Original British BESA 7.92mm Mark III Display Machine Gun – As Used in Armored Vehicles Original Items

Original Item: Only one Available. This is a fantastic BESA 7.92mm Mark III Display Machine gun, made using a BATF compliant non-firing totally inert dummy re-welded original receiver with 30% completely replaced with solid steel. Many of the internal components were also deactivated and welded into place inside the display gun, giving it a hefty 52.3lb weight. At 43.5 inches long, this is definitely an impressive display gun!

Truly heavy and massive! The British BESA machine gun was an adaptation of the Czechoslovakian MG 37, manufactured by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). They had signed a license agreement with the Czech designer Československá zbrojovka to manufacture the gun in the UK, and after approval by the War Department in 1938, production began in 1939. The machine gun was used very widely in World War II by British forces as an AFV (armored fighting vehicle) gun, in both the coaxial and bow-mounted configurations. The bolt and internal action bears a striking resemblance to that used in the famous British BREN light machine gun, also derived from a Czechoslovakian design. Both Czech guns were used in large quantities by the German Wehrmacht during the war.

Although ungainly looking, the BESA was extraordinarily durable, and anyone with an interest in automatic weapons of the WW II era should take a look at it. The massiveness of the gun comes from the receiver, which is one very large, solid machined block of steel. The very massiveness of the gun made is especially suitable for use in armored vehicles. Guns made like this could not be made today, simply because of the huge cost of the metal work involved.

Unlike most other British rifle-caliber small arms of the war, the BESA was not chambered for the .303 British rimmed cartridge. Instead, it retained the 7.92 x 57 mm caliber of the original Czech design. This eliminated the requirement for extensive redesign. It added an additional caliber to production requirements but also allowed the use of captured German 7.92 ammunition.

Original markings are mostly preserved on the gun, with serial numbers marked on the left side of the receiver, and a different number marked on the top cover. These were in service for decades, so parts swapping was very common. Painted with a very attractive gloss black, this is more than ready to display! All you need now is the AFV!

The Mark II version entered service in June 1940, modified with a selector to give a high rate of fire (750–850 rounds per minute) for close combat or focused targets or a low rate of fire (450–550 rounds per minute) for long-range combat or area targets. The design was modified to be more rapidly and economically produced and three simplified models, the Mark II*, Mark III and Mark III*, entered service in August 1943. The Mark II* was a transitional model designed to use the new simplified parts but was compatible with the Mark II. The Mark III and Mark III* versions did away with the rate selector and had simplified parts like the Mark II* but were incompatible with the Mark II. The Mark III had a fixed high rate of fire (750–850 rpm) and the Mark III* had a fixed low rate of fire (450–550 rpm).

The earlier wartime Mark I, Mark II and Mark II* versions of the Besa 7.92 mm were declared obsolete in 1951 and all Mark III versions were converted to Mark III*. The Mark III/2 introduced in 1952 was a conversion of the Mark III* with a new bracket and body cover. The later Mark III/3 introduced in 1954 was a conversion of the Mark III/2 that replaced the barrel and sleeve and made the gas vents larger on the gas cylinder to make it easier to use belts of mixed ammunition. The post-war Mark III/2 and Mark III/3 remained in service until the late 1960s.