A Berthier Automatic Rifle Prototype.

[klem]

The prototype Berthier automatic rifle was distinguished by an innovation brought since while being an automatic rifle, the weapon could be converted into a light machine gun, rather unknown and forgotten even the documentation concerning it is quite rare. (http:// berthieravpm.free.fr/springfield.html)

 

[fortrena]

From the looks of it, the Berthier in question is the gentleman mentioned at http://berthieravpm.free.fr/ and, less reliably perhaps, at https://encyclopedie-des-armes.com/index.php/armes/mitrailleuses-1914-1918/1633-fm-bekfhier

 

[Apophenia]

I believe this was the Berthier fusil mitrailleur n° 12 - effectively Berthier's modèle 1916 rechambered for rimless US 30-06 rounds and changes to furniture (while dispensing with the mle 1916's optional barrel sleeve for air-cooling). Berthier's earlier fusil mitrailleur n° 3 was also chambered for 30-06.

US Army testers objected to the upwards-pointing box magazine, complaining that the resulting offset sights made aiming non-intuiative (although that was also true for the favoured Madsen LMG). There were other complaints (mainly low rof) but, perhaps, the magazine objection explains image 02.jpg with its underslung box?

The follow-on to this design was Berthier's modèle 1922 which lost its French competition to the Hotchkiss Mle 1922. Vickers bought the rights to the Berthier Mle 1922 in 1925 and developed it into the Vickers-Berthier series of LMGs. (Berthier had previously developed his fusil mitrailleur n° 12 to fire British .303-inch rounds.)

 

[fortrena]

If I may, did the competition lost by the Berthier's modèle 1922 to the Hotchkiss Mle 1922 preceed the one which led to the adoption of the Manufacture d'armes de Châtellerault's MAC 23 by the French Armée de Terre, as the MAC 24 / MAC 24/29?

 

[Apophenia]

I'm not sure. Certainly the Hotchkiss Modèle 1922 was eclipsed by the new Châtellerault design. The Mle 1922 was chambered for the rimmed 8 mm Lebel round. IIRC, the Châtellerault Mle 23 was chambered for the French army's new unrimmed 7.5 x 57mm MAS. Both rounds were soon replaced by the refined 7.5 x 54 mm MAS which resulted in the French army service adoption of the Châtellerault Mle 24.

Hotchkiss then focused on developing their mitrailleuse légère for the export market. That said, the Ministère des Colonies did order the Hotchkiss Mle 1924 which was rechambered for the 7.5 x 54 mm MAS. A further refined Hotchkiss Modèle 1934 was chambered for the revised 7.5 x 54 mm mle 1929 D round.

These later Hotchkiss purchased appear muddled to us now. The Ministère des Colonies orders may indicate inter-ministerial rivalry with the Ministère de la Guerre. But I suspect, at the time, Châtellerault couldn't have produced sufficient mitrailleuse légère to satisfy overall French requirements anyway (let alone generate income through exports).

 

[Perdikofas]

Image 02 seems edited, I've marked the most obvious spots, but I'll note them here too to make the attached comparison easier to digest:

1. Pistol grip and trigger group are probably the most clear ones, the original cut they are supposed to be in is still there, and badly edited. In the edited image you can see a bit of the steel part of the original image's pistol grip still left in there over the stock.
2. Pistol grip/trigger group are also lower quality than the rest of the image, probably the most widespread indication of photo editing.
3. The editor removed the bipod but forgot to remove the swivel.
4. The original front sight is still there, which would be completely useless anyway since it's sitting way below any sort of aiming line you could have.
Not circled but I'll put it here anyway. Without a bipod there's no way to fire the edited Berthier without hurting your hands sans gloves on the cooling fins, either due to recoil or just heat that would eventually accumulate.

 

[SirCoutin]

Image 02 seems edited, I've marked the most obvious spots, but I'll note them here too to make the attached comparison easier to digest:

1. Pistol grip and trigger group are probably the most clear ones, the original cut they are supposed to be in is still there, and badly edited. In the edited image you can see a bit of the steel part of the original image's pistol grip still left in there over the stock.
2. Pistol grip/trigger group are also lower quality than the rest of the image, probably the most widespread indication of photo editing.
3. The editor removed the bipod but forgot to remove the swivel.
4. The original front sight is still there, which would be completely useless anyway since it's sitting way below any sort of aiming line you could have.
Not circled but I'll put it here anyway. Without a bipod there's no way to fire the edited Berthier without hurting your hands sans gloves on the cooling fins, either due to recoil or just heat that would eventually accumulate.

Yes this is certainly edited.
To add to the conversation, Berthier would later modify his design and submit it to the semi-automatic rifle trials in the US as the USMC rifle.