So, a few weeks ago I asked about modifying .32 S&W Long brass to make 7.65 French Longue (7.65 MAS) brass. Well, I still don't have a lathe so no luck there. But I DID luck into about 30 so-modified cases.

I loaded half with a 78gr Hi-Tek coated LRN from Missouri bullet company over 4.8 grains of Power Pistol. I've seen loads similar to this one posted here. These cycled with authority, felt great, and shot right to POA. They averaged just over 1200 fps.

I loaded the other half with 110gr .30 Carbine plated RN bullets over 3.1 grains of Power Pistol. These were very soft but did cycle and even locked the slide back. They averaged just over 750 fps. I had to adjust my hold a bit elevation wise to get them to hit.

I will continue development of both loads. The 110gr load will get a bump in the charge weight.

I was able to reclaim all of my fired cases and all were normal.

I am using .32 ACP dies but the shell holder is very sloppy. Before I make an investment in cases I will have to have a custom shell holder made as with thr .32 ACP shell holder is it very easy to end up witn a folded over case mouth section when flaring

If you have a lathe you're better off using the revolver brass. All you have to do is trim to length, turn off the rim, add the groove.

With the .30 Carbine you're going to have to reduce OD, deepen the groove, cut to length, and ream the interior.

Interesting thread.

Can we get a pic of 7.65 long next to 32 S&W?

Just picked up a Lee die set on Ebay someone must've had made. Comes with the appropriately sized shell holder, too.

Just a small update. I thought I might try some of the little Speer 100gr half-jacket bullets. They're .308", and the nominal bullet diameter is .309". Normally, with something like - well, anything - a bullet being .001" undersized wouldn't be an issue. But I COULD NOT get the Plinkers to stay put in the case. Even heavily crimping them, they could still move under finger pressure.

I am wondering if the .32 revolver brass isn't really thick enough to hold the .308" (and probably .309" for that matter) bullets. Both .32 ACP and dedicated 7.65 Longue dies size the case down to below .330" (nominal loaded diameter is .335") but I guess that just ins't enough.

Strangely, .30 Carbine bullets do seem to grip fairly well - but they do have more bearing surface within the case, too.

Perhaps sticking with the .312" .32 ACP bullets is the way to go.

ETA:

Also, the 1935A is a joy to shoot. It shoots like a laser, with extremely mild recoil and virtually zero muzzle flip. The gun is extremely svelte (it makes a Tokarev seem bulky!) and it appears quite accurate.

Finally got the 100gr Speer Plinkers to stay put - by not flaring the case mouths at all.

I used the same 3.6 grain charge of Power Pistol as I used under the .30 Carbine bullets and got 846 fps with an SD of 12.

Very light/mild.

Only shot 8 rounds, but none of them hit the gongs.

Obviously the heavier/way slower bullet has a different POI.

Yes, it is a 1935A, predecessor to the Sig P210.

Okay so this is freaking huge....

...Starline listed 7.65 Longue brass on backorder a few days ago.

I found a company called Bear Creek Supply out of California that sells moly coated lead bullets. They make some unique stuff. I ordered some 9mm, .45 ACP, .357 Mag, and 190gr .38 S&W bullets for my Enfield about 3 months ago. They're great bullets.

They just so happen to make an 87gr .309" bullet for Mauser/Luger/Tokarev loads thay should be PERFECT for the Longue.

I'm going to use up the rest of my Speer plinkers, but when I do I'll be ordering some of those.

I received my 1000 cases from Starline yesterday.

As usual, they look fantastic. They fit in the dedicated shell holder that came with my custom Lee die set perfectly.

The are headstamped with Starline's usual *-* headstamp and "7.65 F L".

One thing I am considering is trying to load them on my Hornady LNL AP, but that would require a shell plate. I already know my .30 Carbine/.32 ACP shell plate WON'T work, but it looks like a .22 Hornet just might. If I can find one locally I might see if I can "try before I buy" and see if they do in fact fit.

Unfortunately, even after running through the sizing die (which does size the factory new cases slightly), I don't get much tension on a .309" bullet. I just tried some Missouri Bullet Company 78gr LRN that I had resized down to .309" for thicker European .32 ACP brass and they can be pushed in by thumb pressure.

Unfortunately this likely means running oversized and underweight .312" .32 ACP bullets to attain enough "pull" on the bullet. The case wall probably aren't thick quite enough to hold the nominal .309" bullet. However I'm certain one can still make good ammo with them and the converted cases have the same problem.

I may still order a small sample of the Bear Creek .309" bullets just to check.

Do you powder coat?

Each coat adds .002 to the diameter of the bullet.

I do not, nor do I cast. It would probably be beneficial, but there's only so much time.

A small update:

I slugged the bore...it measures .313"! So those .312" bullets will nearly inevitably provide better accuracy anyway. I bought 1000 Berry's 71gr .32 ACP bullets to load with.

I have 150 rounds loaded up. I decided to start from scratch since I have a new bullet and I really wasn't sure how the capacity of the purpose-made cases compares with that of the converted revolver brass. One set is with Power Pistol, another with TiteGroup, and one with IMR Green.

Will let you know when I shoot em.

Well, shot 150 of my loads in the new Starline brass today. Temps right around 80 degrees, low humidity...just a wonderful day for a range trip.

All ammo was loaded with Starline brass, Berry's 71gr plated RN, and seated to an overall length of 1.080" (which is well short of the original OAL - probably around 1.180" - 1.200"). Still, all rounds fed and ejected perfectly. They all shot to the sights. None had any signs of excessive pressure.

The original military specifications for the cartridge are an 85 grain bullet at 1120 fps. My 71gr bullets are considerably lighter, but still seem to shoot very close to the sights.

First up, 4.8 grains of Power Pistol. They were..."intense". More recoil than the other two, and the muzzle flash and blast typically associated with Power Pistol were well represented. They chronographed 1221 fps with an SD of 22.

Second, 3.8 grains of IMR Green. I've been playing around a lot with this powder recently, for which no pistol load data exists. In a cartridge for which no data at all exists. But after working with it in 9mm, .32 ACP, and .45 ACP I felt I had enough data points to extrapolate something reasonable. These loads chronographed at  1134 fps with an SD of 15. No muzzle flash, considerably less recoil and blast than the Power Pistol.

Lastly, 3.5 grains of TiteGroup. These clocked at 1180 fps with an SD of 16. The IMR Green and the TiteGroup shot very similarly, but I have to say I liked this load best. This is what I will go into "production" mode with. Recoil was flat and mild, with just a little bit of muzzle flash.

I know I've said it before, but this pistol is just a joy to shoot. It's so svelte, it feels like an 80% scale gun. The recoil impulse is truly barely more than a .22LR. It sits very low in the hand and has nearly no muzzle rise. Yet, it certainly packs more wallop on the gongs than you'd expect. Much like it's larger Swiss cousin (Sig P210) it shoots like a laser beam.

The only downside at the range is the beavertail, which is small and sharp, it really rubs fleshy area between my trigger finger and my thumb raw. A piece of tape or band-aid beforehand would alleviate that though, and it may not even be an issue for you.

Does anyone know if Hornady makes custom shell plates, and if so what they run?

I'd really like to crank these out on my LNL AP rather than my Lee Turret.

The extraction groove is about .284", if the .22 Hornet is .299" at the base, how much bigger (for clearance) is the Hornady shell plate slot?

If it is .310" or bigger is probably won't work.

I actually have a custom Lee shell holder specifically for the 7.65 Longue. It works perfectly, but I'd really like to load this on the progressive.

No sir. I've got one, no go.

Just spoke to Hornady about a custom shell plate. $135 + 12 week lead time, for any that may be interested.

The price really isn't surprising, the lead time is a bit tough to swallow though. In three months I may be obsessing over something else.