Developed by Issac Newton Lewis, a U.S. Army officer, the Lewis Gun was one of the lightest machine gun offerings of its era, coming in at 28 pounds with the distinctive barrel cooling assembly included. Unable to sell the gun to his superiors, Lewis resigned and took off for Belgium, where he made a tidy profit licensing the design to Birmingham Small Arms and Savage Arms. Among other distinctions, a Lewis Gun would be the first machine gun taken on a powered aircraft, and it saw very active use in World War I. This particular example was manufactured by Savage on order for the United States, and appears to have been originally outfitted for air service by removing the cooling jacket and fin assembly (unneeded as a fast moving airplane will move more air over the barrel than any mechanical assembly), installing a set of mounts for anti-aircraft sights, and replacing the buttstock with a rear spade grip, and then re-converted for ground action by installing a short insulated foregrip, discarding the A-A sights, and adding a steel buttstock; though somewhat crude in appearance, this arrangement removes nearly 6 pounds of weight from the weapon. Currently without sights, with the Savage address, U.S. nomenclature and patent markings on the right side of the receiver, model markings on top, and a set of smooth hardwood grips. Included with the lot are two extra magazines. Note: This item is restricted under various state-level assault weapons bans and cannot be sold or transferred to residents of CA, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, NJ, NY, and WA. Please check your local laws and regulations prior to bidding.

Fair, with areas of brown patina and scattered spotting overall, along with areas of rust and wear. Foregrip and grip panels show some dings and scratches, and the stock has patches of rust. Mechanically very good. NOTE: This weapon is a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) that is classified as a "Curios or Relic" as defined in 27 CFR, 478.11. These weapons are still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 479.