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 · 075

Bergmann MG 15 (water-cooled)

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. 84 ↗

German, Bergmann, Model 1915, water-cooled machinegun, cal. 7.92mm.

ATF lists cal. 7.92mm; this is the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1915–1918.
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
Germany
Manufacturer
Theodor Bergmann Waffenbau¹
Type
Machinegun
Action
Select-fire / auto
Caliber
7.92×57mm
Made
1915–1918production; ATF states no date²
Service
Military
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 84 ↗ · 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, “Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun” ↗, maker: Bergmann's guns 'evolved through a number of models as water cooled medium machine guns'; 'A 1915 model was produced' (Bergmann Waffenfabrik)
  2. Wikipedia, “Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun” ↗, years (estimate: partly supports it): 'A 1915 model was produced which had been slightly modified so it could share a mount with the MG 08'; end year 1918 is our estimate
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
None

Historical context

Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun (base model shown for Bergmann MG 15 (water-cooled))
Shown: the air-cooled Bergmann MG 15nA, not this water-cooled Model 1915.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “A group of German soldiers with a Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun in 1914.jpg” by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Bergmann MG 15nA was a World War I light machine gun produced by Germany starting in 1915. It used 100- and 200-round belts and utilized a bipod, which allowed the weapon to be mounted on a flat surface for more accurate firing.