| 7.5×54mm MAS mod. 1929 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Rifle | |
| Place of origin | France | |
| Service history | ||
| In service | 1929–1980 | |
| Used by | France, Germany, Vietnam | |
| Wars | World War II, First Indochina War, Algerian War, Suez Crisis, Vietnam War | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | MAS | |
| Designed | 1924 | |
| Variants | Balle "C", Balle "D" | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | 7.5×57mm MAS mod. 1924 | |
| Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |
| Bullet diameter | 7.8 mm (0.31 in) | |
| Neck diameter | 8.6 mm (0.34 in) | |
| Shoulder diameter | 11.2 mm (0.44 in) | |
| Base diameter | 12.2 mm (0.48 in) | |
| Rim diameter | 12.2 mm (0.48 in) | |
| Rim thickness | 1.4 mm (0.055 in) | |
| Case length | 54 mm (2.1 in) | |
| Overall length | 78 mm (3.1 in) | |
| Rifling twist | 250 mm (10 inches) | |
| Primer type | Large rifle | |
| Maximum pressure | 280 MPa | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 9.0 g (139 gr) Balle "C" FMJ | 823 m/s (2,700 ft/s) | 3,038 J (2,241 ft·lbf) |
| 9.7 g (150 gr) SP | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) | 3,550 J (2,620 ft·lbf) |
| 11.7 g (181 gr) SP | 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) | 3,650 J (2,690 ft·lbf) |
| Test barrel length: 574 mm (22.6 inch) Source(s): SurplusRifle.com [1]/Cartridges of the World [2] |
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The 7.5×54mm French MAS or 7.5 French cartridge was developed by France as an update to the 7.5×57mm MAS mod. 1924 cartridge. It replaced the obsolete 8 mm Lebel round used during World War I. In terms of power it is somewhat comparable to the 7.62×51mm NATO/.308 Winchester round. The 7.5 French cartridge is somewhat similar to the slightly longer 7.5×55mm Schmidt Rubin (7.5 mm Swiss) round but users should never try to interchange the two rounds.
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By World War I the French Army realized that it needed to update its once revolutionary, but now obsolete, 8 mm Lebel ammunition. Unfortunately due to the demands of mass production of the 8mm Lebel round during World War I it was not able to do so until after the war had ended. In 1924, the 7.5×57mm MAS cartridge was introduced but was soon replaced with the slightly shorter 7.5×54mm MAS. Two main variations were manufactured for military use, the 1924C and 1924D, being light and heavy ball respectively. The French Army chose to adopt the light ball ammunition for service use in the MAS-36 and MAS-49 rifles as well as in the Mle 1924-29 machine rifle. The heavier Balle D was designed for machine gun usage. The military ordered the manufacture of armor piercing, tracers, incendiary, training, and other types of 7.5 mm MAS ammunition. The round is still classified in France as war material. While this ammunition tends to be scarce in the United States and is also corrosive and Berdan-primed, reloadable Boxer-primed cartridge cases can be produced by reforming 6.5×55mm Swedish Mauser brass. More recently, the ammunition manufacturer Prvi Partizan has brought onto the U.S. market a freshly manufactured French MAS 7.5mm ammunition that is non-corrosive.