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LOT 1364
World War I British Contract Savage Arms
Lewis Machine Gun, Class III/NFA C&R Fully
Transferable Machine Gun - Serial no. 71407,
303 cal., 26 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut
stock. Developed by Isaac 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. World War I would see the Lewis adopted
by Great Britain and fielded aggressively on the
Western Front, where the virtually unprecedented
maneuverability of the weapon made it ideal for
responding to sudden developments on the line,
which only grew more important as German small
unit infiltration/shock trooper tactics evolved;
when a night attack revealed a weak spot in the
defensive lines, a Lewis Gun could be repositioned
to provide aid in a fraction of the time of a water-
cooled Vickers. As combat aviation came into its
own as a critical element of modern warfare, the
Lewis was a massive hazard to German aviators
from both the ground and the air, being easily
pressed into service against low-flying planes by
simply elevating the bipod as well as a mainstay
aircraft weapon for the Royal Air Force, finding
particular success as a “balloon buster” by firing
a mix of explosive and incendiary ammunition to
shred and ignite hydrogen-filled gas envelopes
on artillery observation balloons. This particular
example was manufactured by Savage on order
for Britain. Blade front and folding peep rear
sights, with the Savage nomenclature and a set
of small “broad arrow” and “crown” proofs on top
of the receiver, a folding steel bipod clamped to
the steel barrel jacket, and aluminum cooling
fins surrounding the barrel. Both the pistol grip
and buttstock are smooth hardwood. Included
is a green-painted hardwood transit case with
American-style stenciling and an incomplete spare
recoil sprocket assembly.
CONDITION: Fine, with 60% of the arsenal blue
finish, showing areas of mixed brown patina, mild
spotting, some scattered dents, a small amount
of pitting, and mild handling marks. The stock is
fine, with some dents and scuffs. Mechanically
excellent. A versatile and deadly weapon, the Lewis
marks a critical phase in development of tactics
and doctrine from the machine gun as crew-served
pseudo-artillery to the “squad automatic weapon”
of the 20th century and beyond, and deserves
a place of honor in an advanced World War I or
NFA collection. 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 479.
Estimate: 20,000 - 30,000
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