Avon M50 FM50 Gas Mask Respirator

Vid of the Avon M50 respirator showing exhale valve/voice diaphragm assembly, self sealing inhale valves, drinking system and the interior of the mask.

The commercial version of the M50 is known as the FM50. The M51 mask is an M50 fitted with a special blanking plug on one bayonet and a specially designed bayonet hose for use in armored vehicles(M42A2 is to M40 as M51 is to M50). A chemical hood can also be used in conjunction.

The civilian variant designed for law enforcement, the C50, is fitted with 40mm filter receptacles as opposed to the bayonet fittings on the M50. A separate mask used by both law enforcement and NATO special forces is the M53 / FM53. The FM53 can be fitted with variable resistance valves for use with SCBA setups. The dual port FM53 can also be incorporated in CCBA rebreather loops.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• m50
• m-50
• gas
• mask
• m40
• m-40
• current
• issue

[elperrob0rracho8]

hey do you know how much do the filters for this mask last, you know before they become toxic?

[RetroRespirators]

@elperrob0rracho8 I'm gonna speculate maybe a week or two. The cool thing with the M50 filters is that they have an indicator tab on the inside of the filter that changes color. While the tab just reacts with oxygen and does not directly have anything to do with the filter internals, it does serve for representation. I keep my M50 filters vacuum bagged even though they are probably expired training filters. Just nice to have them as collector items.

[RetroRespirators]

@elperrob0rracho8 All that being said, they should not be hazardous to use for another couple of years. Hazardous is a loosely used term here as well. Mainly what I am talking about is when the filter components other than the carbon begin to break down.

[elperrob0rracho8]

what would you think is an apprpriate price for one of these, because i found one of these for 322 bucks so can you tell me if it is a good price? please reply(:

[RetroRespirators]

@elperrob0rracho8 I'd say it is an alright price. They are going to come down in price in the future though and be significantly more common. Filters are difficult to find for them too, so if you intend it to be a SHTF kind of mask, I'd look elsewhere. Really depends on what you want. I have seen the C50 masks for around the same; a better mask in my opinion. Basically an M50 facepiece with 40mm ports. Can use all of the M50 accessories but can use most 40mm filters...

[Knuklehead211]

@RetroRespirators See any c50's around now? I plan on picking up one of these, just cant find em online.

[funkra]

Found some FM50/M50's on gunbroker...new apparently. Not stolen or surplus like some of the stuff on ebay.

[elperrob0rracho8]

@RetroRespirators thanks man, i will buy it then, besides i already have my SHTF mask which is an m40 so this one will be more like another mask in my collection, thanks again, youre the best when it comes to gas masks

[RetroRespirators]

@FortitudeOfHeaven As you said, Russia uses a lot of old stock equipment for training purposes. The new PMK-3 introduced in 2003ish is used quite conservatively but is pretty slick. It's pretty much a drastically improved GP-7VM(PMK-2). It's one of the few modern Russian masks to feature an internal nose cup. Plus, wider lenses than the previous PMKs offer much improved field of vision. Any reference of these on the internet is kinda limited. A few pics can be found on himgorodok(.)ru

[FortitudeOfHeaven]

@RetroRespirators I see, thanks for the correction. I'm in the US so I assumed the S10s were still in use by the UK. The GP-5s used by the Russians look outdated too and they're for civilian use, unless they had nothing else or were really devoted to the Soviet legacy.

I like how the FM53 uses the standard 40mm thread where the M50 uses the specific proprietary filters. Easier for NATO joint operations or go with filters that have higher protection.

They're hard to find.