Today on Gus’ Gear I have an interesting light machine gun. It is a demilitarized example of the Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun, chambered for the British .303 cartridge. Also referred to as a Hotchkiss MKI Portative. It weighs slightly less than 30 pounds and is air cooled, eliminating the need for water cans or a water jacket. It uses a 30 round strip or belt and is gas operated. This weapon has an adjustable gas valve to tune the weapon to fire ammunition of varying power. The adjustment is just below the barrel at the front end of the gas piston. This weapon had a rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute. The tripod is a light weight and compact unit that can be transported on the weapon without inconvenience. The shoulder stock can be quickly removed from the pistol grip.
Shown here is a strip with cartridges and one without. The strip with cartridges is brass and the cartridges are 8mm Lebel for the French used weapons, the empty strip is steel. As one strip feeds out the gunner’s assistant can hook a tab that can be seen at the left end of the top strip into a notch on the end of the loaded strip and the weapon can be fired continuously.
The receiver is the controlled part that requires registration, on this example, the receiver has been replaced with an aluminum facsimile that allows me to use it in public displays without the problems that accompany live or deactivated weapons.
This angle shows the feed strip loaded in the weapon. The Hotchkiss Portable Machine Gun MKI feeds from the right side of the receiver with the cartridges on the bottom of the strip. Most other models of the Hotchkiss strip feed machine guns feed from the left with the cartridges on the top.
Marked on the back of the bolt is S for safe, R for repeat and A for automatic. To charge the weapon the feed strip is inserted and the bolt is rotated straight up and pulled back to charge the first cartridge, when it returns home it is set on safe, repeat or automatic and the bolt handle does not move while the weapon is fired. In the early days of the war, these weapons were utilized by mounted troops and for that reason it was equipped with the diminutive tripod. By the end of the war it was being used in armored vehicles and for that application the use of belts was more convenient. The belts were very similar to the metal feed strips but were made in sections of three round strips that were permanently linked together so they could be stored in a box much like a canvas belt.