Lewis gun

The **Lewis gun** (or **Lewis automatic machine gun** or **Lewis automatic rifle**) is a First World War–era light machine gun.

## History

The Lewis gun was invented by U.S. Army colonel Isaac Newton Lewis in 1911, based on initial work by Samuel Maclean.

The start of the First World War increased demand for the Lewis gun. BSA began production, under the name _Model 1914_. The design was officially approved for service on 15 October 1915 under the name "Gun, Lewis, .303-cal." No Lewis guns were produced in Belgium during the war; all manufacture was carried out by BSA in England and the Savage Arms Company in the US.

## Production

The Lewis was produced by BSA and Savage Arms during the war. The two versions were very similar, but there were enough differences  to stop them being completely interchangeable. This problem was fixed by the time of the Second World War.

## Design details

The Lewis gun was gas operated.

The Lewis gun used a pan magazine holding 47 or 97 rounds.

The gun fired about 500–600 rounds per minute. It weighed 28 lb (12.7 kg), only about half as much as a typical medium machine gun of the era, such as the Vickers machine gun. It could be carried and used by one soldier.

### First World War

During the first days of the war, the Belgian Army had put in service 20 prototypes (5 in 7.65×53mm and 15 in .303) for the defense of Namur.

#### Aircraft use

The Lewis was the first machine gun fired from an airplane. On 7 June 1912, Captain Charles Chandler of the US Army fired a  Lewis gun from the foot-bar of a Wright Model B Flyer.

## References

- Pages 62–64, 66, 69-70, 85-86.

## Other websites

- Scans of Lewis gun manual of 1917
- at Modern Firearms
- Animation of Lewis machine gun 1916
- Lewis gun with cooling shroud in demonstration firing

## Infobox (weapon)

- **name**: Lewis gun
- **image**: Lewis Gun (derivated).jpg
- **origin**: United States
- **type**: Light machine gun
- **is ranged**: yes
- **service**: 1914–1953
- **used by**: See Lewis M1914#Users, Users
- **wars**: World War I, First World War
Easter Rising
Pancho Villa Expedition
Emu War
Banana Wars
Irish War of Independence
Irish Civil War
Russian Civil War
Latvian War of Independence
Polish–Soviet War
Chaco War
Spanish Civil War
 World War II, Second World War
Korean War
Malayan Emergency
1948 Arab–Israeli War
Vietnam War
Algerian War
The Troubles
and other conflicts
- **designer**: Samuel McClean
Isaac Newton Lewis
Birmingham Small Arms Company, The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited
- **design date**: 1911
- **manufacturer**: The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited or BSA
Savage Arms Co.
- **production date**: 1913–1942
- **number**: At least 202,050 (50,000 in World War I, First World War and 152,050 in World War II, Second World War)
- **variants**: Mks I–V
 Aircraft Pattern
 Anti-aircraft warfare, Anti-Aircraft configuration
 Light Infantry Pattern
 Savage M1917
- **cartridge**: .303 British
 .30-06 Springfield
 7.92×57mm Mauser
7.62×54mmR
- **action**: Gas-operated reloading, Gas-operated long stroke gas piston, rotating open bolt
- **rate**: 500–600 rounds/min
- **feed**: 47- or 97-round pan magazine
- **sights**: Blade and tangent leaf