SACM Mle1935A
A component of the French rearmament program of the 1930s was a modern autoloading handgun chambered for a cartridge based on an experimental American design. Its production life, however, would be marred by the conflicts to come.
The History
On the battlefields of the Great War the holsters of French Poilus had been filled with a variety of designs, including the Mle1892 revolver and the Spanish made Ruby M1915. With the end of the conflict the French authorities recognized a need to revamp the small arms in service from the various obsolete types filling armories. Despite this, the program was slow going, only really producing results in the mid 1930s after the remilitarization of Germany posed a threat to the interwar European order.
The SACM Mle1935A has an easy to rear rear sight and windage adjustable front sight
Trials for a new handgun had seen a large number of designs submitted in a variety of calibers, but by 1935 French authorities had settled on the 7.65mm Long cartridge, this being essentially a modified version of the .30 caliber cartridge developed for the American Pederson Device that had missed service with the US forces in the planned 1919 offensives of the Great War. From a series of finalists that also included designs by MAS, FN Browning in Belgium and Star in Spain, the design submitted by SACM (Societe Alsacienne de Construction Mechanique), designed by Swiss born Charles Petter.
The markings on the pistol are located on the left side of the slide, with a model designation, serial number, and the manufacturer. The script letter is the prefix, in this case “H”, while the “A” suffix is found on all examples of the type
This was designated as the Modele1935A, and adopted as primary service pistol, with the MAS submission being adopted as a secondary issue as the Mle1935S. Both were thrown into production as the international situation deteriorated, with the first production 35A models being produced in 1937 and reaching military units shortly before the end of the year. In the end, approximately 11,000 pistols were produced before the factory in Alsace was overrun by the Germans in June of 1940, whereupon production continued to arm both German and Vichy French units. This in turn continued until the factory was liberated in late 1944, with production being resumed at the earliest opportunity. Production would thus continue until 1950, when the weapon was replaced by the 9mm MAC Mle1950.
The Design
Charles Petter’s design is a descendant of the Browning design, with a locked breech and tilting barrel along with a single-action trigger mechanism. Despite this, it does have the notable addition of a captive recoil spring, which makes for easy disassembly as well as replacement of the component should it prove necessary. The design also includes a rremoveable trigger assembly, again allowing for easy replacement if needed. Returning to the locking mechanism, the barrel linkage, while of the same basic type seen on the Browning designs, features dual links with the captive recoil spring set between them.
The safety in is engaged position, providing a visible flag when aiming the weapon. Also visible is the connected bar just below the rear sight that serves as the hammer block
Externally, the 35A is a graceful looking design, with gently curved lines and minimal protrusions. These were finished by the French via bluing before a thick layer of black enamel was applied for a corrosion resistant finish, although the coating often shows scratches and chips decades down the line. The controls are simple, with a large slide release on the side of the frame and a safety lever on teh slide near the rear sight. This is rotated 90 degrees upward to engage, and rotates a steel block to prevent the hammer from contacting the firing pin. It should be noted that the trigger assembly works as normal with the safety engaged, and will allow the hammer to drop. The pistol also features a magazine safety, and a loaded chamber indicator atop the slide that works in a similar manner as that on the German Luger, with the rim of a cartridge tipping it upwards at the front to show its loaded condition.
This Example
The example in the reference collection was manufactured by SACM as all examples were. Its serial number is prefixed by the letter “H”, which places it into the post-war production batch, possibly from 1949 (records are scare concerning exact dates of production for post-war pistols). It is in overall excellent condition, and has a lanyard loop added on the left side of the butt during post-military service, likely with French police forces.
The pistol disassembled, note the captive recoil spring and dual barrel links
Opinions
The Mle1935A is a handsome pistol, with lines similar to the later, more successful SIG P210 9mm that it spawned when Petter sold the designs. It is also notably light for its size as a standard issue military pistol of the period. Recoil is manageable, and the machine work is beautiful, with an extremely smooth slide operation. The main hinderance to the use of these pistols to the modern shooter is the (somewhat infamous) scarcity of its ammunition, but for those that can this is a solid shooter that stands up well amongst its contemporaries.
Observed Values and Frequency
Updated: September, 2025
AVERAGE VALUE (USD): $500-$800
FREQUENCY: Rare
COLLECTOR’S NOTES: German marked examples command a premium