WI: Huot-Ross Automatic Rifle enters service.

Hi everyone!
So,i've been on the boards more recently,and i've decided to post a what-if about this interesting firearm.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huot_Automatic_Rifle
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/blair.jpg
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/huot11.jpg
The thing is ugly as sin,but apparently it worked pretty well.

"Blair, A.A. Janson, and Huot sailed for Britain, arriving at Sandling, Hythe on 10 January 1918, for an extensive British trial at the arms testing establishment at RSAF Enfield. This took place between 19–21 March 1918, and the Huot competed against the Lewis, Hotchkiss, and Farquhar-hill. The results appeared favorable. "The Huot did better in some tests than the Lewis. It was superior in snapshooting from a trench, in quickness of getting into action..." Even muddy, after firing four or five clearing rounds, it would function again, without the need for stripping and cleaning; Blair noted it was the only weapon on the trial able to suffer immersion and do so.

In firing 10,000 rounds through the Huot, Enfield uncovered fouling of the gas cylinder at 4,000 rounds, and the barrel worn out at 10,000. Since this example had already had some 11,000 rounds fired through it before coming into Enfield's hands, this is understandable. Using all varieties of Mark VII ammunition it would be likely to encounter (including K, KN, J, and US), they found the Huot had no major problems, though there were unexplained stoppages, and it did not require the specially chosen ammunition the Lewis did. Furthermore, the Huot proved able to fire 4,000 rounds without oiling or cleaning; which the Lewis was unable to do."

(That's from the wikipedia article I linked.)
Unfortunately,the huot never entered service in the canadian military or any other commonwealth military,because the war ended before it could.
So,what if the huot-ross automatic rifle had entered serivce in the canadian military,and how do you think that could've happened?
 
Maybe more work on making the Ross Rifle from which it derives reliable. The Huot was a conversion of the Mark III/1910 model. Perhaps more thorough testing for its shortcomings and the introduction of a Mark IV/1914 model in time for the war. Still heavier than the SMLE with less ammo capacity.

Without the Canadians waiting for deliveries of and retooling for Lee Enfields, perhaps there is an earlier call for automatic rifles. Huot is designed and tested earlier, and there is money and factory space to produce it earlier.

As to the consequences? Larger Canadian Small arms factory earlier. More interest in bottom loading mag LMGs (The Charlton just looked so much cooler than the Bren).

Perhaps a Huot style drum magazine for later models of the BAR.

Garands been living in the states since he was a kid, so semi autos will have to be a different design.

Maybe the Canadians express interest in the Vickers K as a medium machine gun. Test it, modify it as for a disintegrating belt feed, replaces the Vickers Maxim type gun on vehicles. Earlier modification of the Vickers-Maxim into the 0.5" calibre Vickers D.

Canadians put forward lighter Ross Carbine to replace Mk IV rifle, Lee Enfield gets adopted with Ross Carbine for gunners, Marines, tankies and jungle warfare commonwealth wide with Ross IV adapted as a sniper rifle commonwealth wide.

Americans more interested in Carbines earlier, M1 carbine chambered in .276 Pedersen.

Small knock-on effects and butterflies.
 
Ottawa avoids the embarrassment of "the Bren Gun Scandal" at the start of the Second World War.
Opposition members tried to embarrass the gov't over a single-source contract to build Bren light machine guns in Canada. The contract worked rather well, supplying thousands of reliable Bren guns to Canadian and Chinese soldiers.
With a Canadian-made Ross-Hout LMG there would be less panic to re-arm at the start of WW2 because there would be less waiting for patterns to arrive from Britain.
 
It would be an interesting W.I. to think of 75,000 Hout's being sent to the UK in 1940 for the Home Guard. Concentrate them in the Southern and Home counties and the expectation of success for any German Airborne attack or sea mammal just got a lot more remote.
 
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