It was adopted in August 1910 and was derived from Hiram Maxim's Maxim gun, chambered for the standard Russian 7.62×54mmR rifle cartridge. The M1910 was mounted on a wheeled mount with a gun shield. In 1918 - 1920, the industry of Soviet Russia produced 21 thousand new Maxim 1910 machine guns for the Red Army. In 1930, a modernized version 1910/30 was adopted by the Red Army. In 1941, the gun was modernized once again. In May 1942, an order was given to begin the development of a new machine gun to replace Maxim 1910/30. In May 15, 1943, SG-43 Goryunov was adopted and since summer 1943 Maxim guns were replaced in Soviet service by the SG-43, which retained the wheeled and shielded carriage. However, production of the Maxim did not end until 1945. In addition to the main infantry version, there were aircraft-mounted and naval variants. Some were fitted with a tractor radiator cap fitted on top of the water jacket to allow handfuls of snow to be packed in to melt while firing.
Variants
*Maxim's machine gun model 1910 on a wheeled Sokolov's mount
*Maxim's machine gun model 1915 on a wheeled Kolesnikov's mount
* Maxim's machine gun model 1910 on an antiaircraft tripod
*Maxim's machine gun model 1910/30 on a wheeled Vladimirov's mount
- a quantity of machine guns were seized during World War I
- a quantity of machine guns was seized during World War I
- After June 22, 1941, a quantity of machine guns was seized by Hungarian troops during Axis invasion in USSR. Since 1945, Soviet Maxim 1910/30 machine guns were given from USSR to People's Republic of Hungary
- In September 1939 a quantity of Polish wz. 1910 and wz. 1910/28 was seized by Wehrmacht. After June 22, 1941, a quantity of Soviet machine guns was seized by German troops during Axis invasion in USSR, they were used as schweres Maschinengewehr 216
Second Polish Republic – Maxim wz. 1910 and Maxim wz. 1910/28
- at least several machine guns were captured during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War and disarmament of retreating armed anti-Soviet groups crossing the Romanian border in 1917 - 1920s. After June 22, 1941, an additional quantity was seized by Romanian troops during Axis invasion in USSR. In 1944 several Soviet Maxim 1910/30 machine guns were given from USSR to Romanian 1st Volunteer Infantry Division. After 23 August 1944 coup d'état additional Maxim 1910/30 machine guns were transferred from USSR to the Romanian army