At a recent Gun Fair , I had a chance to fire 10 rds on a machine gun. The attendant thought it was a 1916 gun. It was water cooled and looked like a Vickers 1916 model ( at lest from the pictures that I have seen.) However, the barrel was short and had no outward appearing markings. The ammo was 7.92 or 8MM and was sitting next to a non firing Browning water cooled 30 cal which was normal size. I have never heard of a Snub Nose Machine gun so I wonder about this one ? Any guesses ?

German MG08? Probably not, as this was the standard WW1 German machine gun.

Maybe it was the Austrian Schwarzlose, which used an 8 mm cartridge?

Nope, the Schwarzlose is about right size ( it was short for a machine gun) Bolt cocking is on the right side and looks about like a Browning water cooled 30 cal machine gun with latter type sight The hand grip looked close to the WWII standard on the air cooled light Browning 30 cal ( 1919 ?) The really odd part was that the Trigger was pulled up to fire and not back. ! Next year I will get a picture. I have to admit, it brought a smile to my face as I fire off the 10 rds.

Browning M1917?

Sure looks like it,but the water plug was in front and no top handle I am not sure from the pic but the feeding of the belt ammo was left side to right side. Otherwise Spot on except that it was shorter the a normal water cooled Browning. A compact ?

Browning M1917 was in service for many years after WW1, so I'd guess there might be any number of modifications and different barrel configurations.

Most weapons do eject to the right, both machineguns and rifles as they're designed for right handed people. You'll find most left handed people overcome their wonderful blessing and learn to fire weapons like their right handed colleagues.

The irony is, the only machinegun which I know can be adapted to feed from the right is a Browning, but the later Browning M2 50 cal, and even then, I don't think it's done to suit left handed people, but to fit odd and tight places when fitted into vehicles and aircraft etc, or fitted side by side on a mounting. I'm not sure if it's a field modification the gunner does himself, or whether it takes an armourer to change it over.

Edit BTW, a coaxial machine gun is the term for where you can switch the direction of the feed.

By the way, you have Gun Fairs in the USA?

Wow. That sounds like fun.

Are you sure? I would have thought the standard definition would be 'sharing the same axis'... making the typical usage only approximately correct - main gun and secondary weapon mounted in a common cradle or paraxial.

You're absolutely correct Lieste, I'm an idiot. Coaxial means it follows the axis of the main gun. I do know that believe it or not, I'm just being thick today.

I'm embarrassed now. I'm now trying to remember what you do call an gun that you can change the feed. There is a word for it.