Huot Automatic Rifle

Lore & Background

The Huot Automatic Rifle was designed by Joseph Huot, an engineer from Richmond, Quebec, in 1916. It shared 33 parts with the Ross Mark III rifle and used a pneumatic piston parallel to the barrel to operate the action, with a buffered bolt and sheet metal sheathing. The cooling system was copied from the Lewis Gun. The weapon fed from a 25-round drum magazine and was fully automatic only, with no semi-automatic capability; the magazine could be emptied in 3.2 seconds, but a magazine change took four seconds, and an empty drum could be filled in 30 seconds using a 25-round stripper clip.

Testing began in November 1916, with subsequent trials in Canada and Britain. At RSAF Enfield in March 1918, the Huot competed against the Lewis, Hotchkiss, and Farquhar-Hill. It performed favorably, showing superiority in snapshooting from a trench and quickness into action. Even after immersion in mud, it functioned after a few clearing rounds without disassembly. Enfield noted fouling of the gas cylinder at 4,000 rounds and barrel wear at 10,000 rounds, but the test weapon had already fired about 11,000 rounds prior. The Huot could fire 4,000 rounds without oiling or cleaning, which the Lewis could not. Thirteen flaws were identified, all with simple fixes.

Despite favorable field reports and a request from Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie for 5,000 units, the war ended before the Huot entered service. The project was dropped, and Huot was out of pocket about C$30,000. Four specimens are known to exist as of 2015, with serial numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 located in museums; serial number 3 has not been located.

Reader's Guide

The Huot Automatic Rifle represents a pragmatic wartime expedient: converting surplus Ross rifles into light machine guns to meet an urgent need. Its development involved extensive testing in Canada and Britain, where it competed directly with established designs like the Lewis and Hotchkiss. The weapon demonstrated reliability under adverse conditions, including mud immersion, and could sustain fire without frequent cleaning. However, its fully automatic-only operation and the end of World War I prevented adoption. The Huot's legacy lies in its innovative adaptation of existing components, its low cost of C$50 compared to the Lewis's C$1,000, and its role as a Canadian contribution to light machine gun development. The survival of four specimens in museums preserves a tangible link to this chapter of military engineering.

Did You Know?

• It could fire 4,000 rounds without oiling or cleaning, outperforming the Lewis Gun in that test.
• The magazine could be emptied in 3.2 seconds, but the rate of fire was low, similar to a Bren Gun.
• Four specimens are known to exist, with serial number 3 unaccounted for.