April 24-25, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/25/2019
Historic and collectible World War I French model 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun in original 8mm Lebel on an original U.S. Standard ground mount. Only about 2500 of these mounts were manufactured and most were scrapped many years ago. This Hotchkiss is dated “1918” on right side of receiver, and “MITRAILLEUSE AUTOMATIQUE HOTCHKISS / BREVETEE S.G.D.G. / CALIBRE 8 M/M” on left side of receiver. Receiver, barrel, and barrel retention latch are matching numbers. Brass feed block is #43147. This gun's sight is marked for "D" ammunition which indicates it was probably a WW1 bringback gun and was never retrofitted for the later "N" Type ammunition. This model incorporates an attractive brass pistol grip and steel backplate handle for traversing this gun on its mount. Also included are seven 8mm Lebel feed strips with original "N" type red primer ammunition, and seven Japanese Hotchkiss brass feed strips. Note that the "N" type ammunition should not be fired out of this gun. Tripod traverse stops not present which does not affect serviceability. Attachment pin between tripod head and gun is a contemporary standard bolt. The French Model 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun is an extremely durable design and was used by both the French and U.S. forces during World War I. The heavy cooling rings on the barrel are an instantly recognizable trademark. These are great, steady firing guns. CONDITION: Overall finish and appearance is fine to extremely fine original smooth blue finish turning to a grey-brown patina with some areas of scattered light pitting. Operating piston and bolt appropriately in the white. Brass handgrip very attractive. Exposed portion of the operating piston has some brown patina. Tripod has undergone exceptionally fine restorative work and makes for an incredibly steady firing platform. Bore of gun is very fine with strong shiny rifling turning dark in the grooves. Bolt face extremely fine. Mechanics are fine. This is a full-auto only machine gun. For the World War machine gun collector/enthusiast this is about as attractive a package as one could hope for. The advent of availability of boxer primed 8mm Lebel ammunition has breathed new life into this venerable and incredibly accurate machine gun model. This cataloger has seen this gun in action and it runs well! THIS IS A NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT ITEM AND REQUIRES BATF APPROVAL PRIOR TO TRANSFER. THIS ITEM IS FULLY TRANSFERABLE ON AN ATF FORM 3 OR 4 AS CURIO AND RELIC ELIGIBLE.
This is not a standard shippable item and will require 3rd party shipping or pickup arrangements to be made.