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 · 087

Gast twin-barrel machinegun

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, Gast machinegun (American or British manufacture), cal.’s .303 or .30.

ATF wording names "American or British manufacture" and cal. .303 or .30, the same wording as its Lewis light machinegun entry. The Gast gun itself was a German wartime design in 7.92mm.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESMade by one of the makers ATF names: “(American or British manufacture)”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1916–1918.
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
Germany
Manufacturer
Vorwerk & Co., Barmen²
Type
Machinegun
Action
Select-fire / auto
Caliber
.303 British, .30
Made
c. 1916–1918production; 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. 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, “Gast gun” ↗, years: first weapon produced January 1916; delivery of first 100 promised June 1918
  2. Wikipedia, “Gast gun” ↗, maker: developed by Karl Gast of Vorwerk und Companie, Barmen
  3. ATF P 5300.11 (2018), Section IV: "Lewis, light machinegun (American or British manufacture), cal.’s .303 or .30.", note on the ATF wording: the Lewis line has the identical parenthetical and calibers; it is not adjacent to the Gast line
  4. Wikipedia, “Gast gun” ↗, note on the ATF wording: infobox cartridge 7.92×57mm Mauser; built by Vorwerk und Companie, Barmen
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
4 changes · see below

Correction history

  1. Evidence passNote on the ATF wording updated. The Lewis entry is not adjacent
  2. Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → Medium. First Gast gun produced January 1916, series production 1918; ATF states no date
  3. Data-trust reviewYears shown as: none → Not stated. First Gast gun produced January 1916, series production 1918; ATF states no date
  4. Data-trust reviewYears: 1917–1918 → 1916–1918. First Gast gun produced January 1916, series production 1918; ATF states no date

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Gast twin-barrel machinegun

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Gast machine gun with drum magazines.jpg” by George M Chinn, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Gast gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Gast gun was a German twin barrelled machine gun that was developed by Karl Gast of Vorwerk und Companie of Barmen and used during the First World War. Its unique operating system produced a very high rate of fire of 1,600 rounds per minute. The same principle was later used as the basis for the widely used Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23L series of Russian aircraft autocannon.