C&R · IV · 171
Maxim machineguns, German manufacture
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. 86 ↗
Maxim, machineguns, of German manufacture, all models and cal.’s.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade or imported as stated: “of German manufacture”
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1899–1918.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
GermanyBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- DWM; Spandau Arsenal & othersBasis: the ATF wording
- Type
- MachinegunBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: the ATF wording
- Caliber
- All calibersBasis: outside reference ¹
- Made
- All models · c. 1899–1918production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ²
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 86 ↗ · 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, “MG 08” ↗, calibers: Wikipedia: German Maxims chambered 7.92×57mm, 7.65×53mm and 7×57mm Mauser (ATF: "all models and cal.'s")
- 2. Wikipedia, “MG 08” ↗, years: German Maxim service from 1899 (MG 99, MG 01, MG 08 adopted 1908); the 1918 end 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
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passEditorial confidence: High → Medium. Re-rated after its references were re-checked and some details couldn't be confirmed.
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Maschinengewehr 08 1.jpg”, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “MG 08”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The MG 08 is a heavy machine gun (HMG) which served as the standard HMG of the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was an adaptation of Hiram Maxim's 1884 Maxim gun design, and was produced in a number of variants during the war. The MG 08 also saw service during World War II in the infantry divisions of the German Army, although by the end of the war it had mostly been relegated to second-rate "fortress" units.