Favorite Firearms: A WWII Vet's MAB Modele C

posted on December 22, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
mab.jpg

My father was a World War II veteran. He was a Marine who had served in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1946, and growing up, I knew practically nothing about his service. Like many of his buddies, he didn’t talk about his service, but urging him to talk a few years before he died, I learned he had done amphibious landings in combat at Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima. 

His stories were sobering. Like many veterans, my dad didn’t hunt or shoot after the war, but he did own one gun that he had been given by his father: a French-made Manufacture d’Armes de Bayonne (MAB) Modele C, chambered in 7.65 mm Browning (.32 ACP).

Dad kept it in a cardboard cigar box on the top shelf in his closet. MAB sold these just after the war for personal protection, and my maternal grandfather bought one in the early 1950s. When my father’s health started to decline, mom asked me to take the MAB for safekeeping, making it my first firearm.

The Model C was a design based on the John Browning-designed FN Model 1910. Mine is in pristine condition, and I doubt my father ever fired it. He liked the design and we spoke about it and its exceptional machining and action. It is because of this gun that I began collecting a few small pre-war pistols and became fascinated by their designs.

After my father died, I pulled out the MAB Model C, and I keep it in the gun safe now—well-oiled and holding a lot of memories of my father, my grandfather and how it was the gun that first sparked my interest in becoming a firearm collector and enthusiast.

—James Hawkins, Georgia

Latest

Kimber 2K11
Kimber 2K11

Review: Kimber 2K11

The 2011-style pistol was designed to address the capacity limitations of the single-stack M1911 platform, and Kimber's approach to the concept is its 2K11, a competition-ready offering with several notable features.

Favorite Firearms: A High-Flying Hi-Standard “A-D”

Manufactured in New Haven, Conn., in late 1940, this Hi-Standard pistol was shipped as a Model “A,” but a heavier Model “D” barrel was installed later to replace the original, light barrel, leading one American Rifleman reader to call it a Model “A-D.”

Ruger Helps Families In Need Through The Kids & Clays Foundation

In the effort to help tens of thousands of critically ill children and their families across the nation through local Ronald McDonald Houses, Ruger is among some of the industry’s foremost Platinum-level sponsors of The Kids & Clays Foundation.

Unlocking The Future: Smith & Wesson's "No Lock" Revolvers

The future is shaping up to be a good one for fans of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The iconic American company had released 14 new models thus far in 2025 at the time this was written mid-year. And, with one exception, they have all shared a common feature—no internal lock.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 6, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

FEMA Notes Decline In Disaster Preparedness

A recent report from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) noted a decline in local government preparedness for natural disasters, putting increased pressure on individuals to prepare themselves for emergencies.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.