best light machine gun form WWI

best light machine gun


  • Total voters
    54
What was the best light machine gun form WWI?

the BAR

the Lewis Gun

the chauchat

other
 

Deleted member 1487

The BAR wasn't a light machine gun, it was an auto-rifle (hence browning automatic rifle)

The Lewis gun was reliable, but heavy and had some trouble jamming due to its drum clip. Still it was probably the best for bite-and-hold operations, where the infantry were expected to take an objective and were forced to hold out until reinforcements and regular machine guns arrived.

The Chauchat was pretty bad, but if you found one that worked, it was the best weapon available. Even the German Flammenwerfer units, a special operations force, paid its men to collect the Chauchat, which armorer personnel would then modify/improve behind the lines, often combining parts from units to create reliable weapons.
When it worked it was light weight, high rate of fire, reasonably reliable, and powerful. Also it could be fired on the move, which neither the Lewis gun nor the Mg08/15 could. That made it great for quick moving assaults, which light machine guns were really supposed to shine.

So I'd say that the Chauchat was the best when it worked, but otherwise the Lewis gun was more reliable despite all of its drawbacks.
 

Anderman

Donor
*klugscheiss* the Lewis Gun had a drum magazine not a clip.

Btw the magazine was moved be the gun itself not by a spring.
 
From a humanitarian standpoint the Chauchat was the best light machinegun of WWI, since with its high jam rate and other problems it failed to kill thousands of men. From a military standpoint, not so much.:D
 
The BAR was a light machine gun. I refer to wikipedia why because its an awesome source duh.

The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was a family of United States automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century
 
The Madsen hands down. It was a bit expensive, but there is a reason why it was used in so many different enviroments and for such a long term. Hell, the Brazilian police used them at least until 2009.
 

NothingNow

Banned
The Madsen hands down. It was a bit expensive, but there is a reason why it was used in so many different enviroments and for such a long term. Hell, the Brazilian police used them at least until 2009.

This. The Madsen gun was the best. Everything else at the time was but a cheap imitation.
 
Lewis or Hotchkiss in .303.
The Lewis served our infantry very well as did the Hotchkiss for the cavalry. Interestingly the British Army regarded both as automatic rifles and not machine-guns.
 
From a humanitarian standpoint the Chauchat was the best light machinegun of WWI, since with its high jam rate and other problems it failed to kill thousands of men. From a military standpoint, not so much.:D

Oh, it killed thousands of men.

Problem is, it was killing the poor bastards who got stuck with having to lug the poorly conceived piece of metallic garbage into battle...
 
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