French
37 mm/50 (1.46") Model 1925
37 mm/50 (1.46") CAIL Model 1933
Updated 29 August 2006
Both of these weapons were hand-loaded, semi-automatic guns with relatively low rates of fire and were not considered to be very potent AA weapons.  When the battleship Richelieu and other French ships were refitted in the USA during World War II, these guns were replaced by 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikons.

Some sources denote these weapons as having barrel lengths of 60 calibers, but an official French design sketch shows that the Model 1925 had an overall length of 2.007 m (79.0") or only 54 calibers.  An analysis of the picture below of the Model 1933 confirms an overall length of about 54 calibers.

A note on source material:  Within the pages of "Battleship:  Allied Battleships in World War II," the Model 1933 is listed as having three different muzzle velocities, three different values for the shell weight, two different maximum ranges and two different maximum elevations.  Perhaps some of these are for different ammunition types, but, if so, there is no mention of it in the text.  The data given below represents an attempt to rationalize these figures with those listed in "Naval Weapons of World War Two."
WNFR_37-50_cail_m1933_Le_Triomphant_pic.jpg

Twin 37 mm/50 Model 1933 mount on destroyer Le Triomphant in 1941
Note the ready ammunition in the "bucket" on the left of the mounting, what appears to be a ready storage locker behind the mounting, the range finder on the deck above the guns and the range clock on the bridge
CPL Photograph
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Gun Characteristics
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Designation 37 mm/50 (1.46") Model 1925
37 mm/50 (1.46") CAIL Model 1933
Ship Class Used On Many warships
Date Of Design 1933
Date In Service 1936
Gun Weight 661 lbs. (300 kg)
Gun Length 79.0 in (2.007 m)
Bore Length 72.8 in (1.850 m)
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves N/A
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume N/A
Rate Of Fire
(see Note)		 30 - 42 rounds per minute
Note:  One occasionally sees a figure of 85 rounds per minute for M1933.  This is actually the ROF for both guns in the twin mounting.  The figures given above are believed to be more indicative of actual performance and are from "Naval Weapons of World War Two."
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Ammunition
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Type Fixed
Weight of Complete Round N/A
Projectile Types and Weights HE - 1.598 lbs. (0.725 kg)
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length 6.1 in (15.6 cm)
Complete Round - 16.1 in (40.8 cm)
Cartridge 37 x 278 mm
Propellant Charge N/A
Muzzle Velocity 2,789 fps (850 mps)
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun N/A
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Range
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Elevation With 1.598 lbs. (0.725 kg) HE Shell
Range @ 45 degrees 7,850 yards (7,175 m)
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Mount / Turret Data
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Designation Model 1925:  Single Mount CA/SMCA M1925
Model 1933:  Twin Mount CAD M1933
Weight  N/A
Elevation -15 / +80 degrees
Elevation Rate N/A
Train 360 degrees
Train Rate N/A
Gun recoil N/A
Note:  Ships rarely mounted more than eight guns and apparently none had more than twelve.
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Data from
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Battleships:  Allied Battleships in World War II" by W.H. Garzke, Jr. and R.O. Dulin, Jr.
"Cruisers of World War Two" by M.J. Whitley