The 7.5×54mm French MAS or 7.5 French cartridge was developed by France as an update to the 7.5×57mm MAS mod. 1924 cartridge. It replaced the obsolete 8 mm Lebel round used during World War I. In terms of power it is comparable to the 7.62×51mm NATO/.308 Winchester round. The 7.5 French cartridge is somewhat similar in appearance to the slightly longer 7.5×55mm Swiss round but users should never try to interchange the two rounds.