This is a very fine example of an original WWI German Maxim heavy machine gun manufactured in 1918 by the DWM factory. This weapon system was originally developed by Hiram Maxim in the 1883-1884 time frame with the final design finalized 1885. It became one of the most influential weapons of the 20th century, specifically during WWI as it was the first true self-sustaining machine gun that could fire in a fully-automatic mode without external means other than by power of the round and mechanism itself. In the late 1880s, the British Army is credited as being the first country to recognize its importance as a battlefield weapon and the first to actually officially adopted it. Germany officially adopted the weapon in 1899 and used it throughout WWI and well into the Weimar period. This example is a late "1918" production model with serial number "46186". It has some matching visible serial numbers to include the top cover, water jacket, back plate/butterfly trigger mechanism, feed mechanism and the spade grip assembly. It has a mismatched bolt assembly, which is not uncommon as they were removed when captured. The top cover is marked: "46186/M.G.0.8./D.W.M./BERLIN/1918". The tangent style rear sight is graduated from calibrated from 400-2,000 meters with a simple inverted "V" front sight that is fitted to the front of the water jacket. The water jacket held seven (7) quarts of water which allowed the machine gunner to fire long bursts of intermittent, sustained fire. After approximately 500 rounds of fire, the water would started to boil and would completely boil off/evaporate after 2,000 rounds. During WWI this weapon would wreak havoc and devastation in the large open field battles in France and Germany where it was nicknamed the "Devils Paintbrush" because of the thousands of soldiers it killed. This single weapon changed the tactics of land warfare forever. It does come with an original WWI sled mount, a wooden ammunition can two spare breech bolts.

Very good overall with 20% plus of the original blue finish still remaining overall with the balance of the metal finish having a light rusted surface (but no visible heavy pitting or erosion). It almost appears that it sat in a museum or display and was never oiled or wiped down. The metal sled retains 60% of its original green painted finish with the balance a dark patina from use in the field during WWI. The two extra breech bolts are in good condition also showing a light rusted finish overall. NOTE: This item is restricted as 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 478.