTI and am sometimes tempted. But in the end, I buy from Centerfire, Atlantic and J & G that are generally fairly honest in their descriptions. I will buy from RTI when I am willing to just expect what may be only a parts or project rifle.
Great review
Similar experience when I bought a "Cleaned & Complete" Mk2 Martini-Henry from IMA. It Came to me dirty. My rule of thumb is that a company will never clean it as good as the owner. Always important and do a one over.
If you can, order a can of CVA Foaming Bore Cleaner. Foams up and cleans up stuff like that gas tube really well and it is a great cleaning agent for surplus rifles. It neutralizes the caustic agents in Black Powder and since those same agents are in surplus ammo, it is just what you need for your collection. As for the Slam Firing, I have a feeling this is one of those situations where handloaders would be better off. I usually have a jar of dud rounds I use to adjust my dies when handloading which could be used like Snap Caps to test indoors. As for the slam Firing, depending on the ammo used, likely PPU since it is the most common manufacturer of French ammo I have seen in the US, primers could be too soft for this. I have the same issue with my M1 Garand and SKS, both of which have free floating Firing pins. I have learned that if I am loading for a military rifle, use CCI Military primers when you can. The primer is thicker and less prone to slam fire compared to commercial ammo
Further edit: comment was posted prior to him discussing group size showing he did use PPU and the primer issue i brought up. Dammit 😅😅😅
Not all SKS have floating firing pins. I have an early Russian SKS and it came with a spring on the pin. No slam fires so far in 20+ years of shooting it now and then.
bought one years ago that was converted to 308 by the french armory. works great with one problem if you shoot it continuously for 30 rounds it begins to jam. Has one hell of a muzzle blast. plus it flings the brass 30 feet. really cool gun.
My MAS 49/56 used the shoot perfect 3 round bursts. That firing pin is freaking heavy as hell. It doesn't have to get dirty to fire on closing, just inertia is enough unless you have French military ammo with super hard primers.
I put in a firing pin spring, on the front of the pin. That got it working correctly.
every time I have this wild thought to pick up something from RTI a video like this pops into my feed ...
@Readiness Reviews That issue is plagues the SKS and MAS 49/56. Yes you can clean the bolts to be spotless, but due to wear the pins will always get stuck regardless of cleanliness or not and cause slam fires. The best fix for this situation is to use Murray's Replacement Firing Pins that adds a small spring to the firing pin to add tension so it doesn't become stuck. It works in the SKS and it works in the MAS 49/56 and prevents slam fire.
I bought one of these rifles from Atlantic a year ago or so. Had a similar issue with the cases sticking but fortunately I had a USGI metal cleaning rod with me and after firing 3 or 4 rounds and then tapping out the brass with the rod it magically cleared up.
Great video. I never did like those French rifles. Happy 4th!
And now the ATF will be coming to your house looking for that "full Auto" rifle
That has happened for real. I read an article where some poor guy had an AR15 that would mag dump. He took it in for repair. BATF, at the time, came to visit him and he was in a world of poop. As I recall they claimed he tinkered with his AR to make it do the mag dump, on purpose. The trigger group was broken.
Thanks .I've had a few in both calibers ,had the 308 version slamfire a full mag then lock up tight .I have a great shooting 49/56 ,but I have changed the firing pin and I keep it really clean .
sorry you had the trouble with this rifle but i do enjoy/ learned alot from your vids!
I have a coverted 308 one. A lot of people had issues but mine runs great. It is not an RTI rifle. I did the replacement firing pin (did the same on my SKS). I also added an adjustable gas block. I think the MAS 49/56 is a interesting design that was in the middle of the transition from bolt action to semi auto battlefield rifles.
Thanks for the update on these rifles. I will probably pick one up on gunbroker. Not refurbished. Definitely in 7.5 french.
I have cleaned many trapdoor chambers using the same method; returning them to shooting condition.
Great video as usual.
You can fix the slam fire issue by getting an aftermarket firing pin. The slam fires don't occur with military ammo, but civilian ammo with soft primers can be set off by the firing pin bouncing forward as the bolt closes. Also make sure the firing pin channel is free of cosmoline/grease so the firing pin doesn't stick forward.
Dude I love your weapons room.
I don’t have any french rifles, but a number of GEW98s from years ago. Before firing the first time, I do a complete cleaning to include doing a bore scrub with ‘Sweet’s 7.62’. Then inspect the whole rifle for tolerances. It is only then i feel it is safe enough to go to the range. That said, after all that, I still have a SVT40 that slam fires.
I've never owned a JRA MAS 49/56, but, I have owned a JRA Tula 1968 AKM, and it had construction and quality issues. For one, the bolt was stripped of its finish, and it was never refinished. Russian bolts for AKMs are typically purple/plum due to their heat treatment, so, I had a stripped plum bolt. Secondly, my receiver was warped. Thirdly, my front sight post was broken and had to be replaced. Fourthly, the gas tube was drilled and tapped onto the wrong spot on the barrel, which in turn made the lower handguard retainer in the wrong place as well, so I had not only a wobbly gas tube but also a wobbly lower handguard as well. I sold that old AKM and bought a Zastava M70 with the money. From my experience, it's just best to avoid JRA builds at all.
Love your review and your channel. What you got is truly sad. I hope they reach out to you for some compensation. I finally rolled the dice at RTI. For a Lee Enfield. I received a rifle NOT the rifle. I did receive a Lee Enfield but not the one I ordered. RTI relieved me for the sum of $529.00 tried to leave a civil review on a rifle that was a different model that I ordered. Would not post it. I have restored old rifles in the past I knew what I was getting into but not on this magnitude needless to say that was my first RTI purchase and absolutely my last RTI should also be ashamed of what they do
I have one from early 80s that was converted to 308, love it, accurate and never had any problems with it.
I have an original 49/56 and one that was converted to .308/7.62. The interesting thing about the .308 one is that It's got a new barrel. It appears to be an AR platform .309 barrel blank fitted by the importer but I can't be sure. Since it's a new barrel the front sight is not original MAS but a standard AR type front sight, there is no gas connected to it since the new barrel works with the 49/56 gas system, the AR front sight is just functioning as a front sight. I wonder how many of these .308 conversions were re-barreled. I haven't shot it yet because I wanted to check the headspace first (which I did with a set of Forster gauges) and issues with the sight arrangement. The AR type front sight doesn't work well with the standard MAS rear sight, so I may need to talk about replacing both with my gunsmith. I'm thinking replace the front sight with an AR platform picatinny rail front sight and have the rear bolt carrier body milled, leveled and squared to fit a picatinny rail. This would open up a great many front and rear sight options. I did get the firing pin with spring and that seems to be ok. I checked on the titanium firing pin but he was looking for a new machinist so those aren't available. I would definitely get the firing pin replaced with one modified to use a spring if you're getting one of these.
Well documented. Don’t believe what you are told! You are buying a project!
Great video One of my favorite rifles .... I've had decent luck with RTI (perhaps reasonable expectations), but one can get a nice MAS 49/56 on GB or elsewhere
for just a bit more ..do get a modified pin (titanium or with spring)!
Man if theres sand and dust everywhere its hard to imagine that the refinish job on them is very good. Never had a slam fire in mine, but its an old century gun, and iirc ive only ever shot syrian surplus ammo in it.
Well thats just a lesson to learn, weird why they dont tell you that when you buy the rifle, glad no one was hurt. Good video ya did, enjoyed watching it. If i was you i would have spent more time cleanibg it especially the gas tube and the bolt, strip it amd make sure its all clean. Respect to ur effore🤜🤛
Check out the Heritage Arms Inc adjustable gas valve for this rifle. That first round you shot looked like a flintlock going off.
Read the barrel is supposed to be the one that has the most mileage so accuracy won't be sub MOA. Everything else refurbished.
"refurbished" but didn't upgrade the firing pin. I got one of the 499 un refurbished ones and I'm pretty happy only thing that took some work was the last round hold open mine was dirty but overall ok. I had to shim the stock wobble cuz mine was bad even tight. had the cleaning rod too
Most of my surplus riffles get pressed into use as deer hunting rifles. My problem with the MAS 49 series when I had the chance to buy some at a cheaper price back in the 80s was a) a poor recommendation from a retired French Legionnaire I worked with, b) difficulty at that time in finding a continuous supply of hunting ammo, c) zero desire to have a hunting rifle with the excess weight of a grenade launching muzzle device. Not much has changed or made me regret the decision to not buy one. I knew of the slam fire issue thanks to my former co-worker and I see your experience confirms some of what he said about them. Yes absolutely I would swap out that firing pin for a lighter one with a spring in front.
Good video. I don't think I would have tried shooting it without an aftermarket firing pin and new production ammo to begin with. The slam-fire issue is just too common even with nice condition Mas-49's, much less ones that have been beat to death in Ethiopia and had who knows what sort of slap job "refurbishment" done to them by the importer/retailer or one of their agents.
Hopefully a new firing pin and better stock fitment will at least make it a safe range blaster for the collection.
When you said "James River" I knew that the gun was going to be shit. they've butchered BM57s, RPKs, Garands the whole lot.
Thanks - i have 2 & neither came from RTI whom for other reasons I will never do business with. I did learn how to clean the thing & I will clean both before taking them out…. Sometime in the next years of never…
I would give it a good cleaning with Kroil, brush the hell out o the barrel and chamber and leave the barrel and chamber wet overnight, clean it out good the next day. Rough chamber will up the chamber pressure
That’s actually pretty good for RTI. I’ve seen a lot worse. Like an enfield that came with a completely smooth bore
that one did not get a proper refurb til YOU got ahold of it
RTI: "Just do a quick surface wipe and we will call it professional grade refurbishing."
Congrats on your full auto Mas.
im really glad i didnt pull the trigger on buying one of these over the holidays, now i see the bad side of RTI b grades
I saw another unfavorable review of the RTI MAS 49/56 and I'm not surprised that you had a bad experience. Looks Like James River needs to clean up their act too.
Now if I could get my M1 carbine to slam fire evert time😊. Actually a slam fire scares me, a lot. Never seen one captured before, nice work and a nice review.
Looks like they took a rusty/pitted MAS, sand blasted the rust off the exterior, but didn't run it through a solvent tank or ultrasonic cleaning afterwards. Just left them full of sand and straight into the phosphate tank for a new finish.
Generally speaking, you run an M1 Garand through the phosphate tank, it will clean the barrel down to the steel & coat the bore. Looks like the bores on these were in too bad shape for the phosphate tank to clear them out. Now you have a phosphated chamber, which will be rough & a smidge smaller.
The rifle is beautiful. But definitely needs some extra work to be functional & safe.
I wouldn't give RTI one single damn dollar they are literally the worst dealer in the US
A little tip no chlorinated break cleaner is cheap and works great for cleaning guns I use it all the time
I know for a fact they make spring firing pins for these that get rid of that slam fire
I suppose it matters what the definition of refurbished is and where it was done... Free floating firing pin was also an issue with SKS slam firing. Could also be an issue with a M1 or M-14 bolt and I suspect most semi-autos as well. That SKS issue was also resolved with cleaning and also some genius along the way invented a return spring for the firing pin. But every Milsurp firearm must be disassembled, inspected and cleaned prior to shooting. This includes head spacing. What you found doesn't surprise me. What this gun does to the brass is disconcerting to say the least. With all the 49-56's sold, this is the first I have heard of these issues though. Makes me really wonder (again) about what Royal Tiger is selling. I'd love to have one of the .308 chambered rifles but not from RT. Can't afford any of them I guess lol. Good report
It's too bad that JRA released these rifles without function firing and with all these quality control issues. I am in agreement with you that JRA should never have let this rifle leave their shop in the shape you received it. They will be releasing M14s in the Fall...hope that their quality control improves by then.
Looks like fun to be honest 🎉
You can actually get a new made firing pin on market with a spring installed much like you can an SKS
I'd recommend sitting the bolt into a pool of WD 40. I had an type 56 SKS and in order to get whatever crud was in the bolt (i couldn't dissemble the bolt and they kinda recommend you dont do that). and I was able to move the bolt around and get enough motion in that it loosened the stuff out of it and blasted some more WD40 in it. Has worked great ever since never had a slam fire.
You should completely strip and clean any fierarm that is new to you (surplus or brand new) befor you shoot it
The owner of roti is the owner of io Inc and has been selling us customers trash for years
when I loaded for 7.5 french I used No.34 primers.
The slam fire issues and idea that the gas tube may be compromised should make these below B grade. The price may match but these should be recalled or big red bold warning signs should come with the rifle not to keep it loaded. It may not even be suitable for defense, should be recalled and firing pin fixes done by the company refurbishing these.
❤❤WELL ITS CLEAR YOU NEED TO DO SOME COURSES AT SDI !!
I’ve seen a JRA built 1903A4 blow out the stock and guy caught shrapnel to the face. Turns out JRA used an out of spec barrel
This reminds me why I passed on all those MAS49/56 rifles that were at gun shows in the 90's, besides the caliber. I just didn't trust them.
I got one of those from Classic a few years back and it was also "refurbished" by JRA and when I got it the dang thing looks like it had leprocy the receiver was so badly pitted. I even did the best looking +$10 option. Same thing though with the play in the stock aswell even after I tightened down the screw a bit. They did add a spring to the firing pin which was kinda nice I guess but the dang thing is so ugly. I've relegated it to sitting in the safe cause of how bad the pitting is on the receiver. Bore was so-so but my parts were all a good bit cleaner.
Man, RTI been denying me a chance to have one of their mas 49/56 rifles ship to my state since I live in Illinois but judging how these b grades are, I much rather wait until they are a very reasonable price or look for something better. It is best to get an original (non-refurbished) mas 49/56 (coming from Ethiopia and one a good bore) or find a working one on Gun Broker.
good video. don't forget to use eye protection!
I took mine to a range a few weeks ago and it had a big problem cycling. Like it didn’t cycle at all.
Get the dirt out from under extraction claw spring