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  • Auction Catalog #65
  • Lot #3466
Lot #3465
Lot #3467

Lot 3466: Vickers Ltd 1917 Machine gun 303

Vickers Machine Gun with Tripod, Extra Barrels and Accessories, Registered Fully Transferrable Machine Gun

Auction Location: Rock Island, IL

Auction Date: September 11, 2015

Lot 3466: Vickers Ltd 1917 Machine gun 303

Vickers Machine Gun with Tripod, Extra Barrels and Accessories, Registered Fully Transferrable Machine Gun

Auction Location: Rock Island, IL

Auction Date: September 11, 2015

Estimated Price: $18,000 - $27,500
Price Realized:
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Vickers Machine Gun with Tripod, Extra Barrels and Accessories, Registered Fully Transferrable Machine Gun

Manufacturer: Vickers Ltd
Model: 1917
Type: Machine gun
Gauge: 303
Barrel: 28 2/5 inch round
Finish: blue
Grip: walnut
Stock:
Item Views: 17958
Serial Number:
Catalog Page: 173
Class: Class III
Description:

An evolution of the Maxim machine gun the Vickers Gun was a mainstay of the British arsenal through 1968, seeing use on the ground, in the air and with a number of nations. The Vickers had a reputation for reliable and durable performance with one battlefield report listing a group of the guns delivering constant fire for twelve hours, going through 100 barrel changes, a million rounds of ammunition and experiencing no weapon failures. Blade front and folding peep rear sight, the former installed on the water cooling jacket and the latter fitted with a fixed 400 yard "battle sight" and a long range staff marked up to "29", presumably 2900 yards. A recoil booster assembly is mounted on the front of the water jacket with a quick-detach brass belt feeder assembly, a pair of hardwood spade grips that double as oil containers and a thumb trigger with spring-loaded safety. The tripod is U.S. construction, marked for the Colt-Vickers, a licensed copy of the Vickers Gun introduced for World War I, with a drab green paint finish, screw-adjustable elevation mechanism, three clamp-secured legs with ground spikes and a brass data plate on the back leg. Also included with the gun are a pair of transport cases (one vintage, one modern custom), two green ammunition cans, three extra barrels, three canvas cartridge belts (unloaded), a number of disintegrating belt links, an assortment of small spare parts and a few boxes of spent/deprimed Winchester 303 cartridges.

Rating Definition:

Very fine as Arsenal refurbished with 70% of the blue finish, showing areas of brown patina and a few mild handling marks. A few dents are visible on the water jacket. The action is in good order, though the currently installed barrel has been deactivated. NOTE: This item is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco. Firearms and Explosives as a Machine Gun, and was registered before the 1986 cutoff. The previous owner brazed a small plug in the barrel (not welded), to render it inoperable however it is not listed as a DEWAT or deactivated weapon. It is the sole responsibility to understand and comply with relevant federal, state and local laws that regulate or forbid ownership of this item.



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