Machine gun "Gochkis" - device and photo

Despite its outstanding services, the "Gochkis" machinegun has not remained on permanent armament of at least one army in the world, because apart from the relative simplicity of the device, it does not have any outstanding advantages. It was actively used both in the war and in the post-war period when it was briefly used in England and the Indian colonies, which previously were in the power of France, and to date has been completely forgotten all over the world.

Tests of the first sample

Based on the development of the base machine gun, it was possible to design a new model of weapons - a machine gun "Gochkis", which already in 1909 was introduced to the world market at once in 7 and 10 kg version. The heavier model was equipped not only with a barrel, the replacement of which required a minimum amount of time, which was extremely important in combat conditions, but also a radiator, which immediately interested the gun department of the ArtCom GAU, which decided to test new weapons at the Rifle Range.

Despite the fact that during the use of repeated damage to the barrel system, the weapons department decided to continue testing, and made a new order for a small batch of guns. This decision was directly related to the fact that most foreign countries, along with massive machine guns, were also armed with "machine guns," which were widely used because of their power and relative compactness, which had nothing to oppose, but manual - The "Gochkis" machine gun could become a good alternative.

In service with the air fleet

In 1912, the company produced a new modification of the machine gun, designed for installation on military aircraft. In this case, the device had a characteristic difference from the original sample. The Guchkin machine gun received a pistol grip instead of a butt, to which a special sight system and a swivel system were added, which greatly simplified the use in the event of a combat alarm. The officer's infantry school received the first copies of the improved gun in June 1914, directly from the manufacturer's factory.

Contribution to the First World

Despite the fact that the first models were not very popular, the machine gun of the "Gochkisa" system became extremely in demand before the outbreak of the First World War.

Countries that took it into service:

• France - 1909. A well-established system allowed the production of more than 700 units per month. The most popular French model was the machine gun "Gochkis" in 1922, the weight of which in all subsequent modifications did not exceed 9.6 kg. The universal design allowed shooting at a rate of 450 rounds per minute, which was a very significant indicator at that time. This model was favorably distinguished by a flame-extinguishing system, which had not been used before, and was equipped directly on the trunk.
• Great Britain - Mk I "Gochkis" 303. In 1915, permanent production was established.
• USA - Bene-Mercier 30 M1909. It is worth noting that for the period up to 1916 in the American army there were no more than 679 such models.

Regardless of the country of the manufacturer, it was supplied with a system of folding bipods, a ring on the trunk with trunnles in order to make it much easier to mount the machine gun on an easy tripod, laying under it a rear support for greater stability. Despite the fact that in these countries, such as Spain, Norway, Greece and Brazil, the production of these instruments was not established, stable supplies helped to completely correct the problem of the lack of weapons.

The machine gun "Gochkisa"

Despite all the modifications, "Gochkis" retained most of its original device, while gaining a significant strengthening of all the weaknesses. The regulator of the gas chamber in the form of an unscrewed piston was installed in front of the chamber and functioned by measuring the volume, dropping the gas as soon as it reached the critical value. The system for evacuating the powder gases was designed in such a way that, moving away from the cylinder, they passed through a long stroke of a gas piston equipped with a branch pipe and were removed through a transverse hole at the bottom of the barrel, without giving the shooter any inconvenience.

The handle used to reload the gun was also a fuse. The automation system, due to its mobility, had a stroke length of up to 106 mm. The owner of the machine gun could, by turning it, determine for himself, in what mode the machine gun will be used:

• S - fuse.
• R is a single fire.
• A - continuous fire.

In addition, the machine gun "Gochkis" received a discontinuous cutting on the bolt and part of the trunk, which was the main factor in the change between these elements of the attachment system. For these purposes, a coupling was used, equipped with a number of internal sectors, which, turning on the barrel as a result of the action of the piston rod, were fixed inside the implement.

Machine gun feeding

It was necessary to charge the machine gun with a rigid ribbon. It should be borne in mind that if its release was carried out in the UK, the volume of cartridges was 30 pcs., And if in France, then only 24 pcs. When shooting, the tapping was turned by the finger of the lever installed in the moving system.

It is noteworthy that the charging system for each modification was individual, so the "Gochkis" machine gun in 1914 was charged with a flexible metal band with rigid links, each of which had three cartridges. In the process of use, one negative factor was noticed, despite the fact that the weight of the tape was much lighter than the store, it was not particularly reliable, and it was very difficult to charge it at night. On the butt made of wood, a pistol protrusion and shoulder support are made. In addition, if necessary, it was possible to arrange in it even an oilcan, for which there was a special compartment.

Prewar years and World War II

Before the outbreak of World War II , a 13.7 mm large-caliber machine gun, Gochkis, released in France, began to gain popularity again. This was mainly due to the fact that the design provided not only firepower, but also the speed of fire, given the high initial bullet velocity.

The mechanism of the machine gun is designed like a drummer - this is directly related to the fact that its trigger mechanism, assembled in the backplate, ensures the maintenance of only automatic fire. The only drawback of this model was that it was required to charge it with stores, the volume of which did not exceed 15 rounds. At the same time, the advantage was the technology of protection against overheating, which is a rib made along the entire length of the trunk.

To date, this model of the machine gun has been undeservedly forgotten, although it was with his help that the Germans managed to stay so long on the captured positions, restraining the Soviet troops with its firepower.