Originally Posted by DWalt

I pulled out my copy of Hatcher's Notebook. Hatcher was doing Army troop machine gun training at an Army school which was set up in Harlingen TX during the Punitive Expedition. He doesn't mention anything specifically about the Colt M1895 being used in Mexico during the campaign, but did say that the Army had earlier purchased about 160 of them for evaluation, and also that the Army never officially adopted the M1895. He mentions the M1904 Maxim gun but doesn't elaborate on it. His discussion is centered mainly on the Benet-Mercier and the Lewis Gun, 350 of which were bought directly from Savage in the .303 British caliber (the Lewis was not made in .30-'06 at that time) for use during the expedition. The Mexican Army had earlier bought some M1895s in 7mm Mauser, so there is no doubt that many of those were used during the Mexican Revolution. The U. S. Navy also had some M1895s in 6mm Lee Navy during the occupation of Vera Cruz. Pictures below show the M1904 on a pack mule, the Benet-Mercier in action in Mexico, a captured Mexican Colt M1895 and a Benet-Mercier (and other guns), and a view of the Benet-Mercier.

Hatcher makes mention of the Army's practice at that time of filling the machine gun companies with soldiers who were disciplinary problems, and such men being difficult to train. I guess it was considered punishment to be in a MG company.