Refurbished My A$$ (Royal Tiger MAS-49/56) "B-Grade" 🇫🇷 RTI French Military Surplus Rifle Review
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- Опубликовано: 22 окт 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.
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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.
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
They've been selling trash forever. It's their thing.
Royal Tiger strikes again. It's too bad, because the MAS-49/56 is a cool rifle.
I like the fact that you don't hold back when a firearm has issues or is just crap! Thank you wholeheartedly!
If anyone else is curious another RUclipsr 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!
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."
I don't think a CYA statement like that makes the condition of this rifle acceptable.
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
Because it wasn't refurbished by a half-assed gunsmith. The original is an excellent rifle. These were originally designed to be sniper rifles & after testing, the decided to use it as a Designated Marksman Rifle"
I refurbish all my firearms at the beach, while the kids play in the water
guns around sand doesn't sound too great.
@@robosoldier11 Normandy was a fine beach to show proper gun usage!
@@robosoldier11that’s the joke
@@dominicbadura I’m reinforcing the joke.
@@robosoldier11 Nah. The grit lubricates and smooths the connections. The loose stock is for steady precision marksmanship
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.
Long but thorough with facts, honesty, and no background noise !!
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. 👍🏽
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.
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.
Ima sucks and always did. I tried to buy two crates of Mosin Nagants from them early 90's. Those sumbitches sell to their friends and those that carry their water.
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.
First batch was actually done by James River Armory. The 49/56s are now done in house i believe.
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.
I once had a chamber that was rusty enough that i wrapped scotch brite around a bore brush, using a drill to polish it out, this also worked on a rusty bore on an old M94 25-35 Winchester, with the rust in it i had nothing to loose. It worked good enough😊
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.
@@TheRazorbackpilot My experience with them was the same. Hot garbage. Don't believe reviews on there sight and the customer service is a total joke.
Same experience I had with a "refurbished" Enfield from classic firearms. Literally the grittiest surplus rifle I've ever purchased.
Do they clean them in the Sahara Desert?
@@davidcox3076
Yeah, they give them a sand bath..😏
Back in the 90's we had one of these that would do bursts and we're supposed reconditioned !
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.
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.
Thanks for the update on these rifles. I will probably pick one up on gunbroker. Not refurbished. Definitely in 7.5 french.
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.
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.
Don't forget possible rust on the steel pin itself, and/or in the channel...
Exactly - the French ammo was designed with a hard primer that wouldn’t slam fire.
When reloading for this caliber, Hornady's reloading book states in large red letters "...use CCI #34 primers...". The reason for this is that those are hard, military spec primers. PPU ammunition is known for having soft primers. Also, you should use either custom spring assisted firing pins or a custom, light weight titanium firing pin.
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
@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.
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
We have one of only two Gibson's left. They sell only new guns now/
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.
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
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 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.
There is an upgrade available for the firing pin, with a retainer soring. If thst doesn't work, dissembling the trigger group apart is the only real solution. Clean it thoroughly and look for burrs. A judicious application of stone to steel is your best friend in a French rifle. If the bearing surfaces are clean, and the firing pin is upgraded it will run like a sewing machine.
If you get those issues resolved, you can turn the gas down and save the rifle.
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.
Glad you got through this safe, brother.
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
If you reload. Hard primers. Update the firing pin.
The hardest primers i've heard of on the civilian market is CCI. Never had and issue with them but if you have a 49/56 try those primers and let is know how it went!
Edit 1 has to be there 7.62 NATO print on the box primers.
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 .
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’m surprised that people are still buying the SHIT from Royal Tiger…
Seems like RTI has acquired quite a reputation for poor quality control from many buyers.
Read the barrel is supposed to be the one that has the most mileage so accuracy won't be sub MOA. Everything else refurbished.
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.
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 ⚡😁
Yeah, but the only trouble is the "surprise" part...
That’s actually pretty good for RTI. I’ve seen a lot worse. Like an enfield that came with a completely smooth bore
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.
every time I have this wild thought to pick up something from RTI a video like this pops into my feed ...
😮 I have numerous people that have brought RTI junk to me I would caution anybody about buying anything from them
I only buy from friends, would buy from CMP IF they had anything in stock.
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.
Hopefully the next owner took that AK too a experinced AK builder and had it rebuilt. If it was a numbers matching parts kit then it was worth a little money.
@@jacksonthompson7099 the amount of money you would drop into a new barrel and receiver, plus new furniture, and a bolt paint job and re-serialization, and labor would offset the value immensely. Literally are just better off getting a new rifle and calling it a day.
@@jacksonthompson7099 unless you can do it yourself, you're basically paying $2 to 3,000 for a rifle that's only retailed at $900 to $1000 in its condition, and at the end of the day, it's still a Frankenstein because it has a mismatch of parts that are after market. You'd literally be better off dropping $4,000 onto a Saiga and calling it a day.
@@toska3528 Mmm you've got a point. Not a problem for me because i've got a SGL10 that was converted into a AK-103 side folder varient. Next build plan is my SGL31 into a AK74M.
@@jacksonthompson7099 nice man. My latest firearm foray was the Type 99 Ariska shorty I picked up today. It is de-mummed, (unfortunately,) and is missing most of the extra components, (bayonet, dust cover, wing sights, monopod,) but, when I bought it it was covered in cosmoline and the bore is in perfect condition as too is the barrel. I cleaned it up a bit, and I'm going to replace the missing components. These components were commonly removed during and after the war and considering that, (if my understanding of the serialized system is correct,) that this is a 6000 series rifle, that places it in late-41, '42 production, means that this rifle most certainly saw service. I've, (embarrassingly,) never handled a Mauser style action until today, and I will say, that push and lock method is pretty smooth compared to a Mosin. Ammo is kinda expensive for this guy, so I'm going to buy a no-go gauge in 7.7×58MM JAP to ensure that I won't be one of the last victims of the Emperor if and when I do fire live ammo through this guy. But overall, for under $400, not a bad price considering the price of milsurps these days.
This is such an excellent channel. Thank you brother!
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.
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.
Great review. I have had some poor experiences with RTI on anything I have ever ordered from them.
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 was considering getting one, so I’m pretty happy you made this video
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
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.
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.
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
When you said "James River" I knew that the gun was going to be shit. they've butchered BM57s, RPKs, Garands the whole lot.
I have the MAS 49/56 import from Century Arms. It was rechambered to .308. It's always given me problems, mostly with casings being stuck in the chamber. I don't shoot it very often.
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.
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.
Well documented. Don’t believe what you are told! You are buying a project!
I have to be honest, I also just purchased one of these from RTI, and my experience (Thankfully!) was very different. I will say that the one I purchased was not B grade like yours, but the top grade available ($100 more than you paid) . Maybe this is the difference. Mine was in extremely clean condition and truly looked like new. I really appreciated your video, because I spent extra time cleaning the chamber which did have slight surface rust. Over all, the metal was in like new condition with no pitting. The bore was however very dark with signs of pitting, but the bullet on the end of the barrel test was good and fortunately when I look it to the range earlier this week, it was a great shooter with high accuracy. I have been afraid to buy anything from RTI, so I was holding my breath and counting on the worse. Luckily mine turned out to be very different. I did go ahead and change out the stock firing pin for one of Murry Gunsmithing's spring loaded pins. I had no issue with slam fires. Thanks for another great video.
Really Appreciate The Honest Review!! Thank You!!
I got a Syrian MAS 49 from a gunbroker dealer that does giant auctions every 2 weeks. Cost me $1500 but its all original and other than being dry its in good shape. Havent shot it yet. Waitng for on of those spring loaded firing pins. Also dont buy milsurp from Classic Firearms or Atlantic because those are mostly RTI products and JRA refurbs. I bought 2 milsurp guns from classic and one took a month of work to refinish the wood and clean. Buy from a high rated gunbroker dealer. Yes it stupid expensive but its nice to have a good product. You get what you pay for
Picked one up on a whim last year. Having trouble sourcing ammo here in Kaliunicornia. Going to have to give it a good look over before it goes to the range. Thank you.
I really appreciate your reviews. A wealth of information for anyone.Thank you much.
I appreciate your frank candidness .
If you shoot milsurp ammo, this is not a problem. The military primers are tougher than ones used in civilian ammo. Titanium firing pins are available. I have had many mas 44, 49 49/56 and a 56TE & 56MSE
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.
A unfortunately accurate statement. The firearms industry here in the US can get rather shady and cut throat at high levels.
From my experience in purchasing Miltary Surplus 9 out of 10 times you will have to clean it and do minor repairs. I purchased a Styer M95 for $95.00. I had to take it apart and clean it.
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 don't own one of these French masterpieces in that goofy 7.5 mm caliber and never will, but your video was good, and it is all in the telling that makes it interesting.
I'd be interested in hearing about all your other surplus guns, what cleaning routine do you have to do that you don't do on other rifles, what parts you replaced if any, how you clean a surplus gun that's sat in the cosmo for 80 years, how you get the ammo, stuff like that.
Just for kicks I did a search, Royal Tiger now sells these rifles for $999. And although you probably know this, the gas tube is $19 at Apex. Also firing pin $6.50 and extractor for $17 and complete bolt for $95.
Since it's a refurb, glass bed the wood, see if you can source a new barrel or sleeve the gas port, and buy one of those titanium firing pins.
as a french, it paines me to see this beautiful gun in that state, thank you for you good care to it
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
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.
The cause of it being over gassed could also be erosion of the gas port in the barrel from so much use, this will open up the gas port a lot.
Check out the Heritage Arms Inc adjustable gas valve for this rifle. That first round you shot looked like a flintlock going off.
You can actually get a new made firing pin on market with a spring installed much like you can an SKS
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.
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.
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🤜🤛
*Warning* gun cleaning chemicals has been proven to be a cause in the onset of Parkinson’s disease. Please wear rubber gloves. My brother use to have his hands soaked in gun cleaner when cleaning all his guns, now at 52 he has Parkinson’s and it’s no joke.
Whoch chemicals?
Asking bc theres a boatload of different solvents and oils, all using entirely different chemicals.
@@marcush4741 One of the chemicals is trichloroethylene. There was a study done that found it increased parkinsons onset by 500%
Dang bro, thanks for the tip! I'm probably going to get it later on in life lmao
@@marcush4741chemicals are chemicals......
Likely from getting covid shots. A friend of mine dutifully got he clot shpt, now has Parkinson's.
I would send it back and demand a full refund. There is no excuse in any company selling anything with that many problems. Much less a high power rifle.
you should probably have the headspace checked for sure also it looks like its super over gassed the cases look like their being extracted really violently probably just from being shot out the gas port is probably eroded pretty bad idk its looking like you got a worn rifle that should of been rebarreled before being refinished
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.
I've checked out their site. I found nothing listed for a price that i would consider reasonable for the milsurp leftovers they offer.
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.
You should completely strip and clean any fierarm that is new to you (surplus or brand new) befor you shoot it
Except for their original shipemnt of M1 Carbines years ago, everything from RTI should be considred a "wall-hanger".
That stock wobble right out of the box... I can still hear the uneducated/mean comments from my video just screaming at me calling me an idiot XD dont know why, but they really didnt appreciate the fact that I pointed out my stock was wobbly from the "factory." As for the slam firing, my Mas49 has done it, but it should be noted that this is NOT RTI's fault... just the nature of the gun. AS FOR THE STUCK CASINGS - this is RTIs fault in my opinion... they advertise refurbished or like new (at least they used to until after all the flak they were getting... I like to think I helped) --> I had to bore scrub mine like 1000 times, and what I found helped it was shooting it. The brass would basically grab all the crap and rip it out. It took me 10+ shots to get the brass to extract clean with no pitting/debris on the brass.
RTI: "Just do a quick surface wipe and we will call it professional grade refurbishing."
I swear Uli and Royal Tiger imports/pioneer Arms are just the worst! You cannot tell me from watching what you cleaned out of that gun that anyone went through any part of it! That’s dangerous as hell! I’m honestly surprised that man hasn’t been shut down
its good to add on top of this review that none of those newer cartridges are any good, I can't remember from what caliber they make the ammunitions, but its not fitting properly, thats what ppu does and its really really bad but likely the only option available sadly.
I believe you are experiencing slam fires and burst fires (when the gun goes full auto for a short time). You referred to these all as slam fires which I believe is just when you are racking the bolt and a round goes off. I’ve had the same issues with my 49/56s and the replacement firing pin advertised online did not solve the issue.
I have one from early 80s that was converted to 308, love it, accurate and never had any problems with it.
Could be rust, but also wonder if it isn't a post treatment oil. And maybe mixed with aluminum oxide, the thing most used for blasting before parkerizing.
But the slam fires, etc. Ya, not how you'd it expect to be on arrival at all. That's crap. Guessing James River hired 'help.' They're doing much higher volumes than in the past.