#Csrg

Gun Jesus Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons  has already written about his success at Rock Island Auction’s recent sale, or more specifically about his acquisition of a CSRG Chauchat in .30-06. I love this buy, and here’s why:

I wanted it. And, for what it’s worth, as the Curator of a major military technology collection, I’ve never seen another one. If you’re familiar with the Institute of Military Technology, it might surprise you that there isn’t one in the collection, but it’s true. At least, not one in .30-06.

The Chauchat Machine Rifle, formally designated the Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG, has come to be widely regarded as one of the worst firearms ever made. The rifles made for the French military during WWI were chambered for the standard 8mm Lebel, but the weapon got its reputation as a stinker in American hands, where the “Automatic Rifle, Model 1915 (Chauchat)” made by the Gladiator bicycle factory experienced numerous issues, specifically with extraction of fired cases from chambers that often were not properly reamed for the US .30-06 caliber. What does a failure to extract do to a long-recoil weapon like the Chauchat? The answer lies in the video embedded below: