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. Blade front and folding peep rear sights, with a folding steel bipod marked for Decimals, Limited of Birmingham clamped to the steel barrel jacket, and aluminum cooling fins surrounding the barrel. Both the pistol grip and buttstock are smooth hardwood. The top of the receiver bears a U.S.N. 1917 inspection mark, with a partially removed Savage address and caliber marking on the top cover and additional Savage markings on the right side.

Fine, with 90% of the refinished blue, showing some areas of brown patina, scattered spotting and handling marks, and a few dents on the barrel shroud. The screw for the front sight collar is absent, causing both the collar and the front section of the shroud to hang loose on the item. The wood is very good, with some light chips, scuffs and cracks. The magazine fails to advance when cycled, otherwise mechanically functions fine. 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 478.