Chauchat-Ribeyrolles 1918 submachine gun | |
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Type | Submachine gun |
Place of origin | France |
Service history | |
In service | 1918 |
Used by | France |
Wars | World War I |
Production history | |
Designer | Ribeyrolles, Sutter and Chauchat (RSC) |
Designed | 1918 |
Manufacturer | Ribeyrolles, Sutter and Chauchat (RSC) |
Specifications | |
Weight | 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) |
Length | .575 metres (22.6 in) |
Barrel length | .340 metres (13.4 in) |
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Caliber | 8mm Lebel (8x50mm R) |
In 1917 the French Army adopted the Mle. 1917 semi-automatic rifle made by Ribeyrolles, Sutter and Chauchat (RSC), who already developed the "Chauchat" Mle. 1915 LMG. In 1918 they presented a "pistolet-mitrailleur" (submachine gun), meant to be used for close-range protection for the French tank crews. The weapon is based on the RSC Mle. 1917 semi-automatic rifle mechanism. The first trials used a Mannlicher-Berthier clip holding 8 cartridges. The trials continued until 1919 with a weapon using the same magazine as the Mle. 1915 LMG. The results were satisfactory but the weapon was too powerful for the intended self protection use. A mix of standard and tracer bullets was planned to be used to assist in aiming.