October 22-23, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/23/2019
This Spandau manufactured 1918 dated Maxim 08/15 machine gun has been in the possession of the consignor for many decades and this man has spent uncounted hours working with this gun, making or retrofitting additional parts and succeeded in perfecting the use of reloaded cast bullet ammunition and browning belts in this gun. Allotted space does not allow me to go into detail, but very comprehensive typewritten notes from the consignor are included with this lot which provides details of how to install and fire 8mm/.308 cartridges in this gun using custom made and/or modified parts. This gun can also be fired in 8mm Mauser in the usual way. The consignor was very mindful to ensure that the gun could be returned to its original configuration if desired. This guns top cover, fusee cover, and buttstock assembly match the receiver number. The feed block and locks do not match. No steam port cover or assault drum hanger present, nor wood thumb pieces on water fill cap. Bipod and booster are present along with numerous other accessories including repainted assault drum with Vickers belt, two 250 round cloth Browning belts, one 250 round brass tabbed WW2 Vickers belt, one 250 round tab-less Vickers belt, and one approximately 55 round aluminum Turkish Maxim belt. In addition to what is in the gun, two locks, two spare sets of rails and crossheads, one fusee spring, one stripped top cover, one stripped buttstock with separate hardware, four 8mm barrels one of which with extension, one 8mm/308 barrel with homemade extension, one set of homemade adapter mounts to shoot this gun on Browning 1917A1 & M2 tripods, and two custom made boosters, and a modified feedblock to facilitate shooting reloaded ammunition. Lastly, and perhaps most critical to these modified parts is a professionally typed and painstakingly detailed set of written instruction on how to set-up, and shoot this gun using these various parts, and how to handload ammunition with lead projectiles which will work in this gun ! CONDITION: Overall appearance and finish is near excellent on receiver with attractive green repainted water jacket and booster bell. Fusee cover has black enamel repaint over light pitting. Charging lever and check lever are non-matching and refinished over pitting. Wood is very fine with chips and dings under an attractive shiny refinish. Mechanics are fine. Bores range from good to extremely fine shiny and bright. Locks are all renumbered. Drum box repainted same green as water jacket. In more than 3 decades collecting machine guns this cataloger has never encountered a Maxim which has been so well documented as specifically tuned with special custom parts to function with custom reloaded .30 caliber ammunition, as well as being able to be shot “in stock original” configuration with 8mm Mauser ammunition. 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 & RELIC ELIGIBLE. JWK 2019-10-183
Accessories
22 additional parts and components
Manufacturer
Spandau Arsenal