According to information supplied by the consignor, this machine gun was assembled by Ohio Ordnance Works from an assortment of components, including a Birmingham Small Arms MG40 Mark II Aircraft Machine Gun side plate (the registered component) and a mixture of Argentinean, American, and other components, including a top plate with Colt nomenclature. No import marks or OOW markings have been found. An evolution of the original Browning 1917 Machine Gun, the MG40 was a versatile, lightweight machine gun designed with an eye for the air service with reversible feed hardware for use in tandem or quad mounts and for use with "spade" grips in flexible mounts, remote lines for use in fixed wing/hardpoint mounts, or interrupter hardware for shooting through running propellers. While the MG40 was on its way to being obsolete since propeller firing was unneeded when aircraft design favored wing mounts and 30 caliber rounds were passed up for 50 caliber and larger rounds, the gun was a vital weapon in the days following the Dunkirk Evacuation when it was the primary armament for the Royal Air Force. This example has been reconfigured for ground service, with a folding blade sight clamped to the barrel and a folding ladder rear sight added to the receiver top plate, with a perforated heat shield, butterfly thumb trigger with manual safety, and a pair of smooth grip handles. Included with the gun is a long belt of "DAC/55" (Dominion Arsenal, Quebec) ammunition and a wood cased belt loading tool.