French Chauchat M1915 Machine Gun

By Crusader1307

Originally designed for use by The French Army during World War I, The Chauchat was also incorporated into the US Army inventory upon their arrival to France – during The War. The Chauchat Gun was “light” at 20 pounds. Using the 50mm Round, it had a cyclic rate of 240 rounds per minute (belt fed). The weapon had a maximum effective range of over 2,000 yards. Similar versions were re-chambered for the .30-06 and 7.65mm rounds. Often considered “the worse Machine Gun in history”, it suffered from jamming issues due to the excessive mud it was exposed to. It could be carried by a single operator or used on a Tripod mount. Despite it's ”reputation” - The Chauchat saw service up to the mid 1940s.