MAB PA15

[40Arpent]

Anybody have one, or know much about them? I inherited one from my father (I think he picked it up at a gun show somewhere along the way). Seems like a decently well-built handgun, and it shoots very well with crap range ammo. I don't plan to shoot it much, just curious about it....

Thanks,
Pete

[penates]

The PA15 was made by the French company Manufacture d'Armes Automatiques de Bayonne (MAB). It uses a rotary locking barrel system similar to the Savage pocket pistols. They were made in the seventies and were on of the few hi capacity 9mm's on the market. Well made and machined, they saw limited French military and police use and were not imported in any large numbers. Magazines are hard to come by but as a range gun it should be fun to shoot.

[40Arpent]

The PA15 was made by the French company Manufacture d'Armes Automatiques de Bayonne (MAB). It uses a rotary locking barrel system similar to the Savage pocket pistols. They were made in the seventies and were on of the few hi capacity 9mm's on the market. Well made and machined, they saw limited French military and police use and were not imported in any large numbers.

That much I had already gleaned from my good friend, Mr. Google. Thanks though. ;)

[penates]

If you put a good number of rounds through it post how the reliability is. As far as I know it is the only service caliber pistol using that locking system besides the Beretta 80xx/PX4 series guns.

[TOrrock]

I have heard, but can't personally confirm, that they had issues with the locking lugs breaking at higher round counts.

They never really made it in the international market for a reason.

The French military kept their M1950 single stack pistols in service instead of adopting the PA-15, until the Beretta 92 came along.

Neat guns though, always did like the aesthetics of them.

[40Arpent]

Thanks Templar, much appreciated! Based on your comments, I don't guess I'll be running it hard, which is not an issue as it is more of a keepsake. Thanks again!

[TOrrock]

I saw this article a while back, and thought that it's one of the best I've seen. I was actually thinking of buying one.....I'm a sucker for neat guns and designs that are off the beaten path.




http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/MABP15/mabp15.html

[wilshire1412]

I have had one in my possesion for 20 years or so, it does have a broken recoil spring guide rod. Since the P-15 is a rotating barrel lockup design the back end of the recoil spring guide is a part of the locking lug mechanism. I have fired the pistol with the mechanism as it is, but only when it failed as I did not know it had broken until the guide rod fell apart.

I have not seen any spare parts for sale since.

[40Arpent]

Thanks fellas!!!

[40Arpent]

I saw this article a while back, and thought that it's one of the best I've seen. I was actually thinking of buying one.....I'm a sucker for neat guns and designs that are off the beaten path.




http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/MABP15/mabp15.html

simply outstanding, thanks Templar!!!!

[dewatters]

For a brief time in the early 1980s, a .45 ACP variant of the PA15 was marketed in the US. I remember seeing the ads and reading a review in "Combat Handguns".

[40Arpent]

For a brief time in the early 1980s, a .45 ACP variant of the PA15 was marketed in the US. I remember seeing the ads and reading a review in "Combat Handguns".

From Templar's link, it looks like the .45 it never made it to production before the company folded. They were obviously very close to getting it out the door, though.

[TOrrock]

Waiting on pics.......:big_boss:

[40Arpent]

Waiting on pics.......:big_boss:

Damn, didn't even think to take pics. Will get on that soon, sir! :)

[KBAR-04]

I have one and it is an extremely accurate weapon, reliable with factory magazines. It has an unusual rotary lockup system. The downside to these pistols: 1)very heavy for what they are as they are of all steel construction and 2) the magazines are hard to find and expensive. Triple K occasionally makes runs of the mags and while fairly cheap, they are not 100 percent reliable.

It's an interesting collector piece. I bought this one to go with my FAMAS semi rifle, not as a primary shooter. This pistol was not adopted by the French military in significant numbers(despite erroneous reports to the contrary in the gun press) so there are no real surplus parts out there.

[40Arpent]

Waiting on pics.......:big_boss:

Apologies for crappy iphone pics and my lackluster photog skills. Most of what looks like wear or damage in these pics are just reflections (like on the leading edge of the right grip, first pic)....

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg535/scaled.php?server=535&filename=mabpa15b.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg844/scaled.php?server=844&filename=mabpa15a.jpg&res=medium

[TOrrock]

Very cool. Thanks for the pics.

[40Arpent]

Thanks, and you're welcome. ;)

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Looks like they smashed a PPK, FN HI POWER and a sig 220 togher in a press and thats what poped out.

[40Arpent]

Looks like they smashed a PPK, FN HI POWER and a sig 220 togher in a press and thats what poped out.

Made in France...I think they did that and that's what POOPED out. :D