Chauchat
World War I light machine rifle of French design and mass production.
The Chauchat, officially the Fusil Mitrailleur Modèle 1915 CSRG, served as the French Army’s standard light machine gun—often called a “machine rifle”—during World War I. French infantry began using it regularly in June 1916, nicknaming it the FM Chauchat after Colonel Louis Chauchat, its primary designer. This weapon was among the first automatic, rifle-caliber firearms light enough for one soldier and an assistant to carry and fire without a heavy tripod or a gun crew, influencing later 20th-century designs.
A total of 262,000 Chauchats were produced between December 1915 and November 1918, including 244,000 in 8mm Lebel, making it the most widely manufactured automatic weapon of the war. Besides France, eight other nations—Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia—used it in significant numbers during and after the conflict. The American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) also employed the 8mm Lebel version in 1917–18, officially calling it the “Automatic Rifle, Model 1915 (Chauchat),” though troops despised its unreliability and jokingly dubbed it the “Sho-Sho.”
The Chauchat’s design combined a pistol grip, in-line stock, detachable magazine, and selective fire in a compact package weighing about 20 pounds (9 kilograms). It could be fired from the hip or while walking (marching fire). Its action relied on long recoil, a system John Browning had used in the 1906 Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle: the barrel recoiled forward to extract and eject spent casings while the bolt stayed back, then a lever released the bolt to chamber a new round.
However, the muddy trenches of northern France exposed serious flaws. Simplified construction for mass production led to poor-quality metal parts. The thin, open-sided magazines caused roughly 75% of all stoppages; they deformed if gripped too tightly and let in mud and dust. The gun also seized when overheated, with the barrel sleeve stuck retracted until it cooled. By September 1918, just two months before the Armistice, the A.E.F. had already begun replacing the Chauchat with the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. After the war, the French army swapped it for the gas-operated Mle 1924 light machine gun.
Two converted civilian plants, “Gladiator” and “Sidarme,” mass-produced the Chauchat. Besides the 8mm Lebel model, versions were made in U.S. .30-06 Springfield for the A.E.F.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- France
- Is Ranged
- YES
- Service
- 1915–1948
- Wars
- World War I / Russian Civil War / Polish–Soviet War / Greco-Turkish War / Rif War / Spanish Civil War / World War II / 1948 Arab–Israeli War
- Designer
- Louis Chauchat / Charles Sutter
- Design Date
- 1907
- Manufacturer
- Gladiator / SIDARME
- Production Date
- 1915–1922
- Number
- Approx. 262,000
- Variants
- Chauchat Mle 1918 (US) / Wz 15/27 (Poland) / FM 15/27 (Belgium)
- Weight
- 9.07 kg
- Length
- 1143 mm
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The design of the Chauchat dates back to 1903, and its long recoil operation is based on the John Browning-designed Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle of 1906. The project was initiated between 1903 and 1910 at the Atelier de Construction de Puteaux (APX) near Paris, led by Colonel Louis Chauchat, assisted by senior armorer Charles Sutter. Between 1903 and 1909, eight trial prototypes were tested, leading to a small series of 100 guns ordered in 1911 and manufactured between 1913 and 1914 by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne (MAS). These were used temporarily during the early part of World War I to arm observation crews on French military aircraft.
When World War I broke out in 1914, French troops did not operate any light machine gun. Spurred by General Joseph Joffre, the Chauchat was adopted because the pre-war CS (Chauchat-Sutter) machine rifle was already in existence, thoroughly tested, and designed to fire the 8mm Lebel service ammunition. The term CSRG is made up of the initials of Chauchat, Sutter, Ribeyrolles and Gladiator. Paul Ribeyrolles was the general manager of the Gladiator company, a peacetime manufacturer of motor cars, motorcycles, and bicycles located in Pre-Saint-Gervais. The Gladiator factory was converted into an arms manufacturer in 1915 and became the principal industrial producer. In 1918, a subsidiary named SIDARME in Saint-Chamond also participated in mass manufacture.
The Chauchat combined a pistol grip, an in-line stock, a detachable magazine, and a selective fire capability in a compact package of manageable weight for a single soldier. It could be routinely fired from the hip and while walking (marching fire). It is the only mass-produced fully automatic weapon actuated by long recoil: extraction and ejection of the empties takes place when the barrel returns forward, while the bolt is retained in the rear position. Afterwards the barrel trips a lever which releases the bolt and allows it to chamber another round.
Reader's Guide
The Chauchat's significance lies in its role as one of the first portable, full-power automatic weapons built inexpensively and in very large numbers, with 262,000 manufactured between December 1915 and November 1918, making it the most widely manufactured automatic weapon of World War I. It was used by the French Army and the American Expeditionary Forces (who notoriously hated it for its unreliability and jokingly nicknamed it the 'Sho-Sho'), as well as the armies of eight other nations. However, the muddy trenches of northern France exposed weaknesses: construction had been simplified to facilitate mass production, resulting in low quality of many metal parts. The magazines caused about 75% of stoppages, being made of thin metal prone to deforming and open on one side, allowing entry of mud and dust. The weapon also ceased to function when overheated, the barrel sleeve remaining in the retracted position until the gun had cooled off.
In September 1918, the A.E.F. began replacing the Chauchat with the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. Shortly after World War I, the French army replaced it with the new gas-operated Mle 1924 light machine gun. The Chauchat was mass manufactured by two reconverted civilian plants: Gladiator and Sidarme. Besides the 8mm Lebel version, it was manufactured in U.S. .30-06 Springfield and in 7.65×53mm Argentine Mauser caliber. The Belgian military did not experience difficulties with their Chauchats in 7.65mm Mauser and kept them in service into the early 1930s, as did the Polish Army. Conversely, the .30-06 version made by Gladiator for the A.E.F., the Model 1918, proved fundamentally defective and had to be withdrawn from service. The Chauchat has a poor reputation in some quarters; the .30-06 version in particular is by some experts considered the worst machine gun ever fielded.
Did You Know?
- The Chauchat was the only mass-produced fully automatic weapon actuated by long recoil, a system based on the Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle.
- The term CSRG stands for Chauchat, Sutter, Ribeyrolles and Gladiator, the respective manufacturers.
- The Chauchat's magazines caused about 75% of stoppages due to thin metal prone to deforming and an open side allowing mud entry.
More in Machine Guns 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced