Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IV · 017

Benét–Mercié machine rifle, Model 1909

Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 82 ↗

Benet Mercie, machine rifle, Model 1909 (French or American manufacture), cal.’s 8mm Lebel or .30.

ATF lists cal. .30; this is the .30-06 Springfield cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESMade by one of the makers ATF names: “(French or American manufacture)”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1909–1918.
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Hotchkiss et Cie; Springfield Armory; Colt
Type
Machinegun
Action
Select-fire / auto
Caliber
8mm Lebel, .30-06
Made
1909–1918production; ATF states no date¹
Service
Military
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 82 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun” ↗, years: infobox production 1909–1914 (Saint-Denis), 1914–1918 (Lyon), 1915–1918 (Coventry); the U.S. version was made by Springfield Armory and Colt (670 made).
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
1 change · see below

Correction history

  1. Evidence passYears: 1909–1917 → 1909–1918. Wikipedia (Hotchkiss M1909) gives French production 1909–1918

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Benét–Mercié machine rifle, Model 1909

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “111-SC-24658 - NARA - 55208927.jpg” by Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Hotchkiss M1909 machine gun was a light machine gun of the early 20th century that was developed and built by Hotchkiss et Cie. It was also known as the Hotchkiss Mark I, Hotchkiss Portative and M1909 Benét–Mercié.