The Machine Rifle Model 1915 CSRG, more famously known as the Chauchat was the standard light machine gun of the French Army during the First World War. It was one of the first light, automatic rifle weapons designed to be carried and fired by a single gunner with an assistant, without the need of a heavy tripod or a gun crew, setting an example to be copied by several firearm projects later, being a portable, yet full-power automatic weapon that''s cheaply-built in numerous numbers.
The Chauchat combined a pistol grip, an in-line stock, a removable magazine, and a selective fire capability in a compact package of a not so heavy weight for a single soldier. Also, it could be also be fired from the hip and while walking. However, its many design flaws got it replaced in both US and later French service by the BAR 1918 and Mle 1924, respectively.
The Chauchat light machine gun notoriously symbolised everything a light machine gun shouldn't be.
The weapon was poorly made to the point that it kicked like a mule. The firing mechanism always jammed, and, even when it did work well, the gun's 20-round capacity was not enough for combat.
Sources: battlefield.wikia.com/wiki/Chauchat
www.businessinsider.sg/the-8-worst-guns-ever-made-2016-5
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