December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/11/2024
This Spandau manufactured 1917 dated Maxim 08/15 machine gun retains its matching top cover, fusee cover, feed shuttle, and buttstock. The barrel, lock, and cocking handle are non-matching. This gun retains and includes some very desirable pieces not often found when these guns are offered. The water fill cap retains wooden thumb grip. The steam port cover is present and in good condition, as is the belt drum hanger on the right side of the receiver feedway. An original bipod with paint consistent with the condition of the rest of the gun is also present, as is the muzzle booster. Electronic NFA registry indicates “GERMANY” as the manufacturer. CONDITION: Overall appearance and finish is fine to extremely fine original blued finish with a couple dents in the water jacket and some loss of finish to a gray patina where a carrying sling would have been on the jacket with a lighter color to the wood where a sling would have covered the buttstock. Buttstock is very solid and serviceable with typical dings and bruises, with very attractive grain to the stock wood. Bore has strong rifling, darking in the grooves. Lock is clean and serviceable with good spring tension. Mechanics are fine, action moves smoothly, with rails recoiling appropriately under fusee spring tension. This is a full-auto-only machine gun. The 08/15 Maxim was the German “light” machine gun of World War I and remained in service throughout the Weimar era of the 1920s and 1930s, eventually becoming a rear echelon weapon through the end of World War II. This is a classic WWI machine gun, and these guns are great fun to shoot at the range as well. This gun retains parts which make it a particularly fine representative specimen of an original WWI configuration German MG 08/15 Maxim. 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. JWK 2024-12-03.