Loveable Rat- Info on 7.5

You wanted to know about the 7.5X55 MAS? I don't know as much as about the Mauser, but I can say this.The round was developed in the 1920's to replace the venerable 8mm Lebel, as it didn't work too well in machine guns due to its rim and high angle bottlenecking. It was used through the 1970s, I believe. A few third world nations also used it. The only guns you will encounter in this chambering are likely to be some form of the MAS 36 bolt action, or MAS 49 semi auto. I have both of these rifles and will say that while workmanship and overall appearance are not as nice as that of a good quality German pre WW2 Mauser, both guns are reliable, functional, fairly accurate weapons, well made, and well developed. In fact, both guns are unique in that they use the bare minimum of parts necessary to get the job done, and in this regard make very good sense to me for a combat weapon.The 7.5 cartridge itself is ballistically more or less similar to the .308 Winchester (7.62X51 Nato) and can be loaded using resized 6.5X55 Mauser brass and standard .308 bullets. Some surplus and the odd lot of commercial ammo are also available. All in all a very good cartridge, I prefer it over the 8mm Mauser myself.The guns are usually found in excellent condition, often still in the factory wrappers, and can be had for $100-$150 for the 36, or $200-$250 for the 49. Then again, France didn't fight too hard, so it is reasonable to assume these guns wouldn't be too worn.One last note of caution; many guns which have been imported to the U.S. have a chamber plug insert allowing them to shoot standard .308 Win ammo, due to the relative scarcity of the original round. These seem to cause shooters nothing but trouble in the form of stuck cases, broken case necks, etc. I recommend getting one in the original caliber only, or one that has been properly rebarreled.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.