French 1935A

[ngenius]

7.65 Long

Unfortunately, the .30 Super Carry is not interchangeable with the 7.65 French Long. Although the 1935A is a splendid design, the metallurgy of pre-WWII pistols is not something I would trust with a high pressure round such as the .30SC. For the cost of having a custom barrel made to convert a 1935A to .30SC, one could probably purchase a used SIG P210, which was based on the Petter designed 1935A. The SIG P210 is chambered in the readily available 9mm Parabellum.

Steinel produces new 7.65 Long ammo priced at $37.99/50.

7.65 French Long - Steinel Ammunition Co.

 

[desi2358]

Steinel ammo in Ohio has produced 7.65 Long ammunition recently. They are currently showing out of stock but it might be worth inquiring about when they might have more made.

I used to own a 1935a version of the French service pistol. Made cases from 32 S&W Long brass. It was a bit of work to do but the pistol was fun to shoot. Reloading was easy, just used 32 ACP dies.

 

[DWalt]

After browsing through the reloading forums re the 7.65 Long:
1. I could not find information that anyone has tried to fire the .30 SC or use .30 SC brass in a 1935 pistol.
2. Everyone seems to be using either modified .32 S&W Long brass or Starline 7.65 Long brass.
3. Both .32 ACP and .32 S&W Long (or .32 H&R Magnum) dies will work for reloading. Die sets specifically for 7.65 Long are available but at about double the price of .32 dies.
4. Reloaders use either .309 jacketed bullets or .311 cast bullets.
5. Heavier loads and bullets are needed for reliable functioning. Load experimentation will probably be needed.

COTW says the original French Military cartridge used an 85 grain FMJ bullet (0.309") at an MV of 1120 ft/sec. That is about double the muzzle energy of the standard .32 ACP loading.

One other item mentioned several times was that the original French ammunition, if you find any, will be about 90% duds.