The gun has been restored and polished with nickel resulting in a striking and unusual display object.
The Vickers Gun, closely modelled on the Maxim Gun, was the British Armys standard heavy machine gun at the start of the First World War, following its formal adoption in 1912.
Water cooled via a jacket around the barrel which held approximately one gallon, the Vickers was loaded from a 250 round fabric belt mounted on a tripod. A rubber hose, leading to a container, condensed steam from the jacket to minimise water wastage. The gun used standard .303 calibre rifle ammunition and weighed slightly less than 20 kg making it lighter than both the original Maxim Gun and the German Maschinengewehr 08. It could fire 450 rounds per minute and would require replacement of the gun barrel after every 10,000 rounds.
Despite these advantages, the Vickers was still considered to be quite unwieldy as an infantry weapon when under battle conditions and could not be easily transported. The gun was usually operated by a crew of six men. This particular gun comprises parts from the First World War, but was subsequently modified with newer parts up to and including World War Two. We will provide the official deactivation certificate with sale. Please note that for an export sale, it is the purchaser`s responsibility to ensure that any permits that may be necessary are obtained and that it is permitted to import decommissioned weapons from the UK.
The Vickers Gun, closely modelled on the Maxim Gun, was the British Armys standard heavy machine gun at the start of the First World War, following its formal adoption in 1912.
Water cooled via a jacket around the barrel which held approximately one gallon, the Vickers was loaded from a 250 round fabric belt mounted on a tripod. A rubber hose, leading to a container, condensed steam from the jacket to minimise water wastage. The gun used standard .303 calibre rifle ammunition and weighed slightly less than 20 kg making it lighter than both the original Maxim Gun and the German Maschinengewehr 08. It could fire 450 rounds per minute and would require replacement of the gun barrel after every 10,000 rounds.
Despite these advantages, the Vickers was still considered to be quite unwieldy as an infantry weapon when under battle conditions and could not be easily transported. The gun was usually operated by a crew of six men. This particular gun comprises parts from the First World War, but was subsequently modified with newer parts up to and including World War Two. We will provide the official deactivation certificate with sale. Please note that for an export sale, it is the purchaser`s responsibility to ensure that any permits that may be necessary are obtained and that it is permitted to import decommissioned weapons from the UK.