Le Colonial
Manufacture Française d'Armes et Cycles de Saint-Étienne (Manufrance) · Pistol · Discontinued · 1950
Also known as: Le Français 7.65mm, Manufrance Le Français .32 ACP, Le Français Colonial
Overview
The Le Colonial is a French double-action-only semi-automatic pistol built by Manufrance (Manufacture Française d'Armes et Cycles de Saint-Étienne) as the .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning) member of the long-running Le Français series originally designed by Étienne Mimard. Produced from 1950 until 1969 for the civilian and colonial commercial market, it was the only Le Français variant to feature conventional slide serrations and an external extractor, allowing the chamber to be cleared in the normal manner. Like the rest of the line it retains the signature tip-up barrel for loading the first round and a fully double-action-only trigger, and it operates on simple blowback.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 646 g (22.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 177 mm (6.97") |
| Barrel Length | 83 mm (3.27") |
| Height | 123 mm (4.84") |
| Width | 31 mm (1.22") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action Only |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 8 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 282 m/s (925 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 188 J (139 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 250 mm (9.84") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32 ACP · primary — also known as .32 Auto, 7.65x17mm Browning, 7.65mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Double Action Only Trigger, Magazine Safety
- Features: Tip Up Barrel, Double Action Only, Slide Serrations, External Extractor, Self Loading After First Shot
Base model
Production
Estimated total produced: 10,000 · Production years: 1950-1969
Approximately 10,000 of the 7.65mm Browning Le Français pistols were made for the commercial market
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Étienne Mimard
Discontinued: 1969
Notes
The .32 ACP Le Français pistols were produced in roughly 10,000 examples between 1950 and 1969. Unlike the earlier pocket-caliber models, this version added slide serrations and a proper external extractor so the action could be hand-cycled, while still keeping the tip-up barrel for loading the first cartridge.
Background
By the time the .32 ACP Le Colonial appeared in 1950, the Le Français design was nearly forty years old yet still uniquely modern: a hammerless, slide-rack-free, double-action-only pistol whose first round is chambered by flipping the barrel up like a break-action shotgun.