Originally posted by Gimpy117
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Rushed development, flawed design (ammo, open sided magazines, MRBF tolerance ... etc.) bad fit and finish (few parts were interchangeable between weapons), bad materials, bad quality control ... want me to go on? -
It would probably be a better question to ask what was RIGHT about the Chauchat. Just about its only advantage was it was much lighter than the MG08/15, its German support-machine gun counterpart.
French and American troops armed with Chauchats were expected to advance with them, firing a burst from the hip whenever their left foot hit the ground, against German heavy (much better) machine guns like the MG08. It was madness.Comment
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Shot one
Several years ago I attended a near-by machine gun shoot and among the full auto weapons that I was fortunate to shoot was a Chauchat. The weapon was on the ground and I laid down and adjusted myself to a firing position and squeezed the trigger. The recoil was tremendous and the rate of fire was slow comparied to more modern weapons. I remember being pushed back on the ground with each round fired. I shot maybe 15-20 rounds through it. The weapon fired flawlessly when I shot it but it was clean and oiled also, not exactly combat conditions. The big Lebel cartridge was a powerful round. I enjoyed the opportunity to shoot this historic machine gun.Comment
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A short movie clip of the Chauchat in full auto mode, the ROF is very slow indeed:
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