MAT-49 Suppressed
| Factions | Weapon | Icon | Classes | Ammo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 VC |
 MAT-49 Suppressed |
 |
 Medic Engineer Radioman |
35 / 105 |
| Damage Base | Headshot × | Chest × | Stomach × | Leg × | Arm × | Reload Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partial | Empty | ||||||
| 35 | ×2.4 = 84 | ×1.3 = 45.5 | ×1.2 = 42 | ×0.8 = 28 | ×0.75 = 26.25 | 2.5 Seconds | 3.33 Seconds |
| Designation | Weapon Type | Fire Modes | Fire Rate | Bullet Spread ° | Range Modifier | Muzzle Velocity | Projectile weight | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAT-49 | Suppressed SMG |
Auto | 600 RPM | 6.75° & 1.7° ADS | 0.88 | 469 m/s | 5.5 g (84.87 gr) | 4.5 kg (9.92 lbs) |
| Full name | Caliber | Place of Origin | Date | Manufacturer | Barrel Length | Total Length | Weapon Script Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistolet-Mitrailleur de 9 mm modèle 1949 | 7.62x25 | France | 1949 | Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle | 9.1 in (230 mm) | 28 in (720 mm) | weapon_mat49_sog |
The MAT-49 is a French 9×19mm submachine gun designed for military and police use and produced primarily by Manufacture d’armes de Tulle (MAT). It is a simple open-bolt, blowback-operated weapon best known for its folding magazine housing, which can pivot forward under the barrel to make the gun more compact for carry. After large numbers were captured in Indochina, the MAT-49 became a common Viet Minh/Việt Cộng weapon, including locally converted versions chambered for 7.62×25mm Tokarev.
HISTORY
In 1949, the French MAT factory began producing the MAT-49 using stamped-sheet construction for economical mass production, providing a compact automatic weapon for the French Army, airborne units, and colonial forces during the First Indochina War. The design emphasized ruggedness and portability, combining a sliding stock with the distinctive folding magazine housing for easier movement in vehicles and tight terrain. Production continued at Tulle until the mid-1960s and later shifted to MAS at Saint-Étienne, and the weapon remained in French service for decades before being phased out after the adoption of the FAMAS.
After French forces left Indochina, the People's Army of Vietnam and Viet Minh (and later the Việt Cộng) continued using many captured MAT-49s into the Vietnam War. A substantial number were converted to fire the Soviet 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge—available in large quantities from the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China—typically recognizable by conversion details such as barrel and feeding changes and often described as having an increased cyclic rate (commonly cited around 900 rpm). Captured and modified MAT-49s, including suppressed field adaptations, became a recognizable staple among communist forces in Vietnam.
Sources
- Imperial War Museums — French MAT 49 Submachine-gun
- Royal Armouries — Centrefire automatic submachine gun - MAT Model 1949
- BICC SALW Guide — MAT 49
- American Rifleman — “The MAT-49: France’s Mid-20th Century SMG”
- Forgotten Weapons — Vietnamese MAT-49 in 7.62mm Tokarev
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Vietnamese silenced MAT-49 made from captured M3 suppressor -
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A soldier of the National Liberation Front (N.L.F), armed with a French MAT-49 sub-machine gun. -
A Vietnamese farmer with a rusted MAT 49 which he found on a rice field in Dien Bien Phu, northern Vietnam, 7 May 2020. (Photo by Thomas Goisque)
