Browning Automatic Rifle.

[Ginger.]

What date did this weapon enter service and how many rounds does the mag hold?

The BAR entered the US inventory at some point in 1918 (I'm not sure of the exact date off the top of my head), some made it over to France in the last few months of the war. The magazine holds 20 rounds.

[Shooter]

Ginger:

The BAR was adopted in M1918, and it was issued to Marine units in Central America and in Haiti that same year. I do not know how many, if any, made it to France to serve with AEF units, but the Chauchat was the squad automatic weapon for most units during the Great War.

I have fired the M1918A2 version of the BAR, but not in combat. It chambered .30 caliber M2 ball ammo and had an adjustable rate of fire: slow = 300 - 400 rpm; fast = 500 - 600 rpm. The weapon had a folding bipod and a hinged butt-plate to aid in steady fire.

Major Gene Duncan USMC (ret) a respected author and a personal friend of mine says that the BAR was the "grand piano of the small-arms symphony." That about sums it up.

Semper Fi,

Shooter sends

[Barrett]

the BAR entered combat in late September 1918 but don't recall which division. Same one that had M1917 HMGs, I think. Will investigate and report back.

[Barrett]

Apparently the BAR was blooded on 13 Sep 18 by JMB's son, Lt. Val Browning, with the 79th Division. Legend has it that Pershing wouldn't allow it in combat lest the Germans copy the design, but given the state of the war at that time, the story appears bogus.

[Ginger.]

Thanks chaps,I've just bought one de-aced.Over here the law has been changed,all de-activated S.M.G.'s and S.L.R.'s after a specific date now have the moving parts welded.The BAR is ok,but it was a hell of a job getting a Thompson de-aced to the old specs.I am in the middle of doing one of my dummies up as a member of Easy Company,once again bringing the Ginger dynasty to the verge of bankruptcy.:

[Bushrod]

I recently read the new bio of Chesty Puller and the BAR was mentioned several times because Puller held it in such high regard.

I recently read the new bio of Chesty Puller and the BAR was mentioned several times because Puller held it in such high regard.

It was quite a weapon, especially when you compare it to everything else that was available in 1918.

If it was belt-fed, and had a quick-change barrel, the US would never have had to adopt the P.O.S. M60. They could have just re-chambered the BAR in 7.62x51 and had a much more reliable weapon.

[leo]

When i was in the PA National Guard,49-51, I had the opportunity to fire this wepon. The one thing I remember most about it was that it was very accurate on the first round and the high regard which our instructors held the weapon. The belt would have inhibited the manuverability of the weapon, one of its salient points.

The belt would have inhibited the manuverability of the weapon, one of its salient points.

Not with a belt carrying box that clips onto the receiver, similar to the one used on current M60s, M249s and M240s.