Converting the Lebel to 7.5mm: The M27 Lebel
This video from Forgotten Weapons delves into the French M27 Lebel conversion, a project initiated after World War I to adapt existing rifles to the new 1924-adopted rimless cartridge. The Tulle arsenal was tasked with converting the Lebel rifle, with prototypes appearing in 1927. While iterative development continued, the M27 Lebel conversion was ultimately less favored than the M34 Berthier and saw limited production of around 1500 units by 1940. Despite its lack of widespread adoption, the M27 project informed the development of the MAS-36 and some examples were used for pressure testing ammunition.












