The MAS36 used the same 7.5mm round as that of the FM24/29, loaded via a 5-shot stripper clip (as per the Mauser) and featured a unique bayonet which was housed below the barrel and simply extracted, turned through 180 degrees and re-inserted to deploy. Where bayonets are not permanently attached to a gun, or touch the barrel, they have a negative effect on the gun's ability to be correctly sighted. In the case of this design, neither issue was to be encountered, thus preserving the accuracy regardless of whether the bayonet was deployed or not.

The MAS36 weighed 3.71 kg (8.2 lb) unloaded, was 1,021 mm (40.2 in) long and had an effective range of 350-400m on its open iron sights (after WW1 it had been established that most firefights took place at ranges of around 300m).