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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Maxim gun
| image              = Maxim gun, Georgian national museum.JPG
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = Maxim machine gun at Georgian National Museum.
| type               = [[Heavy machine gun]]
| origin             = [[United Kingdom]]
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_ranged          = yes <!-- Template control parameter -->
| is_UK              = yes
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1886–present
| used_by            = ''See {{section link|Maxim gun|Users|nopage=yes}}''
| wars               = ''See {{section link|Maxim gun|Conflicts|nopage=yes}}''
<!-- Production History -->
| designer           = [[Hiram Maxim|Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim]]
| design_date        = 
| manufacturer       = ''See'' ''{{section link|Maxim gun|Manufacturers|nopage=yes}}''
| number             = 
| variants           = ''See {{section link|Maxim gun|Variants / Derivatives|nopage=yes}}''
<!-- General specifications -->
| weight             = {{cvt|27.2|kg|lb|2|abbr=on}}
| length             = {{cvt|1079|mm|in|2|abbr=on}}
| part_length        = {{cvt|673|mm|in|abbr=on}}
| width              = 
| height             = 
| crew               = 4
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
| cartridge          = {{Plainlist|
* [[6.5×58mm Vergueiro]]
* [[7×57mm Mauser]]
* [[7.62×54mmR]]
* [[.30-06 Springfield|7.62×63mm Springfield]]
* [[.303 British|7.7×56mmR British]]
* [[7.92×57mm Mauser]]
* [[.577/450 Martini–Henry|11.43×60mmR Martini–Henry]]
}}
| caliber            = 
| action             = [[Recoil-operated]]
| rate               = 550–600 rounds/min
| velocity           = {{cvt|744|m/s|ft/s|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}
| range              = 
| max_range          = 
| feed               = 250-round canvas belt
| sights             = [[Iron sight]]s
}}

The '''Maxim gun''' is a [[Recoil operation|recoil-operated]] [[machine gun]] invented in 1884 by [[Hiram Maxim|Hiram Stevens Maxim]]. It was the first [[automatic firearm|fully automatic]] machine gun in the world.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/370419/Sir-Hiram-Stevens-Maxim ''Encyclopædia Britannica'': "Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim"]</ref>

The Maxim gun has been called "the weapon most associated with imperial conquest" by historian [[Martin Gilbert]],{{sfn|Gilbert|1997|page=11}} and was heavily used by [[Colonialism|colonial powers]] during the "[[Scramble for Africa]]". Afterwards, Maxim guns also saw extensive usage by different armies during the [[Russo-Japanese War]], the [[World War I|First]] and [[World War II|Second World Wars]], as well as in contemporary conflicts.

The Maxim gun was greatly influential in the development of machine guns, and it has multiple variants and derivatives, such as the [[Vickers machine gun|Vickers]], [[PM M1910]] and [[MG 08]]. Some are still in service to the present day, such as in the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]].

== Design ==
[[File:Maxim machine gun drawing - B86 483-1 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|Illustration of the Maxim Gun in ''[[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]]'', 1905]]
The Maxim gun featured one of the earliest [[recoil]]-operated firing systems in history. Energy from recoil acting on the breech block is used to eject each spent cartridge and insert the next one. Maxim's earliest designs used a 360-degree rotating cam to reverse the movement of the block, but this was later simplified to a toggle lock. This made it vastly more efficient and less labor-intensive than previous manually operated rapid-firing guns, such as the manually cranked [[Mitrailleuse]] of 1851, the [[Gatling gun]] of 1861, the [[Gardner gun]] of 1874, or the [[Nordenfelt gun]] of 1873.

The Maxim gun is [[water cooling|water cooled]], allowing it to sustain its rate of fire far longer than air-cooled guns. The extra weight and complexity this added, however, made it heavier and less flexible in use.

Trials demonstrated that the Maxim can fire 600 rounds per minute (equal to 60 riflemen at the time).{{sfn|Stevenson|2004|page=8}}{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|pages=46–50}} Compared to modern machine guns, the Maxim is heavy, bulky, and awkward. A lone soldier can fire the weapon, but it was usually operated by a team of men, usually 4 to 6 in number. Apart from the gunner, other crew are needed to speed reload, spot targets, and carry and ready ammunition and water. Several men are needed to move or mount the heavy weapon.

== Production company ==
In 1884, Maxim began to develop his machine gun in [[Hatton Garden]], London.{{sfn|Pegler|2013|pages=15–17}} That November he founded the Maxim Gun Company with financing from {{Interlanguage link|Albert Vickers|la|3=Albertus Vickers}}, son of steel entrepreneur [[Edward Vickers]].{{sfn|Pegler|2013|pages=15–17}} A [[blue plaque]] on the factory where Maxim invented and produced the gun is located in Hatton Garden at the junction with Clerkenwell Road in London.

Albert Vickers became the company's chairman, and it later joined hands with a Swedish competitor, [[Nordenfelt]], to become [[Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company]]. ''The Post Office Directory of trades in London'' of 1895 lists its office at 32 Victoria Street SW (London) on page 1579.

Finally, the company was absorbed into the mother [[Vickers]] company, leading first to the Vickers-Maxim gun and then, after Vickers' redesign, the [[Vickers machine gun]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

== History ==
=== Development (1883–1884) ===
Maxim's first British patents relating to the development of the Maxim gun were granted in June and July 1883.{{sfn|McCallum|1999|page=46}}<ref>{{cite patent |country=US |number=317161 |status=patent |title=Machine-gun |gdate=1885-05-05 |inventor=Hiram Stevens Maxim |assign1=Albert Vickers |assign2=Robert R. Symon |url=https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00317161&SectionNum=1&IDKey=D17BB1BBCCEC&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526d=PALL%2526p=1%2526u=%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526s1=0317161.PN.%2526OS=PN/0317161%2526RS=PN/0317161}}</ref> The first prototype was demonstrated to invited guests in October 1884.{{sfn|McCallum|1999|page=49}}

=== Use in colonial warfare (1886–1914) ===
[[File:USSVixenMaximMachineGun.1898.ws.jpg|thumb|A large-bore Maxim on the [[USS Vixen (PY-4)|USS ''Vixen'']] c. 1898]]

A prototype of the Maxim gun was given by Hiram Maxim to the [[Emin Pasha Relief Expedition]] in 1886–1890, under the leadership of [[Henry Morton Stanley]]. More a publicity stunt than a serious military contribution, in view of the main financier of the expedition, [[Sir William Mackinnon, 1st Baronet|William Mackinnon]], "merely exhibiting" the gun was likely to "prove a great peace-preserver".<ref>Iain R. Smith: ''The Emin Pasha Relief Expedition'', p. 86.</ref> The weapon was used on several occasions, especially during the expedition's retreat from central Africa, not because of its devastating effects, but as an effective means to scare off attackers. One of the first uses of the Maxim gun by British Forces was in the 1887 [[Yoni Expedition]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Yoni Campaign |url=http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/231201.html |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=www.kaiserscross.com}}</ref> The same prototype used by Stanley was brought back to central Africa by [[Frederick Lugard]], where it played an instrumental role in the establishment of the [[Uganda Protectorate]].<ref>{{Citation |first=Morten |last=Blaabjerg |title=Uhyret der sagde puh! puh! Maxim maskingeværets logistik i det mørkeste Afrika, fra Gordons fald til slaget ved Omdurman 1885–1898 |publisher=University of Southern Denmark |year=2007 |language=da |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/14690805/Uhyret-der-sagde-puh-puh-Speciale}}</ref>

The first unit in the world to receive the Maxim was the expeditionary force led by [[Hermann Wissmann]] which was sent in 1888 by the [[German Empire|German Imperial government]] to [[German colonial empire|its colonies]] in [[German East Africa|East Africa]] to suppress the [[Abushiri revolt]].<ref>G. Richelmann, Schaffung der Wissmanntruppe; in: Becker, Perbandt, Richelmann, Schmidt, Steuber: Hermann von Wissmann, Deutschlands grösster Afrikaner, Berlin 1907, p. 191, [https://archive.org/details/hermannvonwissm00surgoog online at archive.org]</ref> Wissmann was issued one of the first Maxim guns which had reached Germany and used it successfully in his capture of [[Pangani]].<ref>Richelmann p. 236</ref>

The [[Singapore Volunteer Corps]] received a Maxim gun in 1889, but it was never used. This was a civilian volunteer defence unit on the British colony.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Singapore Volunteer Corps {{!}} Infopedia |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1050_2008-10-23.html|access-date=2022-09-11 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106094706/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1050_2008-10-23.html |archive-date=6 January 2023 }}</ref>

The Maxim gun was first used extensively in an African conflict during the [[First Matabele War]] in [[Rhodesia]]. During the [[Battle of the Shangani]] on 25 October 1893, 700 soldiers fought off 5,000 Matabele warriors with just five Maxim guns. It played an important role in the "[[Scramble for Africa]]" in the late 19th century. The extreme lethality was employed to devastating effect against obsolete charging tactics, when African opponents could be lured into [[pitched battle]]s in open terrain. As it was put by [[Hilaire Belloc]], in the words of the figure "Blood" in his poem "The Modern Traveller":

{{poemquote|Whatever happens, we have got
The Maxim gun, and they have not.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colonialwargaming.co.uk/Inspiration/Poetry/Newbolt/Traveller.htm|title=The Modern Traveller|website=colonialwargaming.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828003722/http://www.colonialwargaming.co.uk/Inspiration/Poetry/Newbolt/Traveller.htm |archive-date=28 August 2008}}</ref>}}

However, the destructive power of the Maxim gun in colonial warfare has often been embellished by popular myth. Modern historical accounts suggest that, while it was effective in pitched battles, as in the Matabele wars or the [[Battle of Omdurman]], its significance owed much to its psychological impact.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

A larger-calibre version of the Maxim, firing a one-pound shell, was built by Maxim-Nordenfeldt. This was known in the [[Second Boer War]] (in South Africa) as the [[QF 1 pounder pom-pom|Pom-Pom]] from its sound. The Boers' "one-pounder" Maxim-Nordenfeldt was a large-caliber, belt-fed, water-cooled "auto cannon" that fired explosive rounds (smokeless ammunition) at 450 rounds per minute.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=2490|title=South Africa's National Museum Of Military History|author=Rob Krott|website=Small Arms Review|date=January 2002 }}</ref>{{sfn|Pegler|2013|page=57}}

The Maxim gun was also used in the [[Anglo-Aro War]] (in present-day [[Nigeria]]) of 1901–1902.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of African colonial conflicts |date=2017 |others=Timothy J. Stapleton |isbn=978-1-59884-837-3 |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |oclc=950611553}}</ref>

National and military authorities were reluctant to adopt the weapon, and Maxim's company initially had some trouble convincing European governments of the weapon's efficiency. Soldiers generally held a great mistrust of machine guns due to their tendency to [[firearm malfunction|jam]]. In the 1906 version of his book ''Small Wars'', [[Charles Edward Callwell|Charles Callwell]] says of machine guns: "The older forms are not suitable as a rule... they jammed at [[Battle of Ulundi|Ulundi]], they jammed at [[Battle of Dogali|Dogali]], they jammed at [[Battle of Abu Klea|Abu Klea]] and [[Battle of Tofrek|Tofrek]], in some cases with unfortunate results."{{sfn|Callwell|1990|page=440}} However, the Maxim was far more reliable than its contemporaries.<ref name="smallwars">''Small Wars''. 1906. Callwell, p. 559.</ref> A more immediate problem was that, initially, its position was easily given away by the clouds of smoke that the gun produced (although the same was true of artillery pieces and units of troops that the machine gun was intended to replace or supplement, so this wasn't viewed as a particular drawback by the early users). The advent of [[smokeless powder]] (developed by, among others, Hiram's brother [[Hudson Maxim]]), helped to change this.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The weapon was adopted by the British Army under the guidance of [[Garnet Wolseley|Sir Garnet Wolseley]], who had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in 1888. In October that year, he placed an order of 120 rifle-calibre Maxims{{sfn|McCallum|1999|page=67}} using the same [[.577/450 Martini–Henry|.577/450]] ammunition as the [[Martini–Henry]] rifles. Wolseley had previously led military expeditions in Africa (the [[Anglo-Ashanti wars|Ashanti war]] and the [[Gordon Relief Expedition]] in 1884–85) and had a reputation for being a strong subscriber to military innovation and reform, which he demonstrated in Africa. There he used machine guns, explored other unconventional ideas, and founded an Egyptian camel corps.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The gun's design was also purchased and used by several other European countries, such as [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]], [[Switzerland]], and [[Russian Empire|Russia]].{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|pages=46–50}}{{sfn|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}}

In January 1899, just before the outbreak of the [[Philippine-American War]], the [[First Philippine Republic|Philippines]] had forty-two Maxim guns. An English observer who had seen one of them described it as being "of the most improved type."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sheridan |first=Richard Brinsley |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924023263100/page/n157/mode/1up |title=The Filipino Martyrs: a story of the crime of February 4, 1899 |date=1900 |publisher=The Bodley Head |pages=133, 153 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Russian service (1887–1917) ===
[[File:Musee-de-lArmee-IMG 0993.jpg|thumb|right|A Russian Maxim M1905 machine gun mounted on a Sokolov M1909 carriage.]]
Hiram Maxim did an introduction tour of the Maxim gun in [[Imperial Russia|Russia]] in 1887, despite the impressive spectacle, only 12 guns were ordered by the [[Imperial Russian Navy]].{{sfn|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}} Many years later, in 1896, the Imperial Russian Navy was re-interested in the Maxim guns, leading to a large order of Maxim guns from [[Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company|Maxim Nordenfelt]]. Maxim Nordenfelt delivered 179 guns in 1897, and by 1904, the number had increased to almost 300.{{sfn|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}} The [[Imperial Russian Army]] purchased 58 Maxim machine guns (chambered in [[7.62×54mmR]]) from [[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken|DWM]] in 1899 and contracted with Vickers in 1902 to manufacture the design in Russia. Although some manufacturing started in 1905,{{sfn|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}} mass production did not start until 1910.{{sfn|Kowner|2006|page=225}}

During the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905, the Russian Army employed the Maxim in combat{{sfn|Gilbert|1997|page=93}} and placed a rush order for another 450 units from overseas suppliers, which were mostly delivered to front-line troops before the end of the war.{{sfn|Kowner|2006|page=225}}

In 1905, [[Tula Arms Plant|Tula Arsenal]] started manufacturing the '''Maxim M1905''', based on the commercial [[Vickers machine gun|Vickers-Maxim Model 1901]]. In 1908, the Sokolov mount (named after its designer, Colonel Alexander A. Sokolov) was introduced, which was equipped with removable gun shield and allowed machine gun crews to pull the weapon and its mount. The Sokolov mount was lighter at around {{cvt|36|-|45|kg|lb|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}, compared to the large-wheeled mount weighing around {{cvt|170|kg|lb|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}}

[[File:B86 483-12.jpg|thumb|right|Maxim M1905 body cutaway drawing.]]
The '''Maxim M1905''' was still in use with the Russian military in World War I, but mainly equipped with non-frontline troop. There were plans of upgrading the '''Maxim M1905''' to '''[[PM M1910|Maxim M1910]]''' standard, but was dropped when war broke out, so only a small amount of guns were converted.{{sfn|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}}
{{clear left}}

===Swiss service (1894–1910)===

Between 1891 and 1894 Switzerland procured 72 heavy machine guns, designated MG 94,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web | url=https://www.armeemuseum.ch/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Teil-2-1872-1918-1.pdf | title=Von 1872 bis nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg | language=de | trans-title=From 1872 until after the First World War | website=www.armeemuseum.ch}}</ref> from [[Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company|Maxim and Nordenfelt]] in London.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://sadefensejournal.com/the-swiss-mg11-maxim-machine-gun/|title=The Swiss MG11 Maxim Machine Gun – Small Arms Defense Journal}}</ref> These weapons were issued to fortress troops<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706221719/http://www.armeemuseum.ch/uploads/media/Bulletin_Vsam_d_1-07.pdf | archive-date=2011-07-06 | url=http://www.armeemuseum.ch/uploads/media/Bulletin_Vsam_d_1-07.pdf|title=Sammlung Maschinengewehre und leichte Fliegerabwehr | language=de | trans-title=Collection of machine guns and light anti-aircraft weapons |website=www.armeemuseum.ch}}</ref> and mountain troops and were operational until 1944 as spare arms with the Territorial Battalion. The MG 94 was mounted at the front end and at the rear on the knees of the gunner. Two leather padded rings on the left and on the right sides of the breech of the weapon rested on the knees of the machine gunner sitting behind it and permitted sweeping fire. The machine gun MG 94 was chambered for the 7.5x53.5&nbsp;mm GP 90 cartridge and was later, along other minor technical modifications, adapted for firing the more powerful 7.5x55&nbsp;mm GP 11 cartridge. Six MG 94s had their water-cooling mantles drilled and cut open, making these guns air-cooled and thus water-free and lighter for use as aircraft machine guns. These six MG 94 air-cooled guns were taken out of service in 1944. At least one MG 94 was converted to an air-cooled model for use on the [[Häfeli DH-1]] reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="auto2"/>

In 1899 Switzerland procured 69 heavy machine guns, designated MG 00, mainly from [[Vickers#Vickers.2C Sons .26 Maxim|Vickers, Sons & Maxim]] in London, and later from [[Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken]] (DWM). These guns had tripod mounts designed for cavalry use with a gunner's seat attached to the rear support strut. The machine gun MG 00 was chambered for the 7.5x53.5&nbsp;mm GP 90 cartridge and was later adapted for firing the more powerful 7.5x55&nbsp;mm GP 11 cartridge.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto2"/>

=== American use ===
[[File:111-SC-24660 - NARA - 55208931.jpg|thumb|left|A reference photo of a M1904 Maxim]]
[[File:U.S. Army 1911 maneuvers in Texas- Maxim machine gun & crew LCCN2003653480.jpg|thumb|left|American troops with a M1904 machine gun on maneuvers in Texas, 1911]]
The [[United States Army]] had shown interest in the Maxim machine gun since 1887. Model 1889 and Model 1900 Maxims were used for testing, which lasted for years but not continuously. The gun was finally adopted in 1904 as the '''Maxim Machine Gun, Caliber .30, Model of 1904''' as the first rifle-caliber heavy machine gun for standard service in the U.S. Army. The design was characteristic for its visually distinctive cage-like muzzle [[recoil booster]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=2073 | title=U.S. Maxim Model 1904 | date=February 2004 }}</ref> designed by [[Trevor Dawson]] and J. Ramsay of Vickers.<ref>{{US patent|870497A}}</ref>

The first 50 guns and tripods were made by [[Vickers#Vickers, Sons & Maxim|Vickers, Sons & Maxim]] in the U.K. chambered for [[.30-03]]. [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] was selected to produce it domestically, but challenges with schematics and specifications delayed its introduction. By the time Colt began production in 1908 (which was also the last year orders were placed for the guns), a total of 90 M1904s were made by Vickers. Colt made their machine guns for the new [[.30-06]] caliber, and the ones made by Vickers were re-chambered for the new round. A total of 287 M1904 Maxims were manufactured. The U.S. procured other machine guns after M1904 production ended, including the [[Hotchkiss M1909 Benet–Mercie machine gun|M1909 Benét–Mercié]], the [[Vickers machine gun#Colt–Vickers M1915|Colt–Vickers M1915]], and the [[Browning M1917]].

M1904 Maxims were issued to infantry companies and cavalry. Each company had four guns with associated tripods, ammunition, and 20 [[mule]]s to transport the heavy guns. The M1904 was deployed in operations in the Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central and South America, but never saw much combat use. During World War I, it remained in the U.S. for training.<ref>[http://sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=265 U.S. Maxim Model 1904] – SAdefensejournal.com, 15 August 2013.</ref>

=== World War I (1914–1918) ===
By [[World War I]], many armies had moved on to improved machine guns. The British [[Vickers machine gun]] was an improved and redesigned Maxim, introduced into the British Army in 1912 and remaining in service until 1968. Production took place at Erith in Kent, and some models were fitted to early biplanes also fabricated there. The German Army's [[Maschinengewehr 08]] and the Russian [[Russian M1910 Maxim|Pulemyot Maxim]] were both more or less direct copies of the Maxim.

It also saw use during the [[Russian Civil War]], which followed the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Revolution]] in 1917. A picture of the period depicts a Maxim gun mounted on a [[tachanka]], a horse-drawn carriage, along with the gunner, firing backwards at a pursuing [[White Army]] regiment. [[Anarchist]]s attribute this mobile setup to [[Nestor Makhno]].

=== Russo-Ukrainian War ===
The Maxim, in the form of the [[PM M1910]] chambered in [[7.62×54mmR]], has been used by both sides of the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]] of 2022. Many Maxim guns were [[retrofitted]] to suit the nature of modern warfare, including its installation on [[Technical (vehicle)|technicals]] and the mounting of [[red dot sight]]s.{{sfn|Maxim gun in Ukraine (The Economist)}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=В РНБО висміяли "новітню" техніку окупантів: смішний перелік |url=https://24tv.ua/rnbo-vismiyali-novitnyu-tehniku-okupantiv-smishniy-perelik_n1920111 |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=24 Канал |date=26 March 2022 |language=uk}}</ref>{{sfn|Sommerville|2023}} At least one documented Maxim gun used by the [[Ukrainian Ground Forces]] in the [[Battle of Bakhmut]] still had its original iron wheels with no visible modifications. A Ukrainian soldier told ''[[BBC News]]'' in March 2023: "It only works when there is a massive attack going on{{nbsp}}... then it really works. So we use it every week".{{sfn|Sommerville|2023}}

On September 7, 2025, over [[Kyiv]], a Maxim shot down a [[Kh-69|Kh-69 missile]], by a volunteer with the call sign "Hrek".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mukhina |first=Olena |date=2025-09-19 |title=Ukraine's WWI-era weapon downs advanced Russian Kh-69 cruise missile over Kyiv with $11 worth of ammo |url=https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/09/19/ukraines-wwi-era-weapon-downs-advanced-russian-kh-69-cruise-missile-over-kyiv-with-11-worth-of-ammo/ |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=Euromaidan Press |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Extra Light Rifle Calibre Maxim ==
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Extra Light Rifle Calibre Maxim
| image              = Maxim machine gun Megapixie.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = Air-cooled, Extra Light Maxim M1895.
| is_ranged          = yes <!-- Template control parameter -->
| type               = [[Medium machine gun]]
| origin             = [[United Kingdom]]
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1895–1900s
| used_by            = 
| wars               = 
<!-- Production History -->
| designer           = [[Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim]]
| design_date        = 1895
| manufacturer       = [[Vickers#Vickers,_Sons_&_Maxim|Vickers, Sons & Maxim]]
| number             = 135
| variants           = 
<!-- General specifications -->
| weight             = {{Collapsible list
  | bullets = yes
  | title = {{convert|20.2|kg|lb|2|abbr=on}}<br />''(Complete Gun)''
  | '''Gun body''':<br />{{convert|12.2|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}}
  | '''Tripod''':<br />{{convert|8|kg|lb|2|abbr=on}}
  }}
| length             = 
| part_length        = 
| width              = 
| height             = 
| crew               = 1
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
| cartridge          = [[.303 British]]
| caliber            = 
| action             = [[Recoil-operated]]
| rate               = 400 rounds/min
| velocity           = {{cvt|744|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}
| range              = 
| max_range          = 
| feed               = 250-round canvas belt
| sights             = [[Iron sight]]s
}}
===Background===
In 1890, another American inventor, [[John Browning]], designed much lighter and more portable, [[Air cooling|air-cooled]], [[Gas-operated reloading|gas operated]] machine gun and offered it to the [[Colt's Manufacturing Company]]. The gun itself weighted only 40 pounds (18&nbsp;kg), but it also required a tripod of the similar weight to be fired. It entered the mass production as the [[M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun|Colt-Browning M1895]] (Potato Digger), and was adopted by the US navy in 1895.{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|page=52}}{{sfn|Willbanks|2004|page=159}}

In 1895, in response to the interest shown in the [[M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun|Colt-Browning M1895]] in the U.S. machine gun trials, Hiram Maxim introduced his own air-cooled Extra Light gun.{{efn|Weighing only {{cvt|27|lb|kg|2}} alone and {{cvt|44.5|lb|kg|2}} complete with tripod.}} It was the first air-cooled Maxim gun, and the first with the mainspring inside the receiver casing.{{sfn|Goldsmith|2002|page=62}} At the time, it was the lightest machine gun in the world and the only complete machine gun that could be carried by one man.

Maxim hoped that cavalry units would appreciate the Extra Light gun for [[Hit-and-run tactics|“hit and run” raids]], for its light weight. Indeed, the U.S. trials Board commented quite favorably on its portability. However, as the air-cooling mechanics was not very well understood at the time, the thick [[brass]] jacket that covered the barrel had only four cooling holes in its bottom,{{sfn|Goldsmith|2002|page=62}} and the gun overheated very quickly. Maxim himself estimated that no more than 400 rounds could be fired from it at one time, before a pause for cooling had to be made.<ref name=":1">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Goldsmith|2002|p=63}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HyperWar: The Machine Gun (Vol. I/Part III) |url=https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/MG/I/MG-3.html |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.ibiblio.org}}</ref>

=== Reception ===
However, despite an extensive promotional campaign conducted by Hiram Maxim himself, the 1895 Extra Light gun was a commercial failure and only 135 were built, many of these being sold out singly or in pairs for tests in various countries.<ref name=":1" />

== Variants / Derivatives ==
===Water-cooled guns===
* [[Vickers machine gun]]: earlier Maxims had been chambered for earlier British service cartridges, but the Vickers was produced for export available in most of the different calibres and cartridges used by countries around the world, and including a large caliber (.50&nbsp;inch) as used on [[Royal Navy]] warships. The machine gun was {{convert|20|lb|0}} lighter and had been tested by the Army in 1909.{{sfn|Graham|1982|pages=190–193}}
* [[MG 01|Maschinengewehr 01]], made by [[Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken]] (DWM)
* [[MG 08]] derived from MG 01
** Its export version DWM 1909 commercial, featuring the naval tripod mount of the MG 08 instead of the sled
** German indigenous derivatives (e.g., MG 08/15)
** Type 24 heavy machine gun, Chinese variant of DWM 1909
[[File:7.5mm MG Maxim.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Swiss Maschinengewehr System Maxim Ord 1894 chambered in the 7.5&nbsp;mm GP11 round]]
* [[MG 11|Maschinengewehr Modell 1911]], Swiss variant of the DWM 1909 made by [[Waffenfabrik Bern]]
* Russian/Soviet [[PM M1910|Pulemyot Maxima obr. 1910]]
* Finnish [[Maxim M/09-21|Maxim M09/21]] and [[Maxim M/32-33]]
* American M1904

===Air-cooled guns===
* [[Maxim M1895|Extra Light Rifle Calibre Maxim]]
* [[Maxim–Tokarev]] and [[PV-1 machine gun]]

===Other guns===
* Maxim five-barrel machine gun (Fed from overhead inserted magazines and later belt-fed).
* [[MG 18 TuF]] Anti-tank & Anti-aircraft gun
* [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom]]
* [[QF 2-pounder naval gun]]

== Manufacturers ==
;Main manufacturers
: [[Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company|Maxim Nordenfelt]] (1888–1897)
: [[Vickers#Vickers,_Sons_&_Maxim|Vickers, Sons & Maxim]] (1897–1911)
: [[Vickers Limited]] (1911–1927)
: [[Vickers-Armstrongs]] (1927–1940s)
;Other manufacturers
: [[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken|Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken]] (1896–1918)
: [[Tula Arms Plant|Tula Arsenal]]
: [[Tikka (brand)|Tikkakoski]] (1924–1944)
: [[Valtion Kivääritehdas]] (1933–1944)
: [[Waffenfabrik Bern]] (1911–1946)

== Users ==
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Albania}}
* {{flag|Argentina}}
* {{flag|Belgium}}
** {{flag|Congo Free State}} − Used by [[Force Publique]]<ref>{{cite book |last= Rookes|first= Stephen|author-link= Stephen Rookes|date= 11 December 2024|title= Belgian Military Forces in the Congo Volume 1 Force Publique |publisher= Helion Books|page= 9|isbn= 9781915070548}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bolivia}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=De Quesada |first=A. M. |title=The Chaco War 1932-35 : South America's greatest modern conflict |date=2011 |others=Philip S. Jowett, Ramiro Bujeiro |isbn=978-1-84908-416-1 |location=Botley, Oxford |oclc=762983384}}</ref>
* {{flag|Brazil}}
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Bulgaria}}
* {{flag|Canada}}
* {{flag|Costa Rica}}
* {{flag|Republic of China (1912–1949)|name=China (ROC)}}
* {{flag|Chinese Soviet Republic|name=China (CSR)}}
* {{flag|China|name=China (PRC)}}
* {{flag|Estonia}}
[[File:Red Guard machine gun Helsinki 1918.jpg|thumb|right|Red Guard fighters with Maxim machine gun during the [[Battle of Helsinki]] in the [[Finnish Civil War]].]]
* {{flag|Finland}}{{sfn|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}} − Small amount used by both sides in [[Finnish Civil War]].
* {{flagcountry|French Third Republic}}
** {{flag|Vichy France}}
* {{flag|German Empire}}
* {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Hungary}}
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}}
* {{Flagcountry|Empire of Japan}} − In 1895, the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] purchased a number of Maxims and tested them during the [[Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895)|1895 invasion of Taiwan]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heath |first=Ian |title=Armies of the nineteenth century. Asia : organisation, warfare, dress, and weapons |publisher=Foundry Books |year=1998 |isbn=1-901543-01-3 |location=St. Peter Port, Guernsey |oclc=50089869}}</ref> but later decided to standardize on the [[Hotchkiss machine gun]].
* {{Flag|Kingdom of Montenegro|name=Montenegro}} — By 1912, the army had 12 maxims; 50 more were ordered during the Balkan wars but it is not known if they arrived in time.{{sfn|Jowett|2012}}
* {{Flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}}
* {{Flagcountry|Kingdom of Serbia}}
* {{Flagcountry|Korean Empire}}
* {{Flag|Latvia}} (1918–1940, .303 and other versions){{sfn|Dambītis|2016|page=225}}
* {{Flag|Mexico}}
* {{Flag|Nicaragua}} − Used in the Battle of Namasique against the forces of Honduran General [[Manuel Bonilla]] in 1907.{{sfn|Jowett|2018}}{{sfn|Maxim guns in Honduras (U.S. Library of Congress)}}
* {{Flag|New Zealand}} − Six [[.577/450 Martini–Henry|.577/450]] Maxim guns mounted on Field Carriages Mk I were purchased in 1896; they were converted to [[.303 British]] after 1899. Two of these took part in the [[Dog Tax War]]. 29 .303 caliber guns were purchased from Vickers Sons & Maxim in 1901 on Dundonald Galloping Carriages. In 1910, 36 guns were ordered on Mk IV tripods with pack saddlery and stores but only arrived in 1913. When the tripods arrived the carriages were scrapped. However initially due to the delay in converting the guns to tripod mounting only one gun was issued to each of the 29 regiments. The New Zealand Mounted Rifles formed a Maxim Gun Battery with British-supplied guns during the Boer War. New Zealand Forces entered WWI with older Maxim machineguns and 36 new ones.{{sfn|.450 Maxim MG (armsregister.com)}}{{sfn|.303 Maxim MG (armsregister.com)}}
* {{Flag|North Korea}}
* {{Flag|Ottoman Empire}}
* {{Flag|Pahlavi dynasty|name=Persia}}
* {{Flag|Paraguay}}
* {{Flagcountry|First Philippine Republic}}
* {{Flagcountry|Second Polish Republic}}
* {{flag|Portugal}} − Metralhadora Pesada Maxim m/906; adopted by the Portuguese Army in 1906, chambered for the [[6.5×58mm Vergueiro]] cartridge{{sfn|Marquês de Sousa|2018|pages=213, 214}}
* {{flagicon image| Early_20th_Century_Qajar_Flag.svg}} [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar Dynasty]] − Had a battery of four guns in the 1890s. Also used during the Constitutional Revolution{{sfn|Farrokh|2011}}
* {{Flag|Qing Dynasty}}
* {{Flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}} − Romanian-made [[6.5×53mmR|6.5&nbsp;mm version]], at least 8–12 were produced and were used by the [[Romanian Danube Flotilla]] during [[World War I]].{{sfn|Sârbu|2002|pages=144, 150}}
* {{Flagcountry|Russian Empire}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}
* {{Flag|Soviet Union}}
* {{Flag|Spanish Republic|name=Spain (2{{sup|nd}} Republic)}}
* {{Flag|Switzerland}}
* {{Flag|Ukraine}} − Maxim M1910 used during the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]].{{sfn|Maxim gun in Ukraine (The Economist)}}{{sfn|Sommerville|2023}}{{sfn|Ukrainian Maxim (The Drive)}}
* {{Flag|United Kingdom}}
* {{Flag|United States}}

==Conflicts==
<!-- In chronological order -->
{{Tree list}}
;19th century
: [[Mahdist War]] (1881–1899){{efn|name="Extra Light Maxim usage"|The '''Extra Light Rifle Calibre Maxim''' was also used in this conflict.}}
: [[Emin Pasha Relief Expedition]] (1887–1889){{efn|name="Extra Light Maxim usage"}}
: [[Yoni Expedition]] (1887)
: [[Samoan Civil War]] (1886–1894)<ref name="German Colonial">{{cite web | url=http://germancolonialuniforms.co.uk/hist%20machine%20guns.htm| title=Machine Guns of the Schutztruppe and Overseas Forces| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420014810/http://germancolonialuniforms.co.uk/hist%20machine%20guns.htm| archive-date=20 April 2021}}</ref>
: [[Abushiri Revolt]]
: [[Ijebu Kingdom|Jebu War]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Soldier's Burden |url=http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/204201.html |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=www.kaiserscross.com}}</ref>
:* [[Early history of Uganda#Long-distance trade and foreign contact (1800s–)|Buganda Civil Wars]] (1800s)
:** Conflict between Protestants and Catholic Baganda (1892){{sfn|Byrnes|1992|page=12}}
:* Matabele Wars
:** [[First Matabele War|1{{sup|st}} Matabele War]] (1893–1894){{efn|name="Extra Light Maxim usage"}}
:** [[Second Matabele War|2{{sup|nd}} Matabele War]]{{efn|name="Extra Light Maxim usage"}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.today/20230224071950/https://www.historynet.com/second-matabele-war/| title=Second Matabele War}}</ref>
: [[First Sino-Japanese War|1{{sup|st}} Sino-Japanese War]] (1894–1895)
: [[Chitral Expedition]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/britishinfantry/krrcchitral.htm| title=The King's Royal Rifle Corps Maxim Gun Section| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002040642/https://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/britishinfantry/krrcchitral.htm| archive-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>
: [[Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895)|Japanese invasion of Taiwan]] (1895)
: [[Anglo-Ashanti wars#Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War (1895–1896)|4{{sup|th}} Anglo-Ashanti War]] (1895–1896){{efn|name="Extra Light Maxim usage"}}<ref>Raugh, Harold E., ''The Victorians at War, 1815–1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History'' (2004)</ref>
: [[Jameson Raid]]{{efn|name="Extra Light Maxim usage"}}<ref name="Davis-21">{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Richard Harding|title=Dr. Jameson's raiders vs. the Johannesburg reformers|publisher=R. H. Russell|location=New York| year=1897 |url=https://archive.org/stream/drjamesonsraider00davirich#page/21/mode/1up/search/maxim}}</ref>
: [[Philippine Revolution]]
: [[Benin Expedition of 1897|Benin Expedition]] (1897)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://beninexpedition120yearson.weebly.com/beninpunitiveexpedition/monday-15-february-1897| title=Extract from A DIARY OF A SURGEON WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION' By FELIX N. ROTH, M.R.C.S., and L.R.C.P.}}</ref>
: [[Spanish–American War]] (1898)
: [[War of the Golden Stool|Ashanti Uprising]] (1900)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Montagu|first=Hall Wynyard|url=https://archive.org/details/greatdramaofkuma030748mbp|title=The Great Drama Of Kumasi|date=1939|publisher=Putnam Limited Press|others=Osmania University, Digital Library of India}}</ref>
;19th-20th century
: [[Bafut Wars]] (1889; 1891; 1901–1907)
: [[Adamawa Wars]] (1899–1907) 
: [[Philippine–American War]] (1899–1902)
: [[Dervish movement (Somali)|Dervish State]] (1899–1920){{efn|name="Extra Light Maxim usage"}}
: [[Second Boer War|2{{sup|nd}} Boer War]] (1899–1902)
: [[Boxer Rebellion]] (1899–1901)
;20th century
[[File:Gromoboy1904.jpg|thumb|right|A naval Russian Maxim (on the top right) mounted on the Imperial Russian [[armoured cruiser]] [[Russian cruiser Gromoboi|Gromoboi]] after [[Battle off Ulsan]], August 1904.]]
: [[Anglo–Aro War]] (1901–1902)
: [[British expedition to Tibet]] (1903–1904)<ref>Allen, Charles (2015), ''Duel in the Snows''. John Murray Press.</ref>
: [[Russo-Japanese War]] (1904–1905)
:* German colonial conflicts 
:** [[Herero Wars]] (1904–1908)
:** [[Maji Maji Rebellion]] (1905–1907)
:** [[Sokehs rebellion|Sokehs Rebellion]] (1910–1911)<ref name="German Colonial" /> 
: [[Persian Constitutional Revolution]] (1905–1911)
:* Spanish-Moroccan colonial conflicts
:** [[Second Melillan campaign|2{{sup|nd}} Melillan campaign]] (1909)
:** [[Rif War]] (1921–1926)
:* [[History of Honduras#Rise of US influence (1899–1919)|Honduran Conflicts]] (1907–1911)
:** Honduran Coup (1907){{efn|Coup forces were liberal Honduran exiles in Nicaragua, supported by Nicaragua's president [[José Santos Zelaya]] along with elements of the Nicaraguan army.}}{{sfn|Maxim guns in Honduras (U.S. Library of Congress)}}
:*** Battle of Namasique{{sfn|Jowett|2018}}
: [[Mexican Revolution]] (1910–1920)
: [[1911 Revolution|Xinhai Revolution]] (1911–1912)
: [[Balkan Wars]] (1912–1913)
: [[Contestado War]]
: [[World War I]] (1914–1918)
:* [[Aftermath of World War I]] (1917–1923){{efn|Including the [[Revolutions of 1917–1923{{!}}revolutions of 1917–1923]].}}
:** [[Russian Civil War]] (1917–1922)
:** [[Finnish Civil War]] (1918)
:** [[German revolution of 1918–1919|German Revolution]] (1918–1919)
:*** [[Spartacist uprising|January Uprising]] (1919)
:** [[Estonian War of Independence]] (1918–1920)
:** [[Polish–Soviet War]] (1919–1921)
:** [[Turkish War of Independence]] (1919–1922)
: [[Paraguayan Civil War (1922–1923)|Paraguayan Civil War]] (1922–1923)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.histarmar.com.ar/ArmadasExtranjeras/Paraguay/EjercitoParaguayo-breveHistoria.htm| title=AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE PARAGUAYAN ARMY | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201162503/https://www.histarmar.com.ar/ArmadasExtranjeras/Paraguay/EjercitoParaguayo-breveHistoria.htm | archive-date=1 December 2022 }}</ref>
: [[Irish Civil War]] (1922–1923)
: [[Constitutionalist Revolution|Brazilian Civil War]] (1932)<ref>Cotta, Francis Albert "as trincheiras da mantiqueira: os embates da Brigada Sul na Revolução Constitucionalista"</ref>
: [[Chaco War]] (1932–1935)
:* [[Chinese Civil War]]
:** 1{{sup|st}} Phase (1927–1936)
:** 2{{sup|nd}} Phase (1945–1949)
: [[Spanish Civil War]] (1936–1939)
: [[Second Sino-Japanese War|2{{sup|nd}} Sino-Japanese War]] (1937–1945)
:* [[World War II]] (1939–1945)
:** [[Winter War]] (1939–1940)
:** [[Continuation War]] (1941–1944)
: [[Indonesian National Revolution|Indonesian War of Independence]] (1945–1949)
: [[Greek Civil War]] (1946–1949)
: [[Costa Rican Civil War]] (1948)
:* [[Indochina wars|Indochina Wars]]
:** [[First Indochina War|1{{sup|st}} Indochina War]] (1946–1954)
:** [[Vietnam War|2{{sup|nd}} Indochina War]] (1955–1975)
: [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948|Indo-Pakistani War]] (1947–1948)
: [[1948 Arab–Israeli War|Arab–Israeli War]] (1948–1949)
: [[Malayan Emergency]] (1948–1960)
: [[Korean War]] (1950–1953)
: [[Algerian War]] (1954–1962)
: [[Cypriot intercommunal violence]] (1955–1974)
: [[Congo Crisis]] (1960–1965)
: [[Aden Emergency]] (1963–1967)
: [[South African Border War]] (1966–1990)
: [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Bangladesh War of Independence]] (1971)
: [[1971 JVP insurrection|JVP Insurrection]] (1971)
;21st century
: [[Syrian Civil War]]
:* [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]
:** [[War in Donbas (2014–2022)|War in Donbas]]{{sfn|Ukrainian Maxim (The Drive)}}
:** [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]{{sfn|Maxim gun in Ukraine (The Economist)}}{{sfn|Sommerville|2023}}
{{Tree list/end}}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="190px" heights="190px">
File:Machine gun (AM 775501-1).jpg|Vickers-Maxim Mk I ([[.303 British|.303 inch]] calibre), used in [[Second Boer War|Anglo–Boer War]] and [[World War I]] (c. 1901).
File:BASA-1221K-1-61-14.jpg|Austro-Hungarian soldiers with a trophy Maxim machine gun in the High Alps, c. 1916
File:Red army soldiers, end of 1920s-beginning of 1930s.jpg|Red Army soldiers with a Maxim machine gun, c. 1930
</gallery>

== See also ==
=== Weapons of comparable role, performance and era ===
* [[Caldwell machine gun]]
* [[Fittipaldi machine gun]]
* [[Hotchkiss machine gun]]
* [[Kjellman machine gun]]
* [[M1917 Browning machine gun]]
* [[Nordenfelt gun]]
* [[Perino Model 1908]]
* [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom]]
* [[St. Étienne Mle 1907]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha|30em}}

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== General and cited sources ===
==== Books ====
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Salmon |first1=C. |last2=Atherton |first2=Arthur |year=1898 |title=Vickers, Sons and Maxim Limited: Their Works and Manufactures. |url=https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vickers-sons-maxim-ltd-works-1907459886 |url-access=limited |others=Reprinted from 'Engineering' |location=London}} It gives plates showing the mechanism of the Vickers Maxim gun and numerous plates showing the variety of mounts available at the end of the 19th century. It also includes numerous plates of the factories in which they were made.
* {{cite book |last=Headrick |first=Daniel R. |title=Tools of Empire. Technology and European Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century |publisher=Oxford University Press |place=Oxford |year=1981 |isbn=978-1-86176-096-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Ellis |first=John |date=August 1986 |title=The Social History of the Machine Gun |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rra0AAVCAesC |location=London |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=9780801833588}}
* {{cite book |last=Goldsmith |first=Dolf F. |year=1989 |title=The Devil's Paintbrush: Sir Hiram Maxim's Gun |location=Toronto, Canada |publisher=Collector Grade Publications, Toronto |isbn=978-0-88935-056-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Callwell |first=Colonel C.E. |year=1990 |orig-year=1906 |title=Small Wars: A Tactical Textbook for Imperial Soldiers |location=London |publisher=Greenhill Books |isbn=978-1-85367-071-8}}
* {{Citation |last=Gilbert |first=Martin |year=1997 |title=A History of the Twentieth Century: Volume One: 1900–1933 |edition=1st US |location=New York |publisher=William Morrow and Company |isbn=978-0-688-10064-3}}
* {{cite book |last=McCallum |first=Iain |title=Blood Brothers: Hiram and Hudson Maxim—Pioneers of Modern Warfare |publisher=Chatham Publishing |place=London |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-86176-096-8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Goldsmith |first=Dolf F. |year=2002 |title=The Devil's Paintbrushː Sir Hiram Maxim's Gun |location=Cobourg, Ontario, Canada |publisher=Collector Grade Publications |isbn=0-88935-282-8 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Sârbu |first=Marian |year=2002 |title=Marina românâ în primul război mondial 1914-1918 |trans-title=The Romanian Navy in World War I 1914-1918 |language=ro |location= |publisher=Editura Academiei Navale "Mircea cel Bătrân |isbn=9789738303102}}
* {{cite book |last=Ferguson |first=Niall |year=2004 |title=Empire |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-100754-0}}
* {{cite book |last= Stevenson |first= David |year=2004 |title= 1914–1918: The History of the First World War |publisher= Penguin Books |isbn= 978-0-14-026817-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Willbanks |first=James H. |year=2004 |title=Machine gunsː An illustrated history of their impact |location=Oxford, England |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=1-85109-485-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Kowner |first=Rotem |author-link=Rotem Kowner |date=January 26, 2006 |title=Historical dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IWluAAAAMAAJ |format=Hardcover |publication-place=The University of Michigan |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-0-8108-4927-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Chivers |first=C. J. |year=2010 |chapter=Chapter 3: "Hiram Maxim Changes War" |title=The Gun |url=https://archive.org/details/gun00chiv |url-access=registration |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-7076-2 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Farrokh |first=Kaveh |date=May 24, 2011 |title=Iran at war, 1500-1988 |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-84603-491-6 |oclc=651902140}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jowett |first=Philip |date=2012 |title=Armies of the Balkan Wars 1912-13 : the priming charge for the Great War. |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1-299-58155-5 |oclc=842879929}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Pegler |first1=Martin |date=May 21, 2013 |editor-last1=Dennis |editor-first1=Peter |title=The Vickers-Maxim Machine Gun |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |page=15–17, [https://books.google.com/books?id=qVmbCwAAQBAJ&q=second+boer+war++Maxim+machine+gun&pg=PA57 44, 53, 56-57] |isbn=9781780963822 }}
* {{cite book |last=Bull |first=Stephen |year=2016 |title=German Machine Guns of World War I: MG 08 and MG 08/15 |series=Weapon No. 47 |location=Oxford, UK |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4728-1516-3 }}
* {{cite book |last=Jowett |first=Phillip |date=June 19, 2018 |editor-last1=Walsh |editor-first1=Stephen |title=Latin American Wars 1900–1941: "Banana Wars," Border Wars & Revolutions |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=9781472826282 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Marquês de Sousa |first= Pedro |date=2018 |title=A Nossa Infantaria na Grande Guerra: 1914-1918 |trans-title=Our infantry in the Great War: 1914-1918 |language=pt |publisher=Caleidoscópio |isbn=9789896585365 |oclc=1057007890 }}
{{refend}}
====Encyclopedia, journals and theses====
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|title=Uganda: a country study|publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]]|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/92000513/|date=1992|editor-last=Byrnes|editor-first=Rita M.|edition=2nd|pages=|isbn=0-8444-0749-6|oclc=25831693|postscript=. {{PD-notice}}}}
* {{cite journal |last=Graham |first=Dominick |date=December 1982 |title=The British Expeditionary Force in 1914 and the Machine Gun |journal=Military Affairs |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=190–193 |doi=10.2307/1987613 |jstor=1987613 }}
* {{Cite thesis |last=Dambītis |first=Kārlis |date=2016 |title=Latvijas armijas artilērija 1919.-1940.g.: Vieta bruņotajos spēkos, struktūra un uzdevumi |trans-title=Artillery of the Latvian Army 1919-1940: Place in the Armed Forces, Structure and Tasks |url=https://dspace.lu.lv/dspace/handle/7/31857?locale-attribute=en |language=lv |publisher=University of Latvia |type=PhD thesis }}
{{refend}}

====Websites====
{{refbegin}}
;With authors
* {{cite web |last=Trevithick |first=Joseph |date=February 5, 2020 |title=Ukrainian Troops Are Still Using This Pre–World War I–Era Maxim Machine Gun in Combat |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/32098/ukrainian-troops-are-still-using-this-pre-world-war-i-era-maxim-machine-gun-in-combat |website=thedrive.com |publisher=The Drive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205153400/https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/32098/ukrainian-troops-are-still-using-this-pre-world-war-i-era-maxim-machine-gun-in-combat |archive-date=5 December 2022 |ref={{harvid|Ukrainian Maxim (The Drive)}} }}
* {{cite web |last=Krott |first=Rob |date=January 2002 |url=http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=2490 |title=South Africa's National Museum Of Military History |website=smallarmsreview.com |publisher=Small Arms Review }}
;Without authors
* {{Cite web |title =The Growth of the Banana Industry &#124; THE RISE OF UNITED STATES INFLUENCE, 1899-1932 (Honduras)|url=http://countrystudies.us/honduras/15.htm |website=countrystudies.us |publisher=[[Library of Congress|U.S. Library of Congress]] |quote=With the assistance of Salvadoran troops, Manuel Bonilla tried to resist, but in March his forces were decisively beaten in a battle notable for the introduction of machine guns into Central American civil strife. |ref={{harvid|Maxim guns in Honduras (U.S. Library of Congress)}} }}
* {{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=MACHINEGUNS PART 1: 7,62 mm Maxim machineguns |url=https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/MG1.htm |website=www.jaegerplatoon.net |location=Finland |publisher= |access-date=June 6, 2024 |ref={{harvid|7,62 mm Maxim guns (jaegerplatoon.net)}} }}
* {{Cite web |title=.450 Maxim Machine Gun (Martini Henry chamber) |url=http://www.armsregister.com/arms_register/arms_register_documents/nzar_375_450_maxim_mg.pdf |website=armsregister.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101043818/http://www.armsregister.com/arms_register/arms_register_documents/nzar_375_450_maxim_mg.pdf |archive-date=January 1, 2023 |ref={{harvid|.450 Maxim MG (armsregister.com)}} }}
* {{Cite web |title=.303 Maxim Machine Gun (magazine rifle chamber) |url=http://www.armsregister.com/arms_register/arms_register_documents/nzar_200_303_maxim_mg.pdf |website=armsregister.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101043759/http://www.armsregister.com/arms_register/arms_register_documents/nzar_200_303_maxim_mg.pdf |archive-date=January 1, 2023 |ref={{harvid|.303 Maxim MG (armsregister.com)}} }}
{{refend}}

====News====
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite news |date=March 16, 2023 |last=Sommerville |first=Quentin |title=Bakhmut: Russian casualties mount but tactics evolve |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64955537.amp |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |access-date=March 16, 2023}}
* {{Cite news |date=May 11, 2022 |title=Why Ukraine's army still uses a 100-year-old machinegun |url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/11/why-ukraines-army-still-uses-a-100-year-old-machinegun |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205120845/https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/11/why-ukraines-army-still-uses-a-100-year-old-machinegun |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |access-date=May 26, 2022 |ref={{harvid|Maxim gun in Ukraine (The Economist)}} }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20220722085023/http://www.allworldwars.com/Handbook%20of%20the%20Maxim%20Automatic%20Machine%20Gun%20Model%201904.html''Handbook of the Maxim Automatic Machine Gun, caliber .30, model of 1904, with pack outfits and accessories''. US War Department, July 1916]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140116101321/http://ru.scribd.com/doc/150309753/The-Maxim-Machine-Gun-Systems-Blueprints-by-1906 The Maxim Machine Gun Systems Blueprints by 1906]
* {{cite web |author=vbbsmyt |date=July 15, 2011 |title=The First Maxim Machine Gun |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1SbcZQ0N5A |website=[[YouTube]] |location= |publisher= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221024601/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1SbcZQ0N5A |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |access-date= }} (Animation of Maxim's prototype machine gun, 1884)
* {{cite web |author=vbbsmyt |date=June 22, 2012 |title=Maxim second prototype machine gun |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiFGKWPSaas |website=[[YouTube]] |location= |publisher= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229191155/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiFGKWPSaas |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |access-date= }} (Animation of Maxim's second prototype machine gun 1885)
* {{cite web |author=vbbsmyt |date=January 2, 2015 |title=Maxim Transitional Machine Gun 1885 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1CpLaVfnq8 |website=[[YouTube]] |location= |publisher= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012235232/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1CpLaVfnq8 |archive-date=October 12, 2022 |access-date= }} (Animation of Maxim's transitional machine gun 1885)
* {{YouTube|id=v4SxP4vG0SE&t=21s|title=Hiram's Extra Light Maxim Gun}}
* {{YouTube|id=FtPrGXZlpF0&t=185s|title="Introducing the Extra-Light Maxim: A Revolutionary Lightweight Machine Gun"}}

{{VictorianEraBritishWeapons}}
{{WWI British Empire small arms}}{{Maximgunnavbox}}

[[Category:Early machine guns]]
[[Category:Machine guns of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Short recoil firearms]]
[[Category:Victorian-era weapons of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1886]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1895]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:World War I infantry weapons of the United States]]
[[Category:World War I infantry weapons]]
[[Category:World War I machine guns]]
[[Category:Maxim family]]