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A Madsen light machine gun with spare magazine. Type Light machine gun, Place of origin Denmark, Service history In service 1902–present Wars Russo-Japanese War, World War I, Chaco War, World War II, various other conflicts around the world Production history Designer Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen Designed 1896 Manufacturer Dansk Rekyl Riffel Syndikat A/S Specifications Weight 9.07 kg (20.00 lb) Length 1,143 mm (45.0 in) Barrel length 584 mm (23.0 in) Cartridge 7x57mm Mauser 6.5x55mm 7.92x57mm Mauser 7.65×53 Mauser 7.62x54mmR 7.62x51mm NATO, .303 British. Action Long recoil-operated, Rate of fire 450 rounds/min, Muzzle velocity 870 m/s (2,854 ft/s) (6.5x55mm), Feed system 25, 30, 40-round detachable box magazine, Sights Rear V-notch and front post.

The Madsen was a light machine gun developed by Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schoubue and proposed for adoption by Captain Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War and adopted by the Danish Army in 1902. It was one of the first true light machine guns produced in quantity and sold to over 34 different countries in 12 different calibres, seeing extensive combat use in various conflicts around the globe for over 100 years.[2][3] The Madsen was produced by Compagnie Madsen A/S (later operating as Dansk Rekyl Riffel Syndikat A/S and then Dansk Industri Syndikat A/S).

The Madsen has a rather sophisticated and uncommon operating cycle not used in any other crew-served weapon. The machine gun uses a mixed recoil-operated locking system with a hinged bolt that is patterned after the lever-action Peabody Martini breechblock.[2] The recoil operation is part short and part long recoil. After firing a round, the initial recoil impulse drives the barrel, barrel extension, and bolt to the rear. A pin on the right side of the bolt moves backward in grooves in an operating cam plate mounted to the right side of the receiver. After 12.7 mm (0.5 in) of travel, the bolt is cammed upward, away from the breech (the short” portion of the recoil system). The barrel and barrel extension continue to move rearward to a point slightly exceeding the combined overall length of the cartridge case and projectile (the long portion of the recoil system, responsible for the weapon’s low rate of fire).

After the breech is exposed, an odd lever-type extractor/ejector, mounted under the barrel, is pivoted to the rear, extracting the empty case and ejecting it through the bottom of the receiver. The bolt’s operating cam then forces the bolt face to pivot downward, aligning a cartridge feed groove in the left side of the bolt with the chamber. While the bolt and barrel are returning forward, a cartridge-rammer lever, mounted on the barrel extension, is pivoted forward, loading a fresh cartridge.

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