Neat!Unfamiliar with the French MAS myself,but looks like that should be a heck of a deer/hog/bear round based on the old milspec data.Especially with that strong of an action and modern bullets/powder.
A quick google suggests 308 Win data is a starting point.YMMV,do your own reading as always!

 

I'm not experienced with it yet but my grandson just got one so I will be before long. It is very accurate with the factory ammo he has and feels well made.

 

The MAS was used by the French in the Indochina War against the Vietnamese, when France was trying to hold Vietnam as a French colony. The war went for 8 years and ended in 1954. Basically, the French got their butt kicked. There is probably some history in that MAS.

 

I've never seen nor handled one before. Thanks for sharing! - TR

 

Hello.
The MAS 36 was adopted by the French army in 1936. It was modified several times; the 36/51 version was adapted for launching NATO grenades. It was replaced by the semi-auto rifle MAS 49 then 49/56 but was still in use yet in the 1980s. There was one version for the sharpshooters known as FRF1. The barrel length was 575 mm (22.6"). Because of the French regulations about firearms many were rechambered in 30-284.
The cartridge (7,5 x 54) is obsolete but still produced by PRVI Partizan in Serbia.
I have reloading data but they are for French Vectan powders. Can send them to you if you're nevertheless interested.

 

Found this MAS 36 a couple weeks ago in a pawn shop at a good price. Looks like someone shortened the barrel but it appears well done. From what I have found the FG prefix indicates it was manufactured around 1952. I don't keep safe queens so need to get some dies, brass and bullets to work up some loads. Also figured the bayonet might be useful for the coup de grâce on a deer or hog lol. Anybody here have experience loading 7.5x54 French?

I almost bought one many years ago, in 7.62 NATO. Not sure where you would find brass though.

 

Bertram make them, Partizan maybe.

 

May be this can help:

 

Hornady Handbook of Reloading #7 and #8 has data for the 7.5x54 MAS. Here's the cartridge dimensions in inches.

 

One of the milsurps I always wanted but never bought. They're great rifles.

 

Only small problem, as on a SMLE, the bolt locks on the back.

 

The MAS 36 is one I let go some years back when I sold off all my foreign military collection. The one I had, to this day, is the only one I've ever seen with the original Suncorite finish. Most have been refinished and parkerized post WW2. I had been looking for an original finish example for many years and one day at a gunshow, an elderly gent was selling off his personal collection and had exactly what I had been looking for, original finish, mint bore, H block serial number(1940) and no import stampings. He only wanted $200 so I grabbed it. I eventually ended up selling it to a guy at work and he still has it. I've tried to buy it back a number of times but he won't listen to any of that nonsense!