Hi MG1918,
I happened to read this thread thanks to your refreshing it and was a bit surprised by the statement that the gun was unpopular. I'm not arguing that for total lack of competence in the issue, but being a "half German" (
Italian
blood with German education), I have always heard a very interesting and at first for me incomprehensible way of saying in
Germany
. When something is extremely simple, so simple that anyone can grasp or do it, they still say nullachtfünfzehn for it, which is exactly the German pronunciation for 08/15. As a kid I really could not understand it, so I asked and received this exact explanation. That gun was so simple, that it remained as a way of saying in the German language.
Just as my little bit of trivial info about this topic, with absolutely no intention to doubt about your statement because, as already written above, I don't have any deep knowledge about that weapon, just this cultural leftover from WWI.
Have a nice day.