MAB Model R
Manufacture d'Armes de Bayonne · Pistol · Discontinued · 1950
Also known as: MAB Modele R, MAB R-32 Longue, MAB R Longue
Overview
The MAB Model R is a French single-action, blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol produced by Manufacture d'Armes de Bayonne. Introduced around 1950, the R-series was offered in several chamberings, with this R-32 Longue variant firing the 7.65x20mm Longue (7.65mm French Long) service cartridge. It features an external hammer, a half-cock notch and a magazine safety, and a slide that closes automatically when a loaded magazine is inserted. The R-series represented MAB's postwar move toward simplified manufacturing alongside its larger blowback service-pistol designs.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 790 g (27.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 184 mm (7.24") |
| Barrel Length | 107 mm (4.21") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 9 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 350 m/s (1148 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 306 J (226 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.65x20mm Longue · primary — also known as 7.65 French Long, 7.65mm MAS, .30 Pedersen
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch, Magazine Safety
- Features: External Hammer, Automatic Slide Closure On Magazine Insertion
Variants
- MAB Model R-9 - Caliber 9mm Parabellum
- MAB Model R-32 - Caliber 7-65mm Browning
- MAB Model R-22 - Caliber 22
Production
Production years: 1950-1963
Large-caliber R-series models were produced until 1963; the .22 R-22 continued to 1965.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Discontinued: 1963
Notes
The Model R was made in 9mm Parabellum (R-9), 7.65mm French Long (R-32 Longue), 7.65mm Browning (R-32), 9mm Browning Short (R-380) and .22 rimfire (R-22). The 7.65 Longue chambering was relatively rare among commercial pistols, that cartridge being primarily a French military round used in the Modèle 1935 pistols and MAS-38 submachine gun.
Background
Manufacture d'Armes de Bayonne resumed pistol production after World War II under Jean Barthe, and the R-series was conceived as a simplified, more economical line. The 7.65 Longue chambering tied it to France's interwar military cartridge, though the round saw little commercial success.