Mle 1924
| FM 24/29 | |
|---|---|
LMG 24/29
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| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1925–1950s 1930s to 2000–2006 (National Gendarmerie) |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars |
Rif War World War II First Indochina War Algerian War Suez Crisis 1958 Lebanon crisis Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Western Sahara War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Lt col. Reibel assisted by Chief Armorer Chosse |
| Designed | 1923 |
| Manufacturer | Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault |
| Produced | 1925-1957 (190,400 delivered) |
| Variants | M1924-M29D M1931 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 8.9 kg (19.7 lb) |
| Length | 1080 mm (42.5 in) |
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| Cartridge | 7.5×54mm French |
| Caliber | 7.5mm |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 450 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 830 m/s (2,722.4 ft/s) |
| Feed system | 25 round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The Fusil-mitrailleur Modèle 1924 M29 was the standard light machine gun of the French Army from 1925 until the 1960s and was in use until 2000-2006 with the National Gendarmerie. It fires the French 7.5×54mm round which is equivalent in ballistics and striking power to the later 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) round. A robust and reliable weapon partly derived from the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) action, the FM 1924 M29 soldiered on, practically without interruptions, for more than 50 years.
After the end of World War I, the French Army sought to replace the problematic Fusil-mitrailleur mle 1915 CSRG light machine rifle (better known as the Chauchat). French commanders considered standardizing on the American Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), but eventually required the development of a locally built weapon. MAS (an abbreviation of Manufacture d'Armes de St. Etienne - one of several government-owned arms factories in France) proposed a direct derivative of the BAR, but the Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) won the bid with its weapon, which was partly derived from the BAR action. It had been formulated and designed by a Lieutenant Colonel Reibel assisted by Chief Armorer Chosse.
The FM Mle 1924 entered production in late July 1925 and saw first operational use in Morocco in May 1926. It was immediately well-received and even favorably compared in performance with the much heavier Hotchkiss machine gun. However, problems created by the new 7.5mm ammunition did appear. In particular, 8×57mm Mauser ammunition which was used in captured Mauser rifles carried by auxiliaries in Morocco during the Rif War from 1920–26, could be chambered and fired with disastrous results. This situation led to the development of a slightly shorter 7.5×54mm round, which was retained in 1929 as the standard ammunition for all future rifles and light machine guns in French service. The modified fusil-mitrailleur modèle 1924 modifié 1929 (FM Mle 1924 M29) was mass-manufactured (187,412), beginning in 1930. In addition to these newly manufactured guns some 45,530 older FM Mle 1924s, already in service after phasing out the notoriously unreliable Chauchat, were rebarreled in order to accept the newer 7.5×54mm ammunition.
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