I just picked this up yesterday... a once in a lifetime find for me.... a dewatt mg08 with sled mount... not all complete but I'm not complaining.. enjoy 
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nice find
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The bullet strikes make the piece for me! The paint probably protected it a good deal from rust and may have been on it for 50 years or more. It would be a center piece to a WWI collection.Comment
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you need the mg drum....
nice mg!Comment
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Has anyone seen American Rifleman's "Ten Guns That Changed the World" special? The Maxim in that documentary looks very much like this one, complete with the bullet (shrapnel?) strike on the exact same place on the tripod.Comment
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Very nice find indeed!
I would start a restoration project with this one. Remove this horrible black paint! They are rare and desirable and a correct restoration will improve its value in my opinion.
Congratulations!
Douglas.Comment
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what a wonderful exemplar, spirit of war!Comment
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Jim,
I really like your '08. Are you able to read the maker's markings and serial number on the top cover? If so, please post the details.
For a former "monument gun" (and there seem to have been a lot of these in Canada), your '08 is remarkably complete. From what I can see from the right side view you posted, you are very lucky in that you have virtually all of the hard-to-find parts (i.e. top strap for sled mount; complete booster assembly; traverse lock mechansim on sled mount; feedblock). While we can not see the left hand side, do you have the Fusse Cover spring assembly?
Best of all, IMO, is the front water jacket armor plate that is held in place by the booster assembly - wow - talk about a hard to find original accessory! Also the damage to the left side wall of the mount really looks like period schrapnel damage. Particularly considering the front water jacket armor shield being in place and the battle damage, to me this gun just has the feel of being an off-the-battlefield pickup that some Canadian unit made and brought home as a war trophy. You really have a great item here.
My '08 was kept on outdoor display during the 1940's and 1950's but had been painted with a very heavy coat of silver paint. When I stripped the paint off (using chemical paint stripper like you use to restore antique furniture) I was pleased to see that the paint and done a pretty good job of preserving the original rust blueing on the gun. I then cleaned the rust off using a very fine wire wheel brush on a slow speed motor (1300 rpm, if I recall correctly) and it took the rust off but did not harm the blue.
Hopefully you will have similar results with the blueing having been preserved by the paint, as your gun (while it has obviously been outdoors at some point), looks like it has been in covered storage for a long time. The WWI-era German rust blueing is VERY durable, so chances are pretty good that you will have success in cleaning the gun up. The sledmount, of course, needs to be sandblasted and repainted the correct color. Also, you will probably want to open up the gear box, clean it out, and repack with heavy grease so that the elevation mechanism will work smoothly.
If you don't mind, please post some more photos, as this is really a super item and I'm glad it is now safely in your collection.
Alan
PS: On the water jacket valve you are missing, you can probably get one off of a Chinese Type 24 Maxim gun as it will fit perfectly (and is what I have on my gun). I would check with Marstar in Canada for this part. If they don't have it I may have some sources in the U.S. who can help you.Comment
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Alan... here are a couple of more pictures.... you were right about it being kept inside...the gun has been kept in a barn's hayloft for the last 30 years so it was quite exciting to find it.... serial number is 580...
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not the greatest picture of the manufacturers markings but it is a Spandau 1917... top of receiver marked mg 08Comment
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Wow, Jim - the gun just gets better and better. I see that you have the water hose fitting plus the plug (on its chain). You also have the complete (and, apparently, matching) Fusse Cover assembly. I also noticed on your first photo that you have the water jacket filling hole plug.
It looks like all you are missing is the water jacket valve assembly, with the main challenge being to fix the grip assembly without tearing up the wooden grips. If at all possible I would try to keep the original wooden grips, even if they are a bit deterioriated as repros will never match up with your gun's aged condition. Plus, some of the parts that must be removed to replace the grips are likely frozen up and would be destroyed in trying to get the grips off, so when you work on the grip assembly I recommend that you operate under the assumption that you will have to live with the wooden grips as is.
Be sure you take plenty of "before" photos prior to restoring the gun. I did not take any "before" photos of mine and I really wish I had, so that I could show the progress made.
Also, if you don't have it you MUST get a copy of "The Devil's Paintbrush" (3rd Ed.) by Dolf Goldsmith. This book is THE authorative reference book on the Maxim guns and has a heavy emphasis on WWI German issue Maxims, plus lots of good takedown information and photos that you will need in order to educate yourself on the ins and outs of this gun.
Please keep us updated on your progress and feel free to post more photos!
AlanComment
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Jim,
That is really an amazing find! Did it come out of a barn back in the home province?
Cheers,
GeoffComment
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Geoff... you bet... stubble jumper paradise... you'll have to look pretty hard in Alberta to top this one but I know that somewhere someplace you'll turn up something... you always do... JimComment
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Well, lets hope so. I am chasing an elusive Lewis Gun. If I am successful, I'll let you know! Good hunting!Originally posted by jim anderson View Post
GeoffComment
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