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There came into existence in 1902 an automatic machine gun the parentage of which has been one of the most controversial subjects in the history of such weapons. It has been officially known under the names, Madsen, Rexer, D.R.R.S., and Schouboe, and was originally manufactured by the Dansk Rekylriffel Syndikat of Copenhagen, Denmark.
It derived the title by which it is best known, Madsen, from the name of the Danish Minister of War of that period, as a tribute to his enthusiasm for the weapon at the time of its adoption by the country’s armed services. The use of the name, Rexer, is due to a long-standing policy of the British Empire in not considering for adoption any small arm that was not fabricated on English soil. Thus, in order to interest the authorities, many of these guns were made at a
Madsen Machine Gun, Model 1903, Being Demonstrated by Lt. Schouboe.
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British arms factory known as Rexer. The D.R.R.S. title uses the initials of the Danish firm. The designation of Schouboe comes from the widespread belief that Theodor Schouboe, the director and engineer of the rifle company, was the actual inventor of the weapon.
Research on this bewildering topic adds even more complications. While it is true that Schouboe on 14 February 1902 did patent the basic operating principles of the mechanism, it is also a fact that on 15 June 1899 Julius Alexander Rasmussen, the director of the Royal Military Arms factory, in Copenhagen, applied for and was subsequently issued a patent on the identical features claimed by Schouboe three years later. To confuse the issue further, Rasmussen assigned his patent rights to the Dansk Rekylriffel Syndikat, the first to produce the weapon.
The original patent grant to Rasmussen covers fully all principles involved in utilizing an automatic rifle in which the energy of its recoil forces makes the arm automatically feed, fire, extract, and eject. It employs the basic system, first manually used in the lever-operated Peabody and Martini rifles, whereby a pinned breechblock rises during the forward lever stroke to uncover the base of the fired cartridge case, thus allowing its extraction and ejection. Then by its first rearward action, the bolt or breechblock falls below the barrel opening to permit chambering of the incoming round. The final movement forces the bolt to rise again to give support behind the loaded cartridge.
These actions, on the automatic weapons, are governed by a circular stud on the recoiling barrel extension working in grooves on a switch plate fastened to the receiver. The bolt is locked in the up position for the first half inch of recoil and so held until the bullet has traveled through the bore and the powder pressure has dropped to a point where it is considered safe to start the cycle of operation.
While this unique system has worked with great reliability, many still insist that the action is unsound in an automatic weapon, for the reason that each round, upon being rapidly loaded, is slightly distorted into an arc while being chambered. This view is supported by the fact that a very high percentage of stoppages results from stuck cases, especially when rimmed ammunition is used. This is thought to be caused by a deformation of the round in the act of loading.
The pilot model was chambered for the 8-mm Danish Krag-Jorgensen round with a muzzle velocity of 2,228 feet per second. This was nearly identical with the service rifle cartridge employed by the United States Army just after the Spanish-American War. Practically all models that followed were designed for rimless ammunition, which was always considered more reliable, since a more tolerant head space can be allowed.
The first-mentioned use of the Madsen in warfare was by Russian forces in the Manchurian war of 1904-05. Some of their cavalry units were armed with it, but the foreign observers barely made note of the fact beyond a statement that a few had been seen.
Officials tests were begun by the United States Army on the machine rifle version on 9 September 1903, at Springfield Armory, Springfield, Mass., and later concluded at Fort Riley, Kans. The firing was done by Lt. Theodor Schouboe, of the Danish Army, who personally represented the Dansk Rekylriffel Syndikat. In this test the feed was considered unsatisfactory and, when the ammunition was not lubricated, a ruptured cartridge case generally resulted.
A total of 7,163 rounds were fired, during which enough malfunctions occurred to justify the official conclusion that the Madsen weapon had not reached a stage of reliability to warrant adoption. The most objectionable feature occurred when the driving spring repeatedly failed to propel the mechanism home and Lieutenant Schouboe then had to rise to a kneeling position in order to exert enough force on the charging handle to shove the action full into battery. In combat such a movement would make the operator an outstanding target. The weapon’s accuracy was considered satisfactory and complimentary reference was made to its unusually light weight.
An air-cooled, belt-fed heavy Madsen machine gun, designed for calibers from 6.5 mm to 11.35 mm, made its appearance shortly after this. Many of the earlier malfunctions were corrected, so that it was considered reliable for special objectives. If certain peculiarities are overlooked, the
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Madsen Machine Gun, Model 1903. Photographed During United States Trials.Madsen can be classed as one of the few automatic weapons that have successfully stood the test of time.
When the belt-fed automatic machine gun version is prepared for firing, the ammunition belt is started into the left side. The disintegrating links used in the feed belt are of peculiar design. The front of the link fits over the shoulder of the round which has to be pulled through it by the feeding action. The rear portion of the link is of the type known as the “push-out” or “half-link,” in that it does not go all the way around the base of the cartridge. A sharp claw of spring steel holds the case firmly until it is finally withdrawn.
Once the weapon is cocked and the first cartridge is placed under the belt-holding pawl, the large charging handle on the right side is pulled back. This action moves the barrel extension a considerable distance to the rear after the bolt rises. The pawl holding the cartridge in position is carried to the right by the camming action which takes place between the barrel extension and the piece supporting the incoming round until the cartridge is forced through the feed slot in the receiver.
At this time a spring-loaded claw cams itself over the rim of the cartridge. The pivoting of the feed arm actuates the claw rearward and withdraws the cartridge from the belt, positioning it in the feed trough in the top of the bolt. The pivoting lever has by now taken its place behind the round. Upon release of the cocking handle the energy of the compressed driving spring sends the lever forward. The front end of the bolt is pivoted down below the bore in the barrel. Further movement forward of this lever causes it to strike the base of the cartridge, ramming it into the chamber. The final pivot movement raises the breech block full behind the bolt and the weapon is ready to fire.
The rearward pull of a trigger releases the large striker which flies upwards in an arc against a firing pin. detonating the primer.
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