This is a fine example of a late WWI medium machine gun as designed by Colonel Issac Newton Lewis. He originally developed/designed this weapon in 1910/11 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, the U.S. Ordnance Board didn't see the importance of the machine gun and unfortunately had already adopted the French Benet-Mercie LMG. So Lewis demonstrated it in Europe where it was adopted in Belgium in 1913 and was manufactured by the Armes Automatiques Lewis Company 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 BSA Company as the Model 1914. At the outbreak of WWI, it was the standard British LMG used by the British Army and a light weight version used by the British Royal Airforce. It was eventually used on a limited basis by the U.S. Army in 1917. As noted, it has a large distinctive barrel jacket that encases aluminum air cooling sleeve or sleeve around the barrel. The gun has a wooden pistol grip, detachable buttstock and bipod. 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". On the top rear area of the receiver the original serial numbers "77651" has been lined out and arsenal remarked with a new serial number, "A/386, below that. The same procedure has been applied to the serial number on the upper front flat of the receiver and rear of the barrel jacket; both are now matching numbered "A/386". The bolt is numbered "643". The Broad Arrow is stamped on most major components. The receiver and barrel jacket have a dull blue arsenal type finish, and the barrel jacket has been repainted in the field with a light brown camouflage type paint, which has now flaked off somewhat. The rear of the receiver has the large folding tangent rear sight with a blade front sight. It fires from an open bolt type mechanism. It is complete with its original folding bipod on the barrel jacket and an original OD green wooden storage case.

Fine with 60% of the combination blue and painted finishes overall with even honest wear on the outside of the gun. The barrel jacket retains 70% of it brown painted finish overall. The wooden buttstock and grip panels are all in very good condition with a dark color overall showing numerous light handling marks. 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.