This is a very good example of a desirable WWI British Model 1914 Lewis Light Machine Gun. This weapon was originally developed in 1910/11 by Lt.Col Isaac Lewis for the Automatic Arms Company in Buffalo, NY. He used a gas-operated turn bolt design with a large barrel jacket that had cooling fins inside. He offered it to the U.S. Government in 1911; however, they didn't see the importance of this weapon and had already adopted the French Benet-Mercie LMG. Therefore Lewis demonstrated it in Europe where it was adopted in Belgium in 1913 and was manufactured by Armes Automatiques Lewis of Leige. It was also demonstrated to the British who immediately saw the importance of the weapon and its design and negotiated the rights to manufacture it by the Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) Company as the Model 1914. At the outbreak of WWI, it was the standard British LMG used by the British Army, and a lightweight version was used by the British Royal Flying Corps. It was eventually used on a limited basis by the U.S. Army in 1917. It has a distinctive/large barrel jacket that encases the air cooling sleeve with the top mounted circular drum magazine. The folding rear sight is adjustable for elevation and graduated to 1900 yards. The top of the receiver is marked: "Lewis Gun/Mod 1914-Pat." in two lines ahead of the rear sight. The top side of the receiver is marked: "Manufactured by/The Birmingham Small Arms Co LTD./ENGLAND/ for" and the right side is marked: "Armes Automatiques Lewis/BELGIUM". The original serial numbers "47516E" has been lined through and a new serial number, "A/64" is stamped below the original serial number. The original serial number has been lined out on the forward portion of the receiver and barrel and both components have been re-numbered: "A/64". The receiver and cooling sleeve have a dull blue arsenal type finish with the barrel jacket being green painted. The magazine/ammunition pan is blued. The butt and pistol grip are oil-finished walnut. The right side of the butt has an original round, brass unit identification disk that is unmarked. It comes with one drum/pan type magazine, the original bipod, and a carrying handle. The weapon has been DEWATed by welding up the chamber and welding the barrel to the inside of the receiver.

Fine as deactivated with 70% of the original blue finish still remaining overall with general light wear and blue loss overall from handling and use. The wood components are all in very good condition with the buttstock and pistol grip showing heavy pressure dents and dings overall with a large ordnance type repair on the underside of the stock. 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.