"You know, there's an LMG that needs only 1 inch of bolt travel" "That's madness!" "No, that's Madsen!"

Is it the only pre-WWI machine gun that survived and served into the 'modern age'? Thats all kinds of amazing. Why the hell doesnt the Madsen get more credit???

I've always wondered if Ian did a spin-off series to Forgotten Weapons that focused on more well known and successful weapons and call it "Unforgettable Weapons." Just a thought though, as I imagine that the forgotten weapons tend to have more interesting characteristics and features.

seeing the action of the Madsen reminds me less of a the linear reciprocating bolts of modern guns and more like an artilary team rapid firing an artilary piece, only the team is the series of cams

"The Danish Recoil Rifle Syndicate." How is that not the name of a metal band from Denmark?! Man, I love all the epic stuff I learn from watching Ian's channel! 🤙

Looking back to your old Madsen LMG video, you went form being a enthusiastic young gun nerd to an veteran, respectable expert on forgotten firearms. You have really come a long way. Great work!

Just blown away by the genius of this design, and it being updated right up until 1950 shows how well it was received. Really deserves more credit as a design.

I've been trying to figure out how these things work for a while now, and now I can see that they are actually remarkably simple and absolutely ingenious designs. They look clumsy/ungainly, but they are excellent guns.

All done without CAD.........

Sure its complex, but looking at how mechanically robust it looked, this must have been extremely reliable for the time.

I don't know how people could think this thing doesn't look pretty. It's both mechanically and visually stunning imo. Had not heard of this thing before. Really impressive.

The Madsen is one of my favorites. The fact that it's still used in some places really speaks volumes for the design.

Important question: In Battlefield 1, the Madsen currently (incorrectly) ejects casings to the left instead of down. I've passed this on to the devs, but I need to know what the flap-looking piece on the left of the receiver is. The one that looks like an ejection post/dust cover, but isn't.

At first I thought it would be a mediocre LMG but it's actually a very ingenious and interesting design. Thanks.

"complicated enough?" "nah, a conventional power loom with auto weft replenisher (rotary), multiple weft motion, that takes design from a double lift double jack dobby is more complicated than this" jokes aside i like how this person takes the pain to explain the mechanism of guns. I specifically looked for this gun because found this in a game called ENLISTED, and I love this gun to halt Germans pushing the point cross the river. Love this channel.

I think the Madsen Gun is beautiful.

Thank you for pronouncing Madsen right.

You know my dream was to own an M-60 like I carried for a time in Nam but after looking at this unit, and the easy change of calibers, I think I will change my dream gun. I doubt I will ever be able to afford either unless I hit the lottery, and I doubt I will ever do that, as I can't afford the tickets! Thanks for the great info, I always learn something from your videos.

Love the ejection ramp. I could imagine all the reloaders at the range putting a bucket underneath it to collect the brass haha. Keep up the good work mate! Cheers, ASC.

i wouldnt have mind a 10min longer vid for the history. gj anyway ;)

I could honestly listen to you talk about guns all day. I know a lot about boomsticks but I have the feeling watching your videos that you may have forgotten more than I currently know about them. God bless and carry on good sir.

*My god, this one has a Portuguese Crest!* A portuguese crest on this particular weapon means that it was a weapon used during the Portuguese Colonial Wars, also known as *"Ultramar War"*. It was a really terrible ordeal, mostly because we had a fascist government at the time, forcing people to go into war. My grandfather went to Africa to fight in these wars, Angola or Mozambique I believe. Thankfully he never got to see any armed conflict and came back home in one piece. My dad also had to go to military duty (as it was mandatory) and he did use one of these in his training, as well as the H&K G3, that is also on this channel. He also thankfully never engaged in armed conflicts. The Ultramar War ended officially with the end of our fascist government during the 25th of April of 1974 *"Revolução dos Cravos"* (Revolution of Carnations).

Finnish Army had some of these in 1930s. They were described as "assembled of various malfunctions in heavy steel cover".

Watching this video made me feel like I'm back in calculus II in college! The designers of this gun were phenomenal!

I love that there is a place in this world confident enough in its people that one can shop for a light machine-gun at public auction!!

Simply amazing, it doesn't even look bad designwise. A fine piece of story and engineering. Thanks Ian

Great gun, still in use with danish reserves into the 90s....very reliable!

The internal components may seem pretty weird & complicated, but as soon as you comprehend the actual movements involved, it becomes a remarkably effective & elegant design (fitting the recoil movement into an incredibly small space). Despite it's apparent messy internal complexity, it also had an impressively long functional lifespan as a weapon in several militaries, implying both reliability & relative ease of maintenance under battlefield conditions. A very clever piece of machinery from the late *19th* / turn of the *20th Century.* I would love to see an evaluation & comparison of this *LMG* (gun & mechanism design) with competing: • *American **_(M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, The Lewis Gun),_* • *British **_(Maxim gun (+), Hotchkiss M1909) &_* • *German **_(Bergmann/Schmeisser MG15 nA Gun)_* designs. (+) The Maxim, 'cause it set the ball rolling & influenced the design of many others. I don't know a hell of a lot about these early weapons, but both the Light & Heavy Machine Guns have had a seriously massive impact on warfare (& cultural conquest by European forces across Africa & Asia) from the turn of the 20th Century onwards.

Just read and old danish newspaper article. Where it states: "Last shot of the Madsen". In this year (2008), the last remaining Madsen LMG. are being phased out by the Brazilian police. "An era is over"

Gode gamle fru Madsen! "Good old Mrs. Madsen" was the nickname given to this gun by the Danish soldiers. It was replaced in the Danish army by the MG3/62.

Even in todays world of miniturazation and automation, this gun is really a fantastic design. Considering the era when it was designed, makes it even more interisting. I would love a day at the range with one of these, and a case of ammo to burn, however I am sure there is no way I could afford anything you review now days. Really pisses me off though, back in the 80's when I had my FFL many of the handguns you review were readily available, but I never gave them any thought, I was busy buying my AMT Hardballer, and my AMT Automag II, or the old Luger I found in pristine condition that I let a fellow gun lover take to a gun show for me to trade for a "Modern 9mm" that I could duty carry. The fellow was so nice, he traded it for a Radam, I was quite pissed, so he gave me a wonderful fully sporterized Engfield P17 that could drill holes at 300 yards and a little Model 36 Chiefs Special by S&W. Sure wish I had that luger back and the nice and the holster she was in looked brand new with extra mag and cleaning rod, oh what a fool I was back then.

I love the look of Madsen machine guns and the fact that they survived in service for so long. Now I've learned why, very clever and versatile design. Thanks Ian!

Sweet LMG. Interesting mechanics.

Yes, Madsen is pronounced with a silent 'D'! My first name is Mads, and I struggle with this all the time. I work in the turist industry, so I hear a lot of interesting interpretations of my name.

I'm pretty sure my GI Joe had one. The magazine configuration was the coolest ! Man, the GI Joe. The good old days.

As a dane, id love to get the background and history of this gun, as it is depicted in many photos of danish soldier in the 1930s and up to the the day of the Nazi-invasion. I find the info you give out is short and it sticks easy in the brain :) good job!

Another awesome video, I find the Madsen to be a very pretty gun and a very fascinating one at that. Thank you for showing the details you do and the explanations. Also thank you again for allowing me to use one of your videos in my stream

If there was an award for firearm concept and development, the madsen should have been an award winner.

I really like the more in-depth explanations of the functioning. At least with these unusual types of guns. The more unusual, the more details I want. :)

Great video, as usual, and I'm really digging the after auction hammer price listings. It makes (some) of these items seem financially-approachable.

That is one elegant action, solved with proper engineering, none of that modern messing around with rotating bolts and gas piston. Thanks for the demonstration.

Great video. Truly a forgotten weapon worthy of note. fascinating action, while a little complicated by modern standards I feel like this is about as mechanically sound as you are going to get for the weight and size. Looking at it wear on the guide slots or pins are the only major pieces i could see breaking or wearing out in any reasonable amount of time which given the chunkiness of the parts is going to be quite some time (aka within the barrels life). keep up the good work!

Thank you Ian this post was very informative. Some countries in south America still use this rifle as a tactical machine gun.

Wow the way this thing works is just plain cool. To think it was designed so early too...

Actually how did you get in contact with the RIA and have them allow you to pick some of their guns apart? Were they like: Yeah you have fun and we get advertising?

Thanks Ian, I've always wondered why Ian Hogg in one of his many books said " the strange thing about the Madsen, is not that it worked well, but that it worked at all" Now I understand why.

Another fantastic video, very smooth watch. Thanks, Ian!

Ian, I still wonder why these guns are not more known. Are you going to review some of the more special ones, like motorcycle mounted? Also, what about the Madsen-Rasmussen M1896 self-loading rifle etc. Any chance we will see you review those at one point? Amazing channel btw. I like how you incorporate the history into your videos as well.

Brilliant design.

you're correct with your pronunciation of madsen. It is indeed with a silent d. Great video, keep them comming. I really enjoy when you take a look at danish weapons.

The Rexer Arms Company of London was licensed to manufacture Madsen's guns in Great Britain and Canada. When Rexer did not comply with the agreement and also tried to sell the weapons to other countries, it was terminated and weapons and machines were withdrawn. However, Madsen was often called "Rexer" in Great Britain.

2017 new Madsen video team, reporting in!

6:21 Wow, what a great KER-CHUNK! That sounds incredibly satisfying to operate.

Quite ingenious design, simple yet genious.

your danish pronunciation is correct. Keep up the good work, Ian! Greetings from a danish subscriber.

Good stuff Ian! Enjoy your site very much.

Ah, a detailed video of the Madsen! Praise the lord! Thank you. + The middle selector position D is for Decock.

One of my favorite channels.

"Madsen" Said correctly 😀

Very interresting mechanics! Thx a lot for showing us! Greetings from Hamburg, Germany Piet

That's fascinating. I wonder if I could make a very compact SMG design with that concept.

Not quite as steampunk as the belt fed you just showed in Nov 2023, but awesome to see how an engineer in 1902 solved a problem for 48 years plus.

Great video and well made detailed description of the function of the madsen LMG. Very interesting gun. LMGs could have had a big impact on WW I

Great video. My grandfather built Madsen-guns at DISA ("The Rifle Syndicate") in Copenhagen and in 1942 he won a 1st prize in the their shooting club (called "The Recoil") - the prize was a statue of a soidier with the Madsen-gun at his hip. I have that now as a memory. I was told the Madsen-gun was special, since it's parts were fully replaceabel with spareparts apparently unlike most other models, that took some modification to fit perfectly - do you have any info on that?

You can see the aspects of the design that lent to its longevity. It's a compact action with relatively few moving parts, is able to be easily disassembled for maintenance, and is able to be easily swapped for different calibers. As a bonus, it looks like something someone in the Star Wars prop department might pick up and turn into a cool space rifle.

Just one word for how this weapon operates... Fascinating

I always liked Ian V.Hogg's comment about the Madsen: "the wonder is not that it worked well, but that it worked at all". :-)

Elegant design. I'm amazed this gun didn't see wider use or copying of it's mechanism.

Very interesting design, if a bit complicated. Sounds like it has stood the test of time. Ingenious that the barrel and breech are one unit for easy changing. Sounds like this one is an 8x57? That would make sense in Europe. Madsen products seem popular in South America. A lot of their SMG's are still seen down there, reputedly. Great video as always. Thank you

Strange mechanism but functional. Thanks for posting.

Instant upvote for correct pronunciation!

Thanks. I never had a chance to get a good look at one of these, probably never will but at least I know what they are now.

If you could find one, could you do a video on Walch percussion revolvers Ian? They are interesting mechanically, and are definitely a Forgotten Weapon.

How a rather complicated system can work so effective... :-)

It was used in Brazil for many years in 7mm mauser caliber. Very reliable and efficient. Now it is used by the Rio de Janeiro Police in .308.

This video is in a museum in Denmark. Gj mate

Great design like the luger of LMG got it right at start and unusual mechanics.

How does the Madsen stack up against the Bren gun mechanically? My father had to use the Bren, which he liked a lot (the gun, not being shot at or stuck in a hole facing Germans) but he once said it was kinda too accurate at times. As when the shit hit the fan and you were getting rushed, you tended to just get one guy instead of more. Weird, and I'm not really sure if he was pulling my leg, looking back..but that's what he said and he was a fine shot, much better than me.

The second pronounciation is correct, the d is silent. Compagnie Madsen A/S changed name to Dansk Rekyl Riffel Syndikat (I don't know what year) and was commonly known as Riffelsyndikatet and in 1936 changed its name to Dansk Industri Syndikat A/S. During the German occupation it produced guns to the Wehmacht and was consequently sabotaged by the resistance. As part of Riffelsyndikatet was owned by the largest Danish capitalist he tried to order London to cease the sabotage (that was ignored with disgust). The company is today known as DISA and produces advanced mould making machines for metal casting. The story about the involvement og A.P. Møller in Riffelsyndikatet was not meant to be known by the public. When the story was told in Berlingske Tidende in 1999, his son tried to take revenge at Berlingske Tidende by selling of his shares in the paper. The paper still suffers from this. In fact A.P. Møller had not persuaded Riffelsyndikatet to produce guns to the Germans (as far as is known), but the government may have done just that.

Such a satisfying sound at 6:20.

That's... what?... about 4 to 6 moving parts? Remarkable. Many automatic weapons from that period were overly complex and had too many parts, all designed to tolerances that made dirt a major foe to efficient operation. Tearing down just to clean them could require a college degree for some weapons. Rasmussen did a miraculous job designing that bolt assembly; it's far ahead of its time.

This is almost as interesting as the over-under shotgun from the september episode. good mechanics on this lmg.

Pretty cool design!

What an amazing piece. I want ten!

Damn impressed by your pronunciation! Almost like hearing a Dane!

Excellent description

Out of purely academic interest, what does "not fully transferrable" mean exactly?

A 20lb 30-06 sub-machine gun. I knew Danes could be big guys but that's impressive.

Thanks a lot for the video! That was highly interesting and entertaining.

@Forgotten Weapons Haha, good job on the danish pronounciation :)

RP = República Portuguesa Holy crap, that gun is from my country!... =) I wonder if that particular gun was used in Africa... Ian, I tried but was unable to figure out the meaning of "SDF" on the selector. Since this is a Portuguese gun, I assume that the S is for Segurança and the F is for Fogo, so they actually coincide with S for Safe and F for Fire. No idea what the D could be for, though. If I get a chance to ask any of my friends who've been in the military, I'll ask them.

Exactly what a "first of its kind" should be. Odd and rather complex but very well thought out.

Så fascinerende! Mange tak!

Cool! I'm surprised this didn't get into "top to reproduce" list from your November Q&A

Love your video's great style and content. Thanks.... Mark

I love your channel. I find the history and engineering of Forgotten Weapons fascinating. But my first shotgun was a 1884(or around then) Winchester or Remington .410/.22cal long combination gun. That had a selector on the hammer. after cocking it you had to make sure the selector was on the right barrel. It was a long time ago, that the IRS took it from my Grandparents safe. They didn't care that it was their grandchilds gun. They just took everything. True my Grandparents were behind on their taxes. But blindly confiscating everything, was wrong in my opinion. But I lost my shotgun. You'd think after +30 years I'd have let it go. Guess that's where my fear of gun confiscation comes from. But to sum it up if I wasn't on a fixed income I'd be happy to donate. But the only way I get to shoot is by being frugal. But hope those who are in a position to help donate, do so. To keep the history and facts about firearms accurate.

Very cool gun, thanks Ian...

It would be wonderful if Ian could do another video on the Madsen going further into its history and use using the footage from his three videos on the weapon.

I love the look of this gun.

Imagine designing this without dynamic autocad then you will appreciate the clockwork mastery of this era.