![]() ![]() ![]() The gunner himself and first assistant were was also armed with a pistol, while the second assistant carried a rifle. The BAR was issued to specialised teams and, like the Chauchat, was deployed in three man teams, a gunner and two assistant gunners who carried extra ammunition in bandoliers and acted as loader. Two BAR teams training, note the 2nd assistant gunners armed with M1903 rifles ( source) While production slowed when the war ended some 102,000 guns were made by the end of production in 1919. Production was slow to start but by July 1918, 17,000 BARs had been completed. Winchester were given a contract for 25,000 while a further 20,000 were ordered from Marlin. With Colt unable to begin production until early 1917, they were forced to share production with Winchester and the Marlin-Rockwell Corporation. While Colt owned the production rights to the BAR, as they had a long term partnership with Browning, their production capacity was entirely occupied with other war work including manufacturing Colt M1911 pistols and Vickers guns. It is estimated had he been paid standard royalties for his designs he would have received a staggering $12,704,350 ($241,800,00 today).Ī two man BAR team in action, assistant gunner stands by, note the large magazine pouches and metal belt cup ( source) M1911, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle and the M1917 Browning machine gun In September 1917, John Browning agreed to the US government’s offer of $750,000 (approximately $14,300,000 today) for the rights to manufacture the The design was adopted as the ‘Rifle, Caliber. In July 1917, the US government placed the first order for 12,000 of Browning’s new automatic rifles. In addition to its weight the BAR’s ergonomics were not ideal with a thick stock wrist and a magazine release tucked inside the trigger guard. This rising bolt lock gives the BAR its distinct profile. The weapon was gas-operated with a long-stroke piston which actuated a rising bolt lock which locked the bolt during firing. Firing from an open bolt the BAR fired 500–650 rounds per minute. Like the Chauchat, the BAR was a select fire weapon and could also be fired in semi-automatic for more accurate fire. The hefty BAR weighed 7kg (15.5lb) unloaded, however, this was 2kg (4.5lb) less than the Chauchat. It could be fired from the shoulder or the hip and a specially designed metal belt cup was developed to support the BAR when being fired from the hip in the walking fire role. #Browning automatic rifle portableThe new portable weapon was designed to lay down accurate rapid fire. John Browning developed his new automatic machine rifle in late 1916 and offered up a prototype two months before the US declared war on Germany. The US had begun seeking an American-made alternative even before the US entered the War. US troops, one armed with a CSRG Modele 1915, chambered in 8mm Lebel ( source) Doing much to add to the Chauchat’s infamous reputation. The M1918 CSRG fed from a box magazine, but they were poorly made leading to rampant failures. To address the logistical issue of ammunition supply a version of the Chauchat chambered in the American. ![]() The American Expeditionary Force fighting in France was initially issued a number of French weapons including the Chauchat, chambered in 8mm Lebel. These included the Colt Model 1895, Vickers-Maxim Model 1904, Colt-Vickers Model 1915 and the lighter Hotchkiss M1909 Benet–Mercie. While the British Army had adopted the Lewis Light Machine Gun early in the war the US entered the war in 1917 with a collection of medium machine gun. This would give advancing infantry the time to get close enough to enemy machine gun positions to destroy them with grenades.īrowning’s patent covering the BAR ( source) Soldiers would advance across No Man’s Land laying down a continuous barrage of suppressing fire against enemy positions. But the M1918A2 which became an icon of the war is a far cry from the weapon Browning envisaged in 1916.īrowning developed his rifle to fill the ‘walking fire’ role for which the French developed the CSRG 1915 Chauchat. John Browning’s M1918 BAR is perhaps one of the most iconic American weapons of World War Two. ![]()
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