Hotchkiss Model 1922 LMG found in Afghanistan
CombatDriver writes at HighRoad.us ...
I discovered this light machine gun last month at a SF team house here in Afghanistan. Its an old post WWI French Mdle 1922 light machine gun in 7.92mm Mauser. There were two models one that fed from a box magazine on top and this one that used stripper fed clips (15,24 &30 rd cap). The French made them is several calibers, including 6.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer (Greek), 7x57 Mauser (Spain), 7.7x56R (.303, UK) and 7.92x57 Mauser (Czechosolvakia). This one is missing the charging hande, bipod and muzzle brake.
Cleaning rod has been jammed into the bolt carrier and used as improvised charging handle.
Greetings from Texas,
This beastie is just plain neat. I wish there were a way to bring stuff like this into the country without having to weld them up. It would be great to try this thing out at least once.
Yeah-neat old school iron but I’d rather try out an old Lewis gun, BAR, or Bren gun myself.
I also would like to bust caps with the rather run-o-the-mill but still interesting RPD. I’m sure there are probably a few of THOSE, over there.
If only it was a non reciprocating cleaning rod/charging handle, that would be impressive lol.
Greetings from Texas,
I actually have time on the Bren. It wouldn’t be my first choice of light machine gun, but I would feel well equiped with one in good running order. With any luck I will have a chance to make friends with a BAR this coming February. I still think this beastie would be neat to try out.
This appears to be a descendant of the Hotchkiss “Benet-Mercie”, which the US Army adopted in 1909. The US had adopted the water-cooled Maxim in 1904, but cavalry units wanted something that was lighter and could be set up faster.
The Greek Army had several thousand of these LMG’s prior to WW2, chambered for 6.5 mm MS. They did some development on them to increase the firing rate from 200 RPM to 400 RPM. Apparently gave good service in the war with Italy in 1940/41, though they were outmoded by then.
There is a fair bit of old kit kicking around Afghanistan, If you ever get a chance drop into the Gandamach in Kabulshit for a beer nd have a look at the gear laying around the place, a Lewis gun, a tripod mounted Mg34, PPsH, Reising SMG, Thompson and a bit of other gear stashed around the bar (M1 carbine, SMLE etc) always managed to have a bit of a play around before closing time! The bossman (A brit?) sells ol enfield 3 bands and assorted gear upstairs to expats. Was overthere 2 years ago on a gig, spent a bit of time kicking aroud Chicken st, amazed at what was for sale in some of the shops and how it got there Mk3 Ross Rifles, M98KARs Kyber pass Enfields & matinis M1998 levers and one well kept Winchester 96 lever action with hex barrel. As a Aussie, I had next to no chance of getting any of it back home, pity, a three band enfield would have looked good on the lounge room wall.
Heard a whisper from a boozed up USAID/Sate department (?) bloke that some US SF were using BARs for mouseholing compound walls down south. Anyone else heard anythng about that?
I seem to remember an excellent article in an old copy of either ‘Guns & Ammo’ or ‘Soldier of Fortune’ about a gun collector who struck a gold mine in Beruit during the 1980s…
They found all sorts of obsolete and rare weapons still being used by the irregular and malita there – begging the question, where did they get the obsolete ammunition?
(Probably back-yard reloading.)
On a similar note we had an interesting item in British news a couple of months ago where a ‘Real IRA’ stash had been uncovered – one of the items was a lovely – but well worn – 1928 Thompson…
They don’t build ‘em like they used to eh?
This could be a copy of a french made MG made in Darra, Pakistan. Darra’s primary industry is small arms production, all of which are copies of ROW weapons. I have seen everything from matchlocks to Martini Henrys to Lewis guns to SW76’s being produced there.
The locus of legitimate arms production in Pakistan is Wa Caant, in The Punjab.