Stamm-Saurer Model 1916 Short-Recoil Light Machine Gun

Duration: 13:34

Hans Stamm developed a series of firearms in Switzerland in the early 1900s, and today we are looking at a Model 1916 light machine gun. This was developed while Stamm was working for the Saurer company, where he headed its small arms division. Stamm's prior straight pull manual rifle and long-recoil semiautomatic rifles had failed to win any commercial or military interest, and so in his last major design he turn to yet another new action type: long recoil. He developed a water-cooled light machine gun in 1915, and then two air-cooled models in 1916. The final of 5 examples made was a double-barreled air-cooled example, tested by the Swiss military. Unfortunately, no good data survives on Swiss testing of the guns, but they were not acquired by the military.

Many thanks to the Swiss Shooting Museum in Bern for giving me access to these two very rare rifles to film for you! The museum is free to the public, and definitely worth visiting if you are in Bern - although it is closed for renovation until autumn 2025: