French Guns

CHAUCHAT Country Of Origin: France Designation: Machine Gun Cartridge: 8 x 50R Lebel .30-06 US Service Production Date: 1915-1924 Weapon Dimensions: Length: 1143 mm Barrel: 469 mm Weight: 9.07 kg Rifling: 4 grooves, rh Feed System: 20-round box magazine Rate Of Fire: 250 rds/min Much maligned today, the CSRG (Chauchat) machine rifle was in fact the most manufactured automatic weapon of WWI, outnumbering every other machinegun made, by the Allies and the Central Powers. It was the world's first successful squad automatic - the ancestor of the modern assault rifle. One can recognise for the first time together all the classic attributes: the pistol grip, the inline stock, the large-capacity magazine, the fire selector, and the bipod. French and AEF CSRG Gunners formed the nucleus of the world's first Infantry machinequn-killer teams during World War I, using the Chaushat to such telling effect that many were awarded the highest decorations their countries could bestow. A well-reasoned, historical classic.