[gunrunner99]

Not mine but would be really cool to have. I am not sure if it is $9k cool but cool none the less.
http://www.ima-usa.com/original-nep...ct&utm_campaign=20150926&utm_content=20150926

 

[MG34_Dan]

Not mine but would be really cool to have. I am not sure if it is $9k cool but cool none the less.
http://www.ima-usa.com/original-nep...ct&utm_campaign=20150926&utm_content=20150926

Mixed parts. That's a US 1915 Vickers back plate.

 

[redroth]

No bargains from IMA on their "one off's". If they mis-represent an item and you write a review, they will delete any critical review. I think the Vickers kit they are offering is worth about 60% of the price they are asking.

 

[cc2417]

No bargains from IMA on their "one off's". If they mis-represent an item and you write a review, they will delete any critical review. I think the Vickers kit they are offering is worth about 60% of the price they are asking.

It's difficult to value these kits in my opinion. I have one, and I have been in contact with others who own Nepalese vickers. They are interesting guns, and I would argue they are worth a premium. Perhaps not $8.5K, but quite a bit more than a contemporary British parts set in comparable condition.

The 18 Nepalese guns started out as Colt m1915s. The feedblock, rear cover, lock, barrel, and booster assembly are standard British .303 parts. In addition the front sight has been replaced with the British version. With regard to the latter, I am told that m1915s converted by Enfield to fire .303 were done in the same way, but I have never had the opportunity to inspect one in order to confirm that.

What really distinguishes these guns, other than the details highlighted in the IMA blurb, is the quality of the parts. Mine is immaculate. I can't imagine a better candidate for building on a transferable plate, indeed that is what I plan to do.

Whoever decides to purchase this kit, please feel free to PM me. There is a quite a lot to say about these guns. I would be happy to share what I know and compare notes.

 

[MG34_Dan]

...
I can't imagine a better candidate for building on a transferable plate, indeed that is what I plan to do.
...

You may be correct. But, where are you going to find a transferrable RSP? I guess one could always buy a complete Vickers and pull the RSP.

In looking over the parts kit, I noticed that IMA isn't including the dead stop. If this weapon began life as a US 1915 Vickers, it should have the early type with spring and plunger not the later heavy metal type. I do not see any engraving on the barrel jacket front cap. All 1915/1918 US Vickers I have seen have had the Colt company information and serial number engraved there.

 

[Fractal]

Prime candidate for a Colt aircraft sideplate

This kit would be a prime candidate to receive one of the sideplates from a Colt aircraft gun along with a professional grade rebuild.

 

[bmg17a1]

It is an interesting kit, but no evidence of any especially unique "early" parts, although maybe the comment is meant to reflect that the parts are VSM, but no pics are shown of any VSM markings.
The jacket appears to be Colt due to the placement of the rear water plug hole, which is the same as Colt, and the crisp and clean edge of the trunnion and jacket joint, which is typical of Colt. Some Vickers guns have a very similar clean step at the joint, but usually not as clean as the Colt. Many of the WWI guns have the step blended. In my opinion the jacket is not Colt, but VSM. Front sight is Brit not US and as noted there is no Colt ID where it is usually found on Colt front end caps.
Grip is clearly Colt with the wide arms, compared to VSM that are narrow. That could have been added add any time in the travels and history of the gun since G.B. hax a lot of US 1915s, etc.
There is no mention in the story as to why Colt would have supplied the guns and tripods.....did I miss that? Colt tripods is the most mysterious part of this offering, IMO.
Although detail is missing in the pics, no other parts appear to have the usual Colt u\v stamp on them. In my view, the parts are Brit, which seems to be more logical than to be US. If the parts were Colt, the value would be much higher.
Seems the story is where the alleged value lies, not the hardware, and the story is unique and interesting as some collectors find it to be. No doubt the $8500 price won't be too high for a collector who likes the story.
FWIW

 

[cc2417]

It is an interesting kit, but no evidence of any especially unique "early" parts, although maybe the comment is meant to reflect that the parts are VSM, but no pics are shown of any VSM markings.
The jacket appears to be Colt due to the placement of the rear water plug hole, which is the same as Colt, and the crisp and clean edge of the trunnion and jacket joint, which is typical of Colt. Some Vickers guns have a very similar clean step at the joint, but usually not as clean as the Colt. Many of the WWI guns have the step blended. In my opinion the jacket is not Colt, but VSM. Front sight is Brit not US and as noted there is no Colt ID where it is usually found on Colt front end caps.
Grip is clearly Colt with the wide arms, compared to VSM that are narrow. That could have been added add any time in the travels and history of the gun since G.B. hax a lot of US 1915s, etc.
There is no mention in the story as to why Colt would have supplied the guns and tripods.....did I miss that? Colt tripods is the most mysterious part of this offering, IMO.
Although detail is missing in the pics, no other parts appear to have the usual Colt u\v stamp on them. In my view, the parts are Brit, which seems to be more logical than to be US. If the parts were Colt, the value would be much higher.
Seems the story is where the alleged value lies, not the hardware, and the story is unique and interesting as some collectors find it to be. No doubt the $8500 price won't be too high for a collector who likes the story.
FWIW

MG34_Dan, in relative terms Vickers sideplates are not particularly difficult to find but generally they do need to be knocked off of assembled guns. It is a common practice with Colt balloon guns and T97s since neither of them are practical in their original configurations. To Fractal's point, it would be my preference to assemble my kit on a Colt sideplate.

Bob, good eyes regarding the step in the water jacket. To add a bit of color, on my Nepalese Vickers the trunnion, bottom plate, fusee spring assembly and cover, side plates, left and right closure plates, grips, feed block cover and most of the crank assembly are Colt (u/v marked). Although IMA supplies these kits with a British check lever, all 18 guns originally had Colt check levers. Only the rear cover, lock, feed block, barrel and booster are VSM marked on my gun.

What really throws me off is the water jacket. As I mentioned, my gun has a Colt trunnion. I don't know the origin of the corrugated tube, but I have heard that British and Colt water jackets have different thread pitches, so I suspect this is from Colt as well. The front end cap has a British sight and is missing the Colt engraving. However it has a Colt steam port - the brass variety that takes the same steam hose used on 1917s. In other words it won't accept either the early threaded British hoses, or the spring loaded version that entered service later.

Most of the parts are stamped with the gun's serial number, and some are also marked with the Soley Grimard logo. It is worth noting that all 18 guns are the same - they have roughly the same mix of Colt and VSM components. All of them are serial numbered throughout, and all of them come with matching tripods. They are not mix-masters in the traditional sense.