Load DataWidenersLee PrecisionInline Fabrication
Titan ReloadingRotoMetals2RepackboxMidSouth Shooters Supply
Reloading Everything
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 25

Thread: ANY Frenchie shooters here? 1916 Berthier cast boolits

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Gunfreak25's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    265

    ANY Frenchie shooters here? 1916 Berthier cast boolits

    https://mobile.gunauction.com/displa...emnum=14654237

    I won this last week. Always wanted a nice Berthier, and this one was likely one of just 40000 M16 long rifles sent to Poland after the war to help fight the Bolsheviks.

    Any Frenchies here in the closet? This one is not Balls N marked for the hotter machine gun ammo. So no surplus for me.

    Looks like the Lee 329 8x56r mould sized to 329 would be a perfect boolit for these which slug .327 usually.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." -Thomas Jefferson

  2. #2
    Moderator


    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Way up in the Cascades
    Posts
    8,082
    Congratulations on obtaining a nice collector piece. I also have one in comparable condition, right down to the same brass handled bayonet.

    I was fortunate enough to come by a couple of the Mannlicher-style clips and a couple of partial boxes of Rem. ammo. I only had time for one range experience before everything got stored away and jumbled up when moving, and that was with about half of the Rem. rounds. It was an eye opening experience because, aiming for a 50 yd. target, the rifle shot very high and very left. It took all 8 rounds to get the POI centered by drifting the front sight, and I didn't get the elevation problem solved. The impact seems to be at about 200 yds. using the battle sight.

    If I get back to it someday I've thought about using Lee's 8mm Mauser bullet, as cast for starters, over a charge of H-4895. I wish you luck with this project, and will be interested in your results. I know that there are at least several board members that own and shoot these rifles with cast quite successfully, and I used to occasionally encounter sporterized versions in use by hunters. It's on my list to buy a bag of new brass from Graf.

  3. #3
    Banned
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Posts
    359
    i have a 1916 berthier too. it needs a upper handguard . i remember shooting it(8mm lebel) years ago. its still in my safe, waiting....

    a friend got a 7.5×54mm MAS 1924-M29.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    texassako's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    2,038
    I don't have a Berthier, but my little R35 likes the Lee 8mm Max. Mine drops at .329". I also had the Lee Karabiner mold, but it did not shoot as well and dropped at .327".
    Back in the land of boolits.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    3,901
    Most were returned to the arsenal unused.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy Gunfreak25's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    265
    The 8mm karabiner mould looks to be the ticket, I forgot midsouth distributed those limited moulds


    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." -Thomas Jefferson

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Mansfield, PA
    Posts
    725
    I have both the M1916 rifle and carbine and they like the Lyman #323471, 215 grain gc semi-spitzer cast boolit and IMR4198 powder.

    Adam

  8. #8
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Lenawee County , MI
    Posts
    1,324
    I have a M 1886 m 93 10 shot bolt gun in 8 mm Lebel that has a .330 groove barrel.
    I also have a handi rifle that I rebarreled with a 8 mm Mauser barrel .323 groove also in 8 X 50 Lebel.
    I have shot the handi quite a bit and it is a great shooter, I have the brass and bullets for the 1886 but need to get dies modified as the Lee die set I have is made for .323 bullets.

    Jedman

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy Gunfreak25's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    265
    I will have it Monday and will post detailed pics

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." -Thomas Jefferson

  10. #10
    Banned
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Posts
    359
    this one is my friends(7.5mm french)




    this one is mine(8mm lebel)



  11. #11
    Moderator
    Texas by God's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    14,334
    Didn't Remington make some of those rifles under contract during the Great War?

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy Gunfreak25's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    265
    They did but most if not all werent to French specs, so they were sold as surplus on the American market. Most are very clean

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." -Thomas Jefferson

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    brisbane ,qld,australia
    Posts
    2,125
    Every one of the Remington rifles was rejected ,the French ended up taking about 7000 of them,to recoup some of their deposit.The rest were bought by the US govt to keep Remington from bankruptcy.......its said the French marked them as 3rd grade,only to be used by labor batallions and the like.There plenty about in new condition.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    le Cannet south of FRANCE
    Posts
    366
    It was the rifle that we have in the navy in 70's for drill at"école des mousses"
    French police riot compagnies"CRS"have since 80 that change for ruger mini14
    Nice rifle

  15. #15
    Moderator


    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Way up in the Cascades
    Posts
    8,082
    Attachment 212180Attachment 212181
    Click to enlarge.

    Here's a not very good photo of mine with an M1 Rifle for length comparison, and some of the ammo and a en-bloc clip. I bought mine off of a consignment rack in an LGS back in the late '70s for $65. At the time I couldn't find any ammo and it became a wall hanger in my office and elicited many comments about it's length, bayonet, and having the look of "having been there". After lots of years I took it down and noticed that it was needing some maintenance, so detail disassembled it and gave everything a good cleaning and oiling. Despite the fact that it is sort of homely in appearance, I was impressed with how well made and sturdy a design it is. I've already described how the trip to the range went, but I consider it a project worthy of further time and effort and believe it will prove a good shooter with heavy grain cast boolits. Most of the ammo shown went downrange, so I've got some good cases to continue on with.

    Why the first photo is sideways is mysterious, since it's right side up in my photo files.

    I used to see the Remingtons now and then as described by john.k on the internet auctions, often in like new condition.
    Guess most of them made it into someone's collection, as they aren't seen much anymore. There were a number of makers, both inside and out of France. Mine is a Delaunay Bellervile.
    Last edited by Der Gebirgsjager; 01-19-2018 at 01:06 PM.

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy Gunfreak25's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    265
    Does anyone know If the French reshaped bayonet tips if they were broken off? They often were as they were so long and skinny. I see a lot that are shortened.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." -Thomas Jefferson

  17. #17
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Western Warshington
    Posts
    1
    I have one of these which I bought in the early 1960's. It was my first centerfire rifle and the first rifle I bought myself. There was a barrel of them in a hardware store in (gasp!) Southern California priced at $7.00 including 20 rounds of ammo! Haven't fired it much and have acquired a couple of the Remington versions, both partially sporterized, my original one is still original. Maybe this thread will inspire me to dig it out and load some ammo up for it. Thanks for the memory!

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy map55b's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Santa Clara, CA
    Posts
    297
    I have one of the Remington built rifles, it was sporterized long ago. Note the spiffy safety in the last picture. I bought he Lee 329 8x56r mold but haven't started to cast for it yet.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	FullSizeRender.jpg 
Views:	37 
Size:	16.0 KB 
ID:	212212

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	FullSizeRender1.jpg 
Views:	35 
Size:	56.9 KB 
ID:	212213

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_4411.jpg 
Views:	41 
Size:	53.1 KB 
ID:	212214

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    brisbane ,qld,australia
    Posts
    2,125
    There used to be surplus Lebel ammo on the market with double thickness primers....most required two strikes.....but customers said it was dud....so a lot was sold in bulk for next to nothing.....it had a heavy 240?gr bullet,and a mighty kick in the carbine....rifle not quite so bad......the good old days when you would take half a dozen milsurp rifles to the range and shoot all day for a few bucks.

  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    le Cannet south of FRANCE
    Posts
    366
    The baïonnette were shortening for the modèle 35,these rifles were in some légion unity in North Africa,and in Indochine in régiments of tirailleurs indochinois

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check