Vickers Mk1

Omega · 3 January 2006, 06:39 PM

Fellow Enthusiasts,

In my quest to reconstruct a F1 Camel from original parts I have come to the guns. I would like to know more about the aircraft Vickers. Were they simply Water cooled ground guns converted by venting the fluted water jacket and cutting off the hand grips? I have seen original photos with smooth jackets, Was that common in 1918? Lastly, What if any difference is there between the WWII and the WWI Vickers? They seem to be exactly the same except for the fluted jacket. Is this so? What has changed? I have some Colt made Vickers spare parts to trade if anyone has any need. Thank You for all the good information. The kind people sharing their knowledge of history make this an enjoyable hobby for me.

Burro,

Koz

Omega · 7 January 2006, 01:39 PM

Any one have any Vickers info out there?

Koz

William · 7 January 2006, 03:13 PM

Hello Tom,
Until the advent of the MKII (post WWI I believe) the MKI* air service gun was simply a converted MKI Vickers. Initially they were converted in the field and later for a period of time factory conversions occcured. However to my knowledge they were not purpose built even in the factory. After they were replaced with the MKII I've seen photos of them being converted back to ground guns in the factory. Sorry to have not gotten back to you, life very hectic here. I'll email this weekend.
Best,
William

snipe · 8 January 2006, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega

Any one have any Vickers info out there?

Koz

Here's a very good reference on the Vickers:

Goldsmith, D.L. (1994).
The Grand Old Lady of No Man's Land: The Vickers Machine Gun.
Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Collector Grade Publications

Publisher link ....

http://www.collectorgrade.com/

brinesharks · 8 January 2006, 02:17 PM

Hi Omega,

I'm on a similar quest - I have got hold of a copy of the later (MKII?) vickers aerial gun handbook. It has some excellent diagrams of the weapon and accessories. I have promised to scan if for others, but I'm having trouble finding a scanner and the time! If you PM me with your contact details I can email it to you or photocopy it (if that's acceptable). The handbook has a lot of information for armourers that you might find useful. I think the diagrams/photos are good enought to build a light weight replica from.

Omega · 8 January 2006, 04:26 PM

Thank You for the replys. I will look for a copy of the book.
I notice on some guns the feed blocks were brass and others were blued. Is it true the early guns were blued?

Sincerely,
Omega

Dughor · 8 January 2006, 11:56 PM

Have a look at this file
Its a *.tif file, with many pages of vickers info. (Open with Paint Shop Pro, and you get 20+ pages)

Don't remember where I found it on the internet. Hope it is not copyrighted...

snipe · 9 January 2006, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dughor

Have a look at this file
Its a *.tif file, with many pages of vickers info. (Open with Paint Shop Pro, and you get 20+ pages)

Don't remember where I found it on the internet. Hope it is not copyrighted...

Possibly here. A lot of the manuals here are Crown Copyright (ie., copyright of the Government of Britain).

This page is part of The Vickers Machine Gun web site.