MAS 36 Ammo Pouch Question

[bazeille]

I finally acquired an MAS36. (My girlfriend bought it for me!!!) The only MAS 36 pouches I have seen for sale are leather ones. Were these used in Indochina?

[hoover]

I have seen only a very few pics with the mle45 leather pouches. Somewhere I have read that the leather rotted away in jungle climate.

I think, for a FICW-impression a US M1923 catridge belt or the TAP50 pouches would be the best choice.

[bazeille]

May 9, 2013 1:36:14 GMT -5 hoover said:

I have seen only a very few pics with the mle45 leather pouches. Somewhere I have read that the leather rotted away in jungle climate.

I think, for a FICW-impression a US M1923 catridge belt or the TAP50 pouches would be the best choice.

Thanks for the info! Just in the nick of time, I saw some of the leather ones on ebay. Fortunately I have an M1923. I dig my MAS 36.

[bazeille]

Looking a photos in some of the books I have, I noticed a couple of interesting things. One of them is a rear view of a group of Paras, and one of them appears to have a cloth ammo bandoleer similar to the ones used for M1 Garands or Enfield's. He is also wearing what look like TAP ammo pouches behind him, on a pistol belt right below the small of his back. Another Para in the background, who may be Vietnamese, seems to have a leather ammo pouch. It is very boxy and square.
In another picture I found on the web, a French soldier seems to be wearing "rigger" ammo pouches like the ones used by US Airborne troops in WWII.
Fascinating stuff. I'm going through all my books with a magnifying glass now!

[bazeille]

I finally found a pair of French TAP 50 MAS 36 ammo pouches! Hooray!

[hoover]

Or make 2 sets, a set with the M1923 for earlyer impressions and the TAP pouches for later ones ;D

[fireman]

If anyone is looking for TAP pouches, Buddy Hinton was selling sets of them. $25 a pair i think....not a bad deal.

[lew]

$5 here: www.keepshooting.com/mas-canvas-mag-pouch.html

I bought four, two of which were even the first type with only the M1910 wire hanger, making them correct for Indochina. They also have the TAP Mle. 50 pochette de chargeurs de PM MAT-49 (SMG mag pouch).