The company "Manufacture d'Armes de Bayonne" was established in 1920 by M. Leon Barthe at the docks on the Adour.
First, they specialized in the production of automatic pistols, which were sold with moderate, though increasing success on the private market.
During the German occupation in World War II, the factory was under German management and control from 1940 to 1944 . The work got new aims to fulfill the demands of the German army. The pistols supplied to the German army and German police were marked with their corresponding usual German proof-marks.
After the war in 1945 the production of commercial pistols started again, and the company MAB completed their range of pistols with new models, which were sold in France on the private market as well as to army and authorities. An extensive assortment of different Models were created, which were also exported world-wide. In the United States, MAB pistols were imported and traded by the Winfield Arms Corporation, or " WAC " in Los Angeles.
In the year 1963, the company erected a new factory in the industrial area of Pontots.
By March 1968 until October 1969, the company was restructured and the arms-production was interrupted. Then the production of the pistols model D, P15 and F1 started again. Additionally, however also components were now produced for the aeronautics.
In the course of another restructuring, the Belgian company Fabrique National (FN) acquired in Herstal 40% of the business-shares. Now, also supply-parts for the FN pistoles Browning Baby, .22 Sport and for the revolver Barracuda were produced.
The steady diminution of these deliveries and the failure with the development of the pistol P15 increasingly caused difficulties for the company MAB so that it had to be closed in September 1982.