Châtellerault FM 24/29
Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1925
Also known as: FM 24/29, FM Mle 1924/29, Châtellerault Mle 24/29, MG 116(f)
Overview
The Fusil-Mitrailleur Modèle 1924 M29 (FM 24/29) was the standard French squad-level light machine gun for over four decades, designed at the Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault and adopted in 1925 to replace the unreliable Chauchat. The 1929 modification rechambered it to the new 7.5x54mm French cartridge after the original 7.5x57mm rounds were found to be confusable with German 7.92x57mm Mauser ammunition. Mechanically inspired by the Browning BAR but with significant indigenous improvements, it featured a top-mounted 25-round box magazine, a distinctive dual-trigger system (front for semi-auto, rear for full-auto), a quick-detach barrel, and an integral bipod.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 8930 g (315.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1082 mm (42.60") |
| Barrel Length | 500 mm (19.69") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Two Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 25 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 830 m/s (2723 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3100 J (2286 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 600 m (656 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3200 m (3500 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.5x54mm French · primary — also known as 7.5 French, 7.5x54 MAS, Cartouche Mle 1929 C
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: 25 Round Top Mounted Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Open Bolt Operation
- Features: Dual Trigger Semi And Full Auto, Bipod, Top Mounted Box Magazine, Wooden Stock, Carry Handle, Fluted Chamber
Variants
- FM Mle 1924 — Original Chambering 7-5x57mm
Service history
Operators
- French Army (Armée de Terre) · adopted 1925 · as Fusil-Mitrailleur Mle 1924/29
- Wehrmacht (captured) · adopted 1940 · as MG 116(f)
- Viet Minh / North Vietnamese forces (captured) · adopted 1946
- Algerian National Liberation Army (FLN, captured/supplied) · adopted 1954
Conflicts
- Rif War (1925-1927)
- World War II (1939-1945)
- First Indochina War (1946-1954)
- Algerian War (1954-1962)
- Suez Crisis (1956)
Production
Estimated total produced: 250,000 · Production years: 1925-1965
Estimates vary; Châtellerault produced the bulk of inventory with additional production at MAC during interwar buildup and post-WWII restoration
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault (designed by a team led by engineers at MAC)
Discontinued: 1965
Notes
Saw extensive service from 1925 through the 1960s in metropolitan France and was retained in colonial gendarmerie service into the 2000s. The dual-trigger system was an unusual but effective alternative to a selector switch.
Background
The 7.5x57mm cartridge originally chambered in the Mle 1924 was nearly identical in size to German 7.92x57mm Mauser - French soldiers tragically chambered captured Mauser rounds and blew up their guns, prompting the 1929 redesign to a shorter 7.5x54mm case that physically could not accept Mauser ammunition.