Chauchat machine gun 8mm
| 01. Original name | Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG | |
| 02. Other official names | Fusil Mitrailleur Chauchat | |
| 03. Popular names | Chauchat, C.S.R.G. | |
| 04. Chamberings | 8x50R (8mm Lebel balle D), 30-06, 7.65 x 53 | |
| 05. Designed by | Chauchat, Sutter and Ribeyrolle based on a patent by Frommer | |
| 06. Design date | 1915 | |
| 07. In service date(s) | 1915 – 1940. Belgium retained them in use into the 1930s and they have resurfaced occasionally right into the 1960s. | |
| 08. Adopted by | France, America, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Italy, Greece and Finland | |
| 09. Production quantities | In excess of 260,000, mostly in 8mm Lebel. Some estimates are up to 400,000 | |
| 10. Mechanism | Long recoil and automatic or semiautomatic fire. Referred to by the French as an automatic rifle and by others as a machine gun | |
| 11. Weight | 8.87kg (20 lbs) including bipod | |
| 12. Mountings | Sling which enabled firing whilst walking. Several magazine pouches were in use allowing extras to be carried | |
| 13. Practicality in action | Suffered from overheating seizures – especially in 30-06 calibre. Open sided magazine allowed easy dirt ingress. In its favour were light weight and controllability | |
| 14. Comments / Other information | These were designed for ease of manufacture and economy – and were only expected to last for the length of the war. Rate of fire was around 240 per minute through a distinctive 20 round crescent shaped magazine. America purchased nearly 16,000 in 8mm Lebel and over 19,000 in 30-06 with a 16 round box magazine (named the French Cal .30 M1918 Light Machine Gun C.S.R.G.) Interestingly the CSRG part comes from the names of the three inventors plus G for Gladiator, the manufacturer (excepting the barrels which were made at either Chatellerault or St Etienne). |