Type 92 Lewis Light Machine Gun

The Lewis Type 92 aircraft machine gun is a gas operated, air cooled, full automatic only weapon that fires from an open bolt. It has a fixed barrel surrounded by an aluminum radiator which is enclosed in a tubular barrel jacket. The barrel jacket is open at both ends. When the weapon is fired the muzzle blast causes the air to flow inside the jacket from rear to front, providing forced air cooling for the barrel. The operating action uses a rotating bolt which has four radial locking lugs located at the rear which lock into recesses in the receiver walls. The bolt is operated by a vertical stud which enters a helical cut made in the bolt body. The stud is located on the gas piston rod and runs beneath the barrel. A gas block is located at the muzzle which is concealed by the barrel jacket. A spiral clock like spring operates a gear wheel located in a semi circular hump below the receiver. This gear wheel engages a toothed rack machined on the underside of the gas piston and cycles the bolt when the Lewis gun is fired. The firing pin is fixed to a vertical stud located on the gas piston rod. The magazine is a flat pan design which holds the cartridges in two layers. The magazine is powered by the gun by two operating pawls which engage stamped ribs located on the outside of the magazine cover. The feed arms oscillates in the horizontal plane being powered by the vertical stud located at the rear of the bolt. With each cycle of the bolt mechanism, the magazine is rotated by one notch to feed the next cartridge into the ready position. The receiver has a wooden pistol grip trigger assembly and there is a leather covered spade grip at the rear. It is equipped with a blade front sight and a leaf rear peep sight. A large forward sling swivel is attached to the barrel jacket. The gun is stamped with the serial number and 153 over 1239.

This type of gun was mounted on an adjustable tripod and issued to the Japanese Navy. It is a copy of the British Pattern 1914 Lewis light machine gun.