Hotchkiss Portable Mle 1922
Hotchkiss et Cie · Machine Gun · Discontinued · 1922
Also known as: Hotchkiss M1922, Hotchkiss Portative, Hotchkiss Mle 1922
Overview
The Hotchkiss Portable Mle 1922 is a French gas-operated light machine gun developed by Hotchkiss et Cie as a lighter, more mobile counterpart to the company's heavy Mle 1914. Operated from an open bolt with a long-stroke gas piston beneath the barrel, it was offered to export customers in virtually any rifle caliber, including 7x57mm Mauser, and fed from rigid metallic feed strips or detachable overhead box magazines. A built-in rate-reducing mechanism allowed selection between fast and slow cyclic rates. It saw service with armies in Greece, China, Spain, Turkey and elsewhere through the interwar period and the Second World War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 8500 g (299.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1216 mm (47.87") |
| Barrel Length | 600 mm (23.62") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Feed Strip |
| Muzzle Velocity | 700 m/s (2297 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2744 J (2024 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 600 m (656 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 450 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7x57mm Mauser · primary — also known as 7mm Mauser, .275 Rigby, 7x57
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Metallic Feed Strip, Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Gas Operation, Long Stroke Piston, Rate Reducer, Fast Slow Cyclic Selector, Interchangeable Barrel, Bipod
Variants
- Hotchkiss M1924 — Improved Model
- Hotchkiss M1926 — Improved Model
Service history
Operators
- Hellenic Army
- National Revolutionary Army
- Spanish Army
- Turkish Army
Conflicts
- Chinese Civil War (1927-1949)
- Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
- Second World War (1939-1945)
Production
Production years: 1922-1930s
Produced in multiple national chamberings for export; succeeded by the M1924 and M1926 variants
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Hotchkiss et Cie
Notes
Marketed as a universal export weapon and produced in numerous national chamberings; later refined as the M1924 and M1926 models. Full-automatic fire only, with no single-shot setting.
Background
Designed as a portable export companion to the heavy Hotchkiss Mle 1914, the M1922 could be ordered in nearly any cartridge a buyer wanted, which made it a staple of small and mid-sized armies that lacked their own machine-gun industry.