Prev

1026

Next

FULLY TRANSFERABLE BRITISH STERLIN MKII

Lot Description

(FLEX) HEAVY MACHINE GUN. CURIO. Cal. 303. S# B112918. Bbl. 24". A British Aircraft version of the B... Show more..

(FLEX) HEAVY MACHINE GUN. CURIO. Cal. 303. S# B112918. Bbl. 24". A British Aircraft version of the Browning machine gun. The MKII, chambered in .303 British, was the standard aircraft gun used by the British in WWII. Heavily modified from the early 1930 pattern, belt fed, Colt Browning machine gun, the British redesigned their MKII to fire from an open bolt. It had an incredibly high rate of fire compared to the much more common Browning family of belt feeds. It currently utilizes a short buffer tube w/ an exposed trigger & is configured for left hand feed, though it is convertible to right or left. It also has present a duel pistol grip mechanism (unattached) as well as the original style external pull charging handle mechanism. US 30-06 links maybe used to feed the MKII though they must undergo a large amount of modification first. It is perhaps easiest fed when utilizing the cloth US 30-06 belt. In order to utilize this aircraft gun in a ground mount capacity it is cocked utilizing a stubby short charging handle on the right side of the gun, while RAF gunners had the luxury of utilizing a cable based charging system for official use. The barrel jacket is slotted for cooling & it is currently equipped w/ the special MKII flash hider. The sight front sight is an exposed, hi-rise front pin (unattached). Finish on all exterior metal surfaces is dark & parkerized. MAGS: 1 new US cloth belt. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: D-style duel rear pistol grip assembly, external pull rod charger & tall front sight. CONDITION: this is an uncommon & desirable WWII machine gun to find in the United States. A C&R transferable example that is as at home on a firing line w/ its incredibly high cyclic rate as it is in the collections & museums where they often reside. The parkerized finish coverage is quite complete w/ some thinning, primarily in areas of mechanical intervention & scattered patina throughout. Barrel jacket appears to have been welded / repaired at some point, forward of the front trunnion. The original markings are deep, bold & easy to read, filled w/ white for a sharp contrast. Bore is descent & retains extremely strong rifling. Barrel appears too tight in its relationship to the barrel jacket & is hindering smooth operation when cycled by hand. THIS IS A NATIONAL FIRARMS ACT LMG REQUIRING BATF TRANSFER BEFORE TAKING POSSESSION. FULLY TRANSFERABLE. PROVENANCE: From the Lifelong Collection of Brian Linde. (03-1820/JZ). CURIO. CLASS III. $8,000-12,000.
SOLD Sign In To View Winning Bidto
This Lot SOLD
at 2025 May 08 @ 10:23UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT
Did you win this lot?
A full invoice should be emailed to the winner by the auctioneer within a day or two.
View Auction Fees/Taxes/...
Sign-In to Bookmark
View All Lots in Auction