LIST OF PARTS.
1. Butt plate. 2. Butt plate screws (2). 3. Buttstock. 4. Butt tang screw. 5. Butt tang. 7. Butt latch. 8. Back sight bed spring. 9. Back sight bed spring screw. 10. Butt latch spring. 11. Back sight bed. 13. Feed cover. 14. Back sight leaf. 20. Back sight slide. 21. Ejector. 22. Guard side pieces (2). 23. Back sight axis pin washer. 24. Back sight axis pin. 26. Receiver. 27. Magazine pawls spring. 28. Stop pawl. 29. Rebound pawl. 30. Trigger. 31. Feed operating stud. 32. Safety (right and left). 33. Trigger pin. 34. Feed operating arm. 35. Feed pawl. 36. Feed pawl spring. 37. Bolt. 38. Charging handle. 39. Guard. 40. Cartridge guide spring. 41. Sear spring. 42. Sear spring box. 43. Magazine pan. 44. Ejector cover. 45. Extractors (2). 46. Gear stop. 47. Striker fixing pin. 48. Gear stop pin. 49. Gear stop spring. 50. Striker. 51. Cartridge spacer ring. 52. Gear. 53. Mainspring casing. 54. Magazine top plate rivets (6). 55. Mainspring. 56. Collet pin. 57. Mainspring collet. 58. Magazine centre. 59. Mainspring rivets (2). 60. Magazine latch spring. 61. Gear casing. 62. Magazine latch. 63. Centre key. 65. Gear case hinge pin. 66. Feed operating arm latch. 67. Magazine top plate. 68. Receiver lock pin. 69. Spacer ring rivets (5). 70. Interior separators (25). 71. Radiator casing rear, locking piece. 72. Rack. 74. Radiator casing rear. 75. Piston connecting pin. 76. Barrel. 77. Gas cylinder. 78. Radiator. 79. Piston. 80. Regulator key stud. 81. Gas regulator key. 82. Gas chamber. 83. Gas chamber band. 84. Gas regulator cup. 85. Clamp ring. 86. Front sight. 87. Clamp ring positioning screw. 88. Clamp ring screw. 89. Barrel mouthpiece. 90. Radiator casing front. 91. Sear (rear). 92. Hand grip. 93. Oil well. 94. Oil well cap. 95. Oil brush. 96. Spade grip butt tang. 97. Deflector. 98. Deflector arm. 99. Deflector arm joint pin. 100. Deflector clip. 101. Deflector clip joint pin. 102. Deflector bracket. 103. Deflector clamp screw. 104. Deflector latch. 105. Deflector latch screw. 106. Deflector clamp screw washer. 107. Deflector clamp screw stop nut. 108. Shell catcher bag. 109. Mounting yoke. 110. Mounting yoke clamp. 111. Mounting yoke bronze pillar. 112. Mounting yoke pillar screw. 113. Mounting yoke clamp hinge pin. 114. Mounting yoke clamp pin. 115. Mounting yoke clamp key. 116. Back sight elevating screw. 117. Back sight elevating screw head. 118. Back sight elevating screw head pin. 119. Back sight elevating screw head spring. 120. Sear pin. 121. Butt latch pin. 122. Mounting yoke pillar hinge pin. 123. Mounting yoke chain. 124. Mounting standard. 125. Light field mount bottom cross brace. 126. Light field mount centre post. 127. Light field mount feet (2). 128. Light field mount front legs (2). 129. Light field mount front yoke. 130. Light field mount knuckle joint. 131. Light field mount knuckle joint pin. 132. Light field mount rear brace. 133. Light field mount T joint, centre. 134. Light field mount T joint, side (2). 135. Light field mount top lug. 136. Barrel mouthpiece spanner. 137. Magazine filling handle.
Plate VI.
LEWIS AUTOMATIC MACHINE GUN.
Description.
The gun complete weighs 25¼ lbs. and can be withdrawn from its leather case and put into action immediately.
There are only 62 parts in the gun proper—these cannot be wrongly assembled, and require no adjustment.
No water is used for cooling purposes, the steel barrel being closely fitted with a jacket of aluminium having deeply-cut grooves throughout its length. Over this is a thin tubular steel casing, the muzzle end of which extends (in reduced diameter) beyond the end of barrel, the special shaped mouthpiece screwed to the end of barrel serving the double purpose of firmly securing the radiator in place and of directing the powder blast of each discharge as to greatly increase the “ejector action” of this blast in sucking cool air through the grooves of the radiator. The system is so effective that the gun is found to give a slightly greater velocity to the bullet than can be obtained from the same length of barrel in a shoulder arm firing the same ammunition. There is no excessive recoil and the gun can be used with or without mount.
The gun is fed from a rotating drum magazine, which is controlled by the reciprocating breech mechanism.
Shell Deflector.
The shell deflector is an attachment for controlling the ejection of empty cartridge cases. It is very readily and quickly attached, and when in position can be instantly swung back out of the way so that the inside of the gun may be examined or any part of the mechanism got at.
Light Folding Field Mount.
Is a three-and-a-half-pound folding mount adapted for general use with infantry and cavalry. The mount is surprisingly rigid, and permits of very accurate shooting. Both front and rear mounting yokes, connected through centre post and rear brace, are pivoted about the axis of the centre post, so that the gun is always free to traverse. The gun is also free to turn within the yokes, so that the sights may always be kept vertical, no matter what the position of the feet. When the mount is attached, it is often convenient to use the rear brace as a handle for carrying the gun.
Plate VII.
Light Folding Field Mount Complete.
To Put Gun into Action.
When a loaded magazine is dropped into place over the magazine post, and the charging handle pulled to the rear as far as it will go and then released, the gun is put into action by a pull on the trigger, and continues to fire until the finger pressure on the trigger is released, or until the magazine is empty.
Single Shots.
When the trigger is pulled once and very quickly released a single shot is fired, this may be repeated at will until the magazine is empty.
Semi-Automatic Fire.
Within the limits of the magazine capacity the gun continues to fire so long as the trigger is held back, and stops firing whenever the trigger is released.
Full Automatic Fire.
Continued pressure on the trigger results in full automatic fire, which need be interrupted only by the four seconds interval required to replace emptied magazines by loaded ones.
During firing, before the magazine has been emptied, the gun stops at the beginning of the forward stroke, in the “ready to feed” position.
In this position the action is open and the chamber empty, but firing can be resumed on pulling the trigger.
General Note.
Before Firing.—See to it that bore is clear, working parts properly lubricated, and that tension of main spring is sufficient to avoid missfires.
After Firing.—See that gun is immediately unloaded, and that bore, working parts, and bearing surfaces are carefully examined, cleaned, and properly lubricated as soon as possible.
It is especially important to oil piston head and inside of gas cylinder; and to remove oil, and replace gas regulator cup.
Burrs found raised on any working part should be removed, and any roughening on a bearing surface should be smoothed down with fine emery or an oilstone.