Darne Mle 1918
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 600 mm
- Weight, empty
- 7.80 kg
- Introduced
- 1918
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Darne Mle 1918 is a French gas-operated, belt-fed machine gun designed by Regis Darne during the First World War. Built for extreme economy of manufacture using stamped and folded steel components, it employed an unusual two-stage belt feed positioned between the gas piston and barrel. Though too late for wartime service, it was adopted primarily as a high-rate-of-fire aircraft machine gun and saw use into the 1930s. Early guns were chambered in 8x50mmR Lebel before the type was rechambered for the 7.5mm French service cartridge.
The Darne company was best known for its innovative break-action shotguns; it entered military production in 1915 manufacturing Lewis guns for France before Regis Darne designed his own radically cheap machine gun in 1917.
Originally chambered in 8mm Lebel and .303 British, the Darne was later updated to the 7.5x54mm French cartridge. As an aircraft gun it favoured a very high cyclic rate (up to ~1,200 rpm) over weight or longevity. Replaced in French aviation service by the MAC 1934 from 1935.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Darne
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- France
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1918 to 1935
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 600 mm
- Overall length
- 1112 mm
- Weight, empty
- 7.80 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Capacity
- 200
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 792 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3136 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Rate of fire
- 1100 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Air cooled
Belt fed
Quick change barrel
Two stage feed
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 7.80 kg | 10.50 kg | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1112 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 600 mm | 605 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 200 | 50 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Darne Mle 1918
How much does the Darne Mle 1918 weigh?
The Darne Mle 1918 weighs 7.80 kg (17.20 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Darne Mle 1918?
The Darne Mle 1918 is chambered in 8x50mmR Lebel.
How many rounds does the Darne Mle 1918 hold?
The Darne Mle 1918 holds 200 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the Darne Mle 1918?
The Darne Mle 1918 is 1112 mm (43.8 in) long overall, with a 600 mm (23.6 in) barrel.
Who makes the Darne Mle 1918?
The Darne Mle 1918 is made by Darne (France). It was designed by Regis Darne.
When was the Darne Mle 1918 introduced?
The Darne Mle 1918 was introduced in 1918 and discontinued in 1935.
How does the Darne Mle 1918 operate?
The Darne Mle 1918 uses a gas operated action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- French Armed Forces
- 1919
- Aeronautique Militaire
- 1922
- Spanish Armed Forces
- Spain
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/darne-machine-gun' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "darne-machine-gun", "name": "Darne Mle 1918", "manufacturer": { "id": "darne", "name": "Darne", "countryCode": "FR", "foundedYear": 1881, "website": "https://www.fusildarne.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "7d636c71a810ac9957e60cd8905447d57c0582f22e8ed5ee8b1df614c463e6fd" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "FR", "year_introduced": 1918, "barrel_length_mm": 600, "weight_empty_g": 7800, "action_type": "gas_operated"}