Introduction:
The Maxim machine gun, developed by Sir Hiram Maxim in 1885, was the first automatic
weapon to use the energy of a fired bullet's recoil force to eject the spent cartridge and
insert the next bullet. Adopted by the British Army in 1889, and many other European
countries the year after proved that It was a well designed and rugged weapon.
The first Maxims in service with the Russian Army were originally manufactured in
England and Germany. The Russians gave this machine gun the model designation 1905. After
their experiences in the Russian-Japanese war, the Russian Army began a program to improve
the model 1905. The final ressult of these efforts was the model 1910. Since most of
the Bronze parts of the Model 1905 were replaced with steel in the Model 1910 a weight savings of nearly 10 kg was acheived! A wheeled mount for the gun was also developed.
Weapon Characteristics:
Caliber: 7.62 mm x 53 R
System of operation: Recoil, automatic only
Length overall: 1 107 mm ( 43.6 in )
Barrel length: 723 mm ( 28.4 in )
Weight: 23.8 kg ( 52.47 lbs. )
Mount weight: Sokolov 36 kg ( 79.36 lbs. ) m/31 universal mount 40 kg ( 88.18 lbs. )
Feed device: 250-round fabric belt
Cyclic rate: 520-580 r.p.m.
Muzzle velocity: 860 m/s ( 2 822 f.p.s.)
Cooling: Water
Kit Review:
The kit includes a plastic bag with 10 white metal parts and a one page instruction
sheet. Built up the kit would represent a Model 1910 with wheeled carriage and optical
sight. This differs somewhat to the standard gun. The kit's gun shield has a second
hole to the left to the barrel and the optical sight mounted on the left side behind the
shield. The normal notch and bead sights are present too, thus closing the second opening
and omitting the optical sight will give you the standard Maxim machine gun as it was used
by the Russian infantry during World War II. The kit is very well made and compares
well with the real thing. Some minor cleanup is needed as flash and mold seams are
present.. Be careful not to cut off the small details like the little pin on the rear
visor. It belongs there!
Conclusion:
Recommended
Reference:
http://www.thetankmaster.com/english/afv/maxim_1910.asp
http://www.thetankmaster.com/english/afv/maxim1910_01.asp
