Huot Automatic Rifle
Ross Rifle Company · Machine Gun · Prototype · 1916
Also known as: Huot-Ross Automatic Rifle, Huot Machine Rifle
Overview
The Huot Automatic Rifle is a Canadian light machine gun developed during the First World War by converting the surplus Ross straight-pull bolt-action rifle into a gas-operated automatic weapon. Designed by Joseph Alphonse Huot, it mounted a gas piston along the left side of the barrel that tapped gas near the muzzle to cycle the existing Ross straight-pull action, and fed from a 25-round detachable drum magazine in .303 British. Tested at Hythe and Enfield with generally favourable results, it never entered service as development was halted by the November 1918 Armistice.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 5900 g (208.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1195 mm (47.05") |
| Barrel Length | 635 mm (25.00") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 25 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Drum |
| Muzzle Velocity | 744 m/s (2441 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3120 J (2301 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 475 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .303 British · primary — also known as .303 Mk VII, 7.7x56mmR, .303 Enfield
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Drum Magazine
- Features: Gas Piston, Straight Pull Bolt, Detachable Drum Magazine, Ross Rifle Conversion, Barrel Shroud
Service history
Operators
- Canadian Expeditionary Force
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 5 · Production years: 1917-1918
Trial weapon only; roughly four or five serial examples built before the project was cancelled at the end of the war
Origin
Country of origin: Canada
Designer: Joseph Alphonse Huot
Discontinued: 1918
Notes
Only about four or five examples were built. The conversion was relatively cheap because it reused thousands of surplus Ross rifles that had been withdrawn from front-line service due to fouling and mud reliability problems.
Background
The Huot turned the deeply unpopular Ross rifle, blamed for jamming in the mud of Flanders, into a credible light machine gun for a fraction of the cost of a Lewis Gun. Despite passing British trials at Hythe and Enfield, the Armistice killed it before mass production could begin.