*British, WW1 Vickers Light Machine Gun, .303 cal. complete with magazine box, water jacket and original hose and with WW2 Tripod. Deactivated*
In standard service configuration, the Vickers machine gun features a .303 cal. 25″ Barrel with a water-jacket bearing a brass plaque stamped ‘D:P: EY. Gun No.4’, Serial number B7954. The gun retains its cocking-handle, safety, and trigger articulation, along with a barrel equipped with a water jacket and flash suppressor. It is mounted on an MG Mk.IV tripod, marked as ‘no. 1949 Pt 1941’.
The Vickers machine gun, originally designed for the British Army by Vickers Limited, is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) firearm. It operated with a three-man crew, requiring additional personnel for movement and operation. In service from before World War I until the 1960s, it also saw use on Allied World War I fighter aircraft in air-cooled versions.
Measuring 3 feet 8 inches (112 cm) in length, the Vickers has a cyclic rate of fire between 450 and 600 rounds per minute. It employs a fully automatic, belt-fed mechanism fired from a closed bolt. The gun’s recoil-operated, floating action with a toggle lock, similar to a Luger pistol, is entirely contained within its receiver. The water jacket, filled with approximately 4 liters of water, serves as an effective evaporative cooling system, allowing prolonged firing compared to air-cooled counterparts. In cases where water is unavailable, soldiers have resorted to using their urine.
Additional components include a water jacket measuring 15x28cm, and a magazine box measuring 18x38cm. The WW2 tripod is marked “Mount. Tripod. M. G. MK. 1V,” with a stamp reading “No 1949 Pt 1941.”
*Condition*
The piece is in very good condition for its age. The loading lever moves, but the piece won’t cock or dry fire as per UK/EU deactivation spec. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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