Thinking .338 Win Mag
Just need someone to donate a Chauchat.
Just need someone to donate a Chauchat.
Last edited:
- Thread starter buffalowinter
- Start date
Dug up parts of one in France… Combles area.
Sadly the French still wanted it. Why I have no idea.
There used to be parts kits. And I think Bob Naess has one. But it’s live and spendy.
Cool idea, though. What about trying to build around someting SovBloc?
Sirhr
Sadly the French still wanted it. Why I have no idea.
There used to be parts kits. And I think Bob Naess has one. But it’s live and spendy.
Cool idea, though. What about trying to build around someting SovBloc?
Sirhr
BTW for those who do not know what a Chauchat was… it was one of the iconic early light machine guns from WW1. French design.
It also Sucked!!!! The open curved magazine made it a jam-o-magic. And the curved open magazine filled up with mud if you tried to go prone with it in No Mans Land. IIRC the US bought a bunch and issued them to (Marines?) in France. Who basically ‘lost’ them before these abominations got them killed.
The Chauchat’s greatest contribution to military technology may have been that it inspired John Browning to invent the BAR. So as to not have an American soldier or Marine carry anything as awful as a Chauchat ever again.
French history books tell it different. But that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Sirhr
It also Sucked!!!! The open curved magazine made it a jam-o-magic. And the curved open magazine filled up with mud if you tried to go prone with it in No Mans Land. IIRC the US bought a bunch and issued them to (Marines?) in France. Who basically ‘lost’ them before these abominations got them killed.
The Chauchat’s greatest contribution to military technology may have been that it inspired John Browning to invent the BAR. So as to not have an American soldier or Marine carry anything as awful as a Chauchat ever again.
French history books tell it different. But that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Sirhr
Chauchat - Wikipedia
It’s a pretty good platform to start with…
Already a single shot
Already a single shot
I heard back in the day you could find em in gun shows; never fired, dropped once.
I've got to say buffalowinter, your posts are among my favorite on the hide. I learn stuff. 
I'm sure you have a couple of these, how about donating one.
American inspectors at the Gladiator factory rejected about 40% (approximately 7,200) of the .30-06 Chauchats versions that were produced while the remaining 60% (10,800) unfortunately still proved problematic when they reached the front lines. Regardless, the Army would purchase (accept and deliver) over 34,000 Chauchat’s in either the original caliber or .30-06 during the course of the war.10 The .30-06 cartridge proved it was simply too powerful for the design of the gun and over time the Chauchat would beat itself to pieces which was a main contributor to many of the guns problems. Despite the rumors or actual mechanical issues it served effectively with the French through two World Wars and five other conflicts. It remains, however, a deeply misunderstood military firearm and frequently ranks as number one in just about every “worst guns ever” poll due to the lasting American accounts from WWI.1
A live NFA Chauchat sold for $6,600 in 2018 at Morphy's. Below is a DEWAT sold at RIA.
1Lot 751: Chauchat 1915 Machine gun 8 mm lebel
Scarce Deactivated Class III/NFA World War I French Chauchat Automatic Rifle
Auction Date: September 12, 2014
Estimated Price: $3,500 - $6,500Price Realized: $3,738
Last edited:
A dewat would be the way tk go as you can reactivate on form 1.
Sirhr
Sirhr
Seeing how the first one should never have been built I am wondering why you want to build the last one.
Wouldn’t that be a bit like dropping a Trabant body onto a Ginza street racer
?
The magazine design makes you go... "I can see why you thought this was a good idea. But very quickly you should have realized it was a bad idea."
Just like the sh**heads who took the Hispano Suiza 20mm cannon technical package from the British and decided to cut the chambers too short (so that the gun would not work). That is why the Thunderbolt and Corsair, etc were kitted out with .50 cal Brownings; instead of their intended gun packages.
The Eighth Air Force leadership was arguably worse. They could have sent Thunderbolt long range fighter escorts all the way to Schweinfurt, the first time around BUT they had a policy of not using drop tanks! The British had actually provided them with suitable drop tanks (made of cardboard, so as not to give the Axis any aluminium when they were dropped).
No, I am not specifically bagging the U.S. establishment. Hitler and the Nazi administration saved many Allied aircrew lives by engaging in top down decision-making starting in the 1930s (and in Hitler’s case by giving material priority to flak guns) which resulted in many Luftwaffe fighters being stuck on the ground awaiting engine repairs and replacements. In 1944 and 1945 many highly experienced Luftwaffe pilots were lost because their aircraft engines failed in flight.
Last edited:
Last edited:
As usual, what started out as a joke has now turned serious. I have found a fully transferable C&R Chauchat for 9K and the seller is open to trades.
Last edited:
These are interesting but I always levitated towards the Breda 30, for my guilty pleasure of a lmg that was a hunk of shit
While I did consider buying the Chauchat, I wouldn't modify it. 9K for any full auto weapon that works is a good deal. I have some guns equal in value, but I don't want to get rid of them. I did buy a Johnson 1941 a couple months ago for about that price, so I'm at my limit for 10K priced guns for a while. DeWAT's, parts kits, and converting to semi auto is the only half way economical way to go.
You’ve been playing too much Call of Doody, put the XBox controller down and go touch some grass!
Last edited:
Let's see your Johnson!
I've handled a few of them and it was something that once I would have owned given the right time and place.
I've handled a few of them and it was something that once I would have owned given the right time and place.
Those photos are awesome! My post was a joke based on your photo of a “tactical Chauchat” in your OP, because it looks like something they’d put in a video game when you compare it to what the original looked like. I wasn’t ACTUALLY insinuating that you played too many video games lol. But hey, my comment got you to throw those pics up, so I’ll take that as a win! Where was the one in the snowy mountains taken?
As for the actual subject of this thread, if you can make one that’ll “actually work” and be accurate, post it up! We could all use something a little different to follow outside the usual stuff here.
Marmolada Glacier in Italy training with the Incursore of the Col MoschinThose photos are awesome! My post was a joke based on your photo of a “tactical Chauchat” in your OP, because it looks like something they’d put in a video game when you compare it to what the original looked like. I wasn’t ACTUALLY insinuating that you played too many video games lol. But hey, my comment got you to throw those pics up, so I’ll take that as a win! Where was the one in the snowy mountains taken?
As for the actual subject of this thread, if you can make one that’ll “actually work” and be accurate, post it up! We could all use something a little different to follow outside the usual stuff here.
Dude... of all the people on SH to call a Keyboard Warrior... you picked the absolutely worst candidate...
I mean... THE worst!
Say 15 Hail Mary's and do three rosaries for Penance... And you 'might' be forgiven! ;-)
Cheers,
Sirhr
Phil... You 'might' want to rephrase that.
Just 'sayin.
BTW, when I was doing some book research at the Roosevelt Library I came across a ton of correspondence on the Johnson Rifle which they were trying to foist on the Marine Corps. The company was trying to get Roosevelt to put pressure on Vandegrift (and Holcomb) to issue to Marines. Very unseemly... I have the scans somewhere and will post them if I can find them.
Cheers,
Sirhr
Melvin Johnson was a Marine and a good friend of Marine Raider Jimmy Roosevelt.
There is a lot of positive about the Johnson.
Rotating bolt similar to M16, able to partial load ammo and top off, with the Garand you eject your partials and load a new Enbloc.
The LMG was a Raider favorite offering quick barrel changes.
Nothing wrong with the Johnson ‘cept a lot of parts, maybe a thin barrel, and a very weak bayonet.
If the Garand looked like a puffing old man next to the 03 the Johnson was a pregnant sow bass.
See my follow-up post above that explains things. It was a joke based on the CoD-esque photo in his OP, nothing more.
PS - Marines wanted to stay with the ‘03 until they found out Japanese dudes attack in Mass and swing swords at you while doing it.
At that point they learned to love Minute of Man over precision fire.
They started to roofie Army dudes on Guadalcanal to get their Garands.
At that point they learned to love Minute of Man over precision fire.
They started to roofie Army dudes on Guadalcanal to get their Garands.
They did a pretty good job of using a barrel change bale and mitt and 1919’s as hip-fired weapons, too.
Look up the Stinger that was made from high-rate salvaged aircraft guns! Was the proto-A6!
Sirhr
Yeah, too many lazy arseholes fail to note that Melvin Johnson was part of the Armalite team, bringing his bolt locking arrangement and straight line buffer spring philosophy to the party.
I'll post some pics of the 1941 tomorrow...no way am going to say "here's my Johnson".
Tony Stein.
