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EdStevens · 10 October 2001, 02:21 PM

I'm perfectly willing to stand corrected, but I think the Lewis was just a more practical weapon for use on aircraft than the Hotchkiss. The Hotchkiss appears larger and probably heavier, but most importantly was fed by a 30-round strip of bullets, feeding from the side. Compared to the Lewis' drum-fed system, which as we know was doubled for use on aircraft, this system is a poor competitor. Does anyone know if an effort was made to replace this strip with a side-mounted drum or belt feed?

10 October 2001, 02:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
EdStevens Scout Pilot Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 328	I'm perfectly willing to stand corrected, but I think the Lewis was just a more practical weapon for use on aircraft than the Hotchkiss. The Hotchkiss appears larger and probably heavier, but most importantly was fed by a 30-round strip of bullets, feeding from the side. Compared to the Lewis' drum-fed system, which as we know was doubled for use on aircraft, this system is a poor competitor. Does anyone know if an effort was made to replace this strip with a side-mounted drum or belt feed?