Original British WWI Hotchkiss Mark I Portative Machine Gun Leather Saddle Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. In the early 1990s we purchased some 1909 Hotchkiss Portative Machine Gun Parts Sets that had been discovered in Turkey. We even found some ammunition clip boxes used with this weapon in WW1 Tanks and now we have found an original British Heavy Leather Saddle Scabbard used by Cavalry for carrying this (“Portable”) Portative Machine Gun.

The original Cavalry Saddle Scabbards are incredibly rare. Large enough to engulf the entire weapon including butt stock these certainly provided extreme protection from the elements. Offered in great condition having been made probably just prior to World War One an extremely hard to find British WW1 Machine Gun Accessory.

The Hotchkiss M1909 machine gun was a French designed light machine gun of the early 20th century, developed and built by Hotchkiss et Cie. It was also known as the Hotchkiss Mark I and M1909 Benét–Mercié. It was adopted by the French army as the Hotchkiss M1909 (or Mle 1909) in 1909, firing the 8 mm Lebel.

A variant to use the .303 round was produced in Britain as the “Hotchkiss Mark I” and manufactured by Enfield. The British army employed three different types of machine gun: the Vickers medium machine gun, the Hotchkiss (for cavalry and tank use), and the Lewis Gun with the infantry.

It was adopted by the US in 1909 as the “Benét–Mercié Machine Rifle, Caliber .30 U. S. Model of 1909” firing the .30-06 cartridge. The name comes from three sources: Hotchkiss, the name of the American Benjamin B. Hotchkiss who started the company in France; the two main designers, Lawrence Benét and Henri Mercié; and the US designation system at time which label arms with “Model of Year”. Lawrence Benét was related to the former head of US Army Ordnance at the time of adoption.

It is also known as the Hotchkiss M1909 and M1909 Benét–Mercié, but should not be confused with the heavier Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun.