Histoire de MAB

A Brief History of M.A.B.

by Ed Buffaloe

The Manufacture d’Armes de Bayonne (also referred to as Manufacture d’Armes Automatiques de Bayonne) was founded by Léon Barthe in 1920 to make pistols for self defense and, later, for police use.  Until the 1950s the guns made by M.A.B. were blowback operated and largely based on Browning designs.

A true history of M.A.B has yet to be written. I don’t know if it was Léon Barthe who designed the Type 2 Model A, or if it was an employee or associate.  The basic design may have been Browning’s, but someone designed the manual safety, transfer bar, and disconnector that were used in every M.A.B. except the G and PA Series.  Even the Model R, with its external hammer used the same basic lockwork.  I wish I had the wherewithal to go to France and locate an old M.A.B. employee who could provide some more detailed information about the company. It would also be fruitful to investigate the relationships among the various Basque gun manufacturers in Northern Spain and Southern France.

Guns Made by M.A.B.

The .25 caliber Model A (Modèle A) was based on the 1903 Colt Pocket .32, with the manual safety moved forward of the grip.  The earliest Model A (Type 1) was produced from 1921 to 1924, and is identical with the 6.35mm “Eibar” type pistols (such as Tomás de Urizar’s Venus and the French Gallia, Hourat & Vié, Ixor, Unique Model 10, and many others), which were produced by various manufacturers all over the Basque region of Northern Spain and Southern France during and after World War I.

MAB Model A Type 2

It had no grip safety and the slide serrations were curved.  Production of the Type 2 Model A in blue began in January 1925.  A nickel version appeared in November of 1929.  The Type 2 was based on the 1906 Browning/1908 Colt design (which was a downsized version of the 1903 Colt), and M.A.B. did not eliminate the grip safety as so many other copies did, though the internal lockwork was redesigned.  The trigger and extractor were initially milled from steel, but after May of 1948 they were stamped from drawn sheet steel.  The magazine held 6 rounds. The only serial number information I have been able to find for the Model A is for those that were procured by the Germans during the occupation of France in World War II: 107,900 to 109,240.  According to Huon production of the Model A ceased in September of 1964. However, I possess a copy of a 1966 MAB catalog which lists the Model A.  Hogg & Walter state that manufacture ended in 1985, but I consider their dates questionable.

The .25 caliber Model B (Modèle B) was externally a close copy of the Walther Model 9, with a fixed barrel, an open-top slide, and a barbell-shaped takedown mechanism at the rear of the slide, though the internal lockwork of the Model B was almost identical to that of the Type 2 Model A, and differed considerably from the Walther.  The Model B was slightly larger and heavier than the Walther Model 9, but 12mm shorter than the Model A and 75 grams lighter.  The magazine held 6 rounds.  The Model B was made from 1932 to 1949. As best I can tell, they were only exported to the United States. for a very short time after WWII--the Model B is quite scarce in the U.S.

Top: Model D Middle:  Model C/D Bottom:  Model C

The Model C (Modèle C) in .380 and .32 caliber was based on the 1910 FN Browning.  The manual safety was moved to the front of the left grip, and the magazine release was positioned just behind the trigger, as on the 1911 Colt.  The grip is deeper than that of the 1910 Browning, and the backstrap is curved rather than straight.  The .380 version of the gun was introduced on 15 September 1933, and the .32 version on 18 October. The early version of the model C (Type 1) had its barrel bushing held in place by a spring-loaded mortise & tenon style latch on the bottom of the slide.  In the later version (Type 2) the latch was eliminated in favor of a bayonette-style bushing and the extractor was stamped rather than machined.  This change took place in November of 1946, beginning with serial number 56,081. The design of the flat spring for the grip safety was changed in March of 1950. According to Huon, production of the .380 version ended in November of 1963, while the .32 was produced until November of 1967. Beginning on 2 January 1950, what Josserand & Huon call a Model C/D was produced, in both calibers, with the short barrel and slide of the Model C but with the larger grip and magazine capacity of the Model D. However, these guns were marked simply Modèle C, probably because the guns were assembled from existing stocks of Model D frames and Model C slides and the model designation was already engraved on the slides. The company saw no need to make a second set of slides with different markings.  The standard Model C had a 7 round magazine capacity (6 rounds for .380), while the Model C/D had a 9 round capacity (8 for .380). The C/D was discontinued in March of 1964.

The Model D (Modèle D) in .380 caliber was simply an enlarged Model C with a longer barrel and slide, a deeper grip and a correspondingly greater magazine capacity (9 rounds of .32 or 8 rounds of .380), which appeared simultaneously with the .380 Model C in September of 1933. The .32 caliber version of the Model D appeared on September 30. The Model D pistols sported a military style lanyard ring at the base of the grip, and were widely used by the French police, customs, and the forest service.  A special series was produced for the Bank of France with serial numbers prefaced by BF.  The early version of the model D (Type 1) had a different style barrel bushing with a latch on the bottom of the slide (like the Type 1 Model C).  The latch was eliminated for the Model D on 11 July 1945. The Model D was MAB’s most successful pistol until the advent of the PA-15 in 1966. Medlin and Huon state that the French military contracted for 16,000 Model D pistols in 1939 and that their serial numbers ran from around 31,000 to 47,000.  Model Ds produced during the German occupation should range from approximately 47,000 to 97,000, plus L1 through L1160.  The Model D was manufactured from 1933 until 1964, and again from 1966 or ‘67 until 1982.

The Model E (Modèle E) was essentially a down-sized Model D (total length about the same as a Model C) chambered for the .25 ACP cartridge. It held 9 rounds.  The Model E was manufactured from March of 1949 to April of 1964. I speculate that this gun was produced primarily for French consumption because ownership of the larger calibers was restricted.

The Model F (Modèle F) was a blowback-operated, striker-fired .22 caliber target pistol with an open-top slide similar to the Model B and a trigger and hammer configuration similar to the Model G, and which could be purchased with barrels of various lengths and a number of different target sights. Huon states that the Model F was produced from April of 1950 to April of 1963, but Hogg and Walter assert that the production dates were 1950-1985.  Josserand states the gun was made in four barrel lengths:  4”, 4.5”, 6”, and 7”, whereas Huon gives eight different lengths that were produced at various times.

MAB Model G

The Model G (Modèle G) was offered in .22 and .32 chamberings.  It was a blowback pistol with a pointed grip tang and a rebounding hammer.  The Model G was a copy of the Spanish Echasa “Fast” pistol, which appeared in 1948 and which in turn was a simplified copy of the Walther PP. The Echasa and M.A.B. Model G both appear to be single-action only.  The Model G was introduced in 1950 or ‘51, and was probably discontinued when the Model GZ appeared in 1957.  The Model G had 19 fine vertical serrations at the rear of the slide, also similar to those on the R-series.  The take-down was a rectangular sliding latch (unlike the Walther PP, which had a hinged trigger guard) at the rear of the frame on the left side of the gun. It was available in both steel and aluminum alloy versions.  Several sources, including Josserand, Huon, and Hogg & Weeks, do not mention the Model G at all (only the GZ), yet Hogg & Weeks clearly display a gun with “MODELE G” on the side, as well as a GZ.  Hogg & Walter list both the G and GZ models.

MAB R-Para MAB R-Para Experimental MAB R-22 MAB P-15

The Model GZ (Modèle GZ), according to Josserand and Huon, was originally made in France, beginning on 7 January 1957, but the license was sold to Echasa (Echave y Arizmendi) in Eibar, Spain in 1962. The Model GZ is nearly identical to the Model G with the external hammer, but has 5 broad, angled, square-cut slide serrations. The GZ was available in .22, .25,  .32, and .380.  The French refer to them as “MAB Española,” or Spanish MAB.  Production ended in May 1964.

The Model R (Modèle R) was a blowback operated gun in 5 calibers, including .22 long rifle, .22 short, .32, .32 French long, .380, and 9mm.  It looked like a Model D with an external hammer and no grip safety.  Most previous M.A.B.s had been striker-fired.  Unlike all previous MAB’s, the slide locked open after the last round was fired, and closed when a new magazine was inserted. The first R-series gun to be released was a version in the .32 French long caliber on 23 July 1950.  This gun was the first MAB directed at the military market, but unfortunately the French military were already looking for a pistol in 9mm Parabellum, so the MAB R-32 Long was never even considered.  In February of 1951 the R-32 was intruduced in .32 caliber (7.65mm Browning), and in October of the same year the R-9 was introduced in 9mm Parabellum. There is much confusion about the R-9 (also known as the R-Para). Most sources state that the R-9 had a delayed-blowback rotating barrel action based on the Savage design.  If I read Huon’s book correctly, this rotating barrel version is the model that was first produced in October of 1951, and is referred to in the Standard Catalog of Firearms as the R Para Experimental. Collectors who are familiar with this gun tell me that probably less than 100 were made, and it served as the prototype for the later P-8 and P-15 pistols, but it was not the R-9 that was mass produced. The more common version of the R-9 is a blow-back operated gun akin to the R-32.  This is the version which I believe Huon is referring to when he says, “The mass production of the MAB R 9mm Parabellum began on February 1952 and did not end until November 1963.”  In those 12 years of production, probably not many more than 1250 R-9s were produced. The Model R-22 differed from the other R-series guns.  Built on the same frame as the R-32, it was made, according to Josserand, with an open-top slide in three barrel lengths (4.4 , 6.7, and 7.4 inches), and was essentially a Model F with an external hammer. Huon only lists barrel lengths of 110 and 185mm. Unlike the other R series guns, the R-22 did not have the feature which locked the slide open after the last round was fired. Production of the R-22 in .22 short began on 26 July 1954, and a .22 long rifle version appeared on 5 December 1954. According to Huon, production ended in April of 1965.

The P-8 (Pistolet Automatique 8), or PA-8, was a 9mm pistol with the above-described rotating barrel designed for military and police use.  It was manufactured from 1966 through 1969. It utilized a redesigned lockwork mechanism and had its connector bar on the left instead of the right.  Like the Model R, it did not have a grip safety.

The P-15 (Pistolet Automatique 15), or PA-15, was the same as the P-8, but with a 15-round double-stack magazine. It was the first pistol to have a greater magazine capacity than the Browning Hi-Power.  The P-15 was manufactured from 1966 to approximately 1985.  The gun was still listed in the 1985 Gun Digest, but not in the 1988 issue. A target version of the P-15, designated the P.A.P. F1, was also produced.

U.S. Importation

I’m not at all certain that MAB pistols were imported into the United Stated prior to World War II, but after World War II, MAB pistols were sold in the United States, first by the Western Arms Company, and later by the Winfield Arms Corporation, 1006 South Olive Street, in Los Angeles.  I assume these are two separate companies and that the similarity in initials was intentional, so they wouldn’t have to change their WAC logo.  Walter’s Dictionary of Guns and Gunmakers lists “Western Arms Corporation, Los Angeles, California, USA” as “Distributors of firearms and ammunition, including muzzle-loaders made in Belgium in the mid-1950s...,” but lists Winfield Arms Company only as a brand name of cheap revolvers and shotguns made by the Crescent Arms Company of Norwich, Connecticut.  I have been unable to find a Western Arms or Winfield Arms catalog from any era.

The 1951 and 1952 editions of Gun Digest list the Model A, Model C, and Model D as being available from the Western Arms Company, and the grips illustrated show WAC in an oval rather than MAB. There is no entry for either MAB or WAC in Gun Digest for the next five years, but several WAC/MAB pistols are listed in a 1956 catalog of guns by Hy Hunter of Burbank, California, and the Guns Digest of 1958 listed them as being available from the Winfield Arms Corporation. The guns listed in 1958 and later were given names--so the Modèle A became Le Defendeur, the Modèle C became Le Cavalier, the Modèle D became Le Gendarme, the Modèle R .22 became Le Chasseur, and the Modèle R Para became Le Militaire. WAC was also importing rifles as early as 1953, which they advertised in American Rifleman.

By the time the PA-8 and PA-15 pistols came out, MAB was probably no longer distributed by Winfield, as I have not seen one marked with WAC. The 1968 Gun Digest states that the MAB Autoloading pistol (8 or 15 shot) was imported by Mars Equipment.  The 1985 Gun Digest states that the MAB P-15 pistol was imported by Howco Distribution, Inc.

Late MAB Company History

Control of the City of Bayonne and the M.A.B. factory was taken over by German occupation forces from 26 June 1940 to mid-November 1942.  French production of M.A.B. pistols did not resume until after the liberation of France in 1945.

Medlin and Huon state that the company changed hands several times after 1945. Josserand and Huon both indicate that many MAB guns ceased production in 1964, even though some of them were still listed in a catalog published in 1966.  It may be that the company had ceased production of some product lines but were still able to sell from existing inventory. MAB went bankrupt in 1968, but in October of 1969 the company was restructured and a 40% stake was acquired by Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium, after which production of the Model D, P-15, and P.A.P. F1 were resumed.  Under partial ownership by FN the MAB factory made parts for the Browning Le Bébé, .22 Sport, and the Barracuda revolver, and MAB was able to sell its products through FN’s sales channels. However, reduced sub-contracting work and poor sales of the P-15 forced the company to close in September of 1982. After the closure of MAB several of its former executives founded a company called MABCO in 1986, which resumed production of the P-15 and the P.A.P. F1. MABCO also experimented with a gun, based on the P-15, that was convertable from 9mm to .45 ACP, as well as a double-action version of the P-15. However, neither gun ever progressed beyond the prototype stage. MABCO had plans to modernize production methods and redesign the P-15 so that it could be manufactured with CNC (computer numerical controlled) machine tools, but were apparently unable to obtain sufficient financing to go into production.  There were rumors at one time that MABCO would move production to the former Yugoslavia, but nothing ever came of them.  I do not have an exact date for the demise of MABCO, but the company probably only lasted a few years. MABCO was the last remaining manufacturer of large caliber handguns in France.  Hogg & Walter state simply that “a rescue attempt failed.”

References 2005 Standard Catalog of Firearms, by Ned Schwing.  KP Books, Iola, WI: 2004. “Collecting Modern French Pistols,” by Major Richard J. Keogh. Arms Gazette, March 1980. Dictionary of Guns and Gunmakers, by John Walter.  Greenhill, London:  2001. French Service Handguns, 1858-2004, by Eugene Medlin and Jean Huon.  Tommy Gun Publications, St. Louis: 2004. Guns, Third Edition, by Hy Hunter. Wilcox & Follett, New York:  1956. The Handgun, by Geoffrey Boothroyd. Bonanza, New York: 1970. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Handguns, by A.B. Zhuk.  Greenhill, London:  1995. Les Pistolets Automatiques Francais: 1890-1990, by Jean Huon.  Histoire & Collections, Paris:  1995. “Les Prototypes MAB,” by Bernard Meyer.  Gazette des Armes, No. 200. “The M.A.B. Pistols,” by Michel H. Josserand.  The American Handgunner, May/June 1979. Pistols of the World, by Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks. Arms & Armour Press, London: 1978. Pistols of the World, by Ian V. Hogg & John Walter.  Krause, Iola, WI: 2004. http://www.precisionsmallarms.com/history.aspx

Attention: I am interested in buying MAB pistols produced before the Second World War, and certain post-war pistols.  I am also interested in publishing additional photographs of MAB pistols.  Contact me at the e-mail address below, if you can help.

MAB Model A
MAB Models C and D
MAB Model R Para
MAB Model R-22
MAB Model P-15

Copyright 2008 by Ed Buffaloe. All rights reserved.
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