Puteaux M1905
Atelier de Construction de Puteaux (APX) · Machine Gun · Discontinued · 1905
Also known as: Mitrailleuse Puteaux Modèle 1905, Puteaux Mle 1905, Puteaux APX 1905
Overview
The Puteaux M1905 is a French gas-operated, air-cooled, tripod-mounted machine gun chambered in 8x50mmR Lebel. Designed at the government-run Atelier de Construction de Puteaux (APX) as a domestic alternative to the commercial Hotchkiss guns, it used a Bang-type muzzle-cup gas action and a distinctive finned-ring air-cooled barrel. It fed from rigid 25-round metallic strips and featured an unusual variable rate-of-fire mechanism adjustable from roughly 30 up to 600 rounds per minute. The design proved fragile and unreliable in field service and was produced only in small numbers before being quickly redesigned into the St-Étienne Mle 1907.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 26000 g (917.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1180 mm (46.46") |
| Barrel Length | 710 mm (27.95") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 25 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Feed Strip |
| Muzzle Velocity | 700 m/s (2297 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3136 J (2313 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 1500 m (1640 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 4500 m (4921 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8x50mmR Lebel · primary — also known as 8mm Lebel, Cartouche Mle 1886, Balle D, Balle N, 8x51mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: 25 Round Metallic Strip
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Air Cooled, Tripod Mounted, Adjustable Rate Of Fire, Metallic Strip Feed, Open Bolt, Finned Cooling Rings
Service history
Operators
- French Army · adopted 1905 · as Mitrailleuse Modèle 1905
Conflicts
- French colonial campaigns (1905-1910)
Production
Production years: 1905-1907
Produced in small numbers only; rapidly superseded by the St-Étienne Mle 1907 (over 30,000 built)
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Atelier de Construction de Puteaux (APX)
Discontinued: 1907
Notes
The variable rate-of-fire feature and complicated muzzle-cup gas system made the gun delicate and prone to malfunction. The few delivered examples were withdrawn from front-line service and some were sent to French colonial units.
Background
The Puteaux M1905 was France's attempt to field a state-designed machine gun free of Hotchkiss patents, but its over-engineered muzzle-cup gas action and fragile rigid-strip feed made it a notorious disappointment, surviving in service barely two years before being reworked into the more successful St-Étienne Mle 1907.