M1917 Browning machine gun
Browning model 1917 | |
---|---|
John M. Browning | |
Designed | 1917 |
Produced | 1917–45 |
No. built | 128,369[2] |
Variants | M1917, M1917A1, Colt models |
Specifications | |
Mass | 103 lb (47 kg) (gun, tripod, water, and ammunition) |
Length | 980 mm |
Barrel length | 24 in (609 mm) |
Cartridge | .30-06 Springfield |
Action | Recoil-operated automatic |
Rate of fire | 450 round/min, 600 round/min for M1917A1 |
Muzzle velocity | 2,800 ft/s (853.6 m/s) |
Feed system | 250 round fabric belt |
The M1917 Browning machine gun is a
Design and development
In 1900, John Moses Browning filed a patent for a recoil-powered automatic gun.[3] Browning did not work on the gun again until 1910, when he built a water-cooled prototype of the 1900 design.[4] Although the gun worked well, Browning improved the design slightly. Browning replaced side ejection with bottom ejection, added a buffer for smoother operation, replaced the hammer with a two piece firing pin, and some other minor improvements.[4]: 173 The basic design of the gun was still the 1900 design.
The Browning is a water-cooled heavy machine gun, though some experimental versions were made that did not use a water jacket; the air-cooled
The Army Ordnance Department showed little interest in machine guns until war was declared in April 1917. At that time, the U.S. arsenal included only 1,100 machine guns, and most of those were outmoded.[4]: 173–174 The government asked several designers to submit weapons. Browning arranged a test at the Springfield Armory in May 1917.[4]: 176 In the first test, the weapon fired 20,000 rounds with only a few malfunctions mostly related to poorly loaded cloth belts. The reliability was exceptional, so Browning fired another 20,000 rounds through the weapon with one broken part: a broken sear at about 39,500. The Ordnance Board was impressed, but was unconvinced that the same level of performance could be achieved in a production model. Consequently, Browning used a second gun that not only duplicated the original trial, but it also fired continuously for 48 minutes and 12 seconds (over 21,000 rounds).[4]: 176–177
The Army adopted the weapon as its principal heavy machine gun, utilizing the M1906 .30-06 cartridge with a 150-grain, flat-base bullet. Production was complex as the several manufacturers producing the guns needed to establish assembly lines and create tooling. By 30 June 1918, Westinghouse had made only 2,500 and Remington had made only 1,600. By the time of the Armistice, Westinghouse had made 30,150, Remington 12,000, and Colt 600.[4]: 179
Until the start of World War I, the Army had used a variety of older machine guns, including the Browning-designed
In 1926, the Browning's rear sight was revised to incorporate scales for both the new M1 Ball (172-grain boat-tail bullet) and the M1906 (150-grain flat-base bullet) ammunition.[5] With M1 ball, the M1917 had a maximum range of about 5,500 yd (5,000 m); with M2 ammunition, about 3,500 yd (3,200 m).[5] The rear sight had a battle sight as well as a raised leaf-type sight suitable for employment against either ground or air targets.[5]
Service
The M1917 saw limited service in the later days of World War I. Because of production delays, only about 1,200 Model 1917s saw combat in the conflict, and then only in the last 2½ months of the war. Some arrived too late for combat service. For example, the
The Model 1917A1 was again used in the Second World War, and was primarily used with the
The Model 1917 was called to service again in the Korean War. On at least one occasion, U.S. soldiers in the Korean War urinated on the gun when water-cooling had failed in the frigid temperatures of the Korean winter.[10] The Model 1917 was slowly phased out of military service in the late-1960s in favor of the much lighter M60 machine gun chambered in the new 7.62 mm NATO cartridge.[citation needed]
Many of the 1917s were given to
M1917 and M1917A1 ammunition chests
The machine gun used a wooden ammunition chest that carried 250 rounds. The early M1917 model had an angled corner and a leather strap handle on top. The later M1917A1 model had a square corner and a cloth strap handle on top.
The wooden ammunition belt chest was replaced during WWII by the expendable metal box ammunition M1 adopted 6 May 1942. On 20 June 1945, a modified version known as the M1A1 was adopted. The M1A1 had a spring-loaded catch to fasten it to the M1917A1 tripod more securely and provide a better watertight seal. In the late-1940s the M19 box replaced the earlier metal M1 and M1A1 boxes, and a modified version known as the M19A1 appeared in the early-1950s and continues in use today.[11]
Variants
US military variants
M1917
The original gun suffered from a weakness related to the design of the receiver. Under field conditions, the bottom plates, which were dovetailed into the gun's two side plates, tore out. An early fix was to attach a roughly horseshoe-shaped steel bracket around the rearmost part of the receiver. A later fix was to rivet "stirrups" (right-angled steel pieces) to the bottom and side plates. The stirrup fix became the standard reinforcement until a more permanent fix for the problem was developed. Another reported problem was bulging in the side plates, which was probably caused by stresses put into the side plates when hammering the dovetails closed. The 1917 also had a simple sliding safety that blocked the trigger when moved to the far right position. These were removed as part of post-war refurbishment.
M1917A1
In the 1930s, the Ordnance Department developed a new bottom plate, which had side flanges that came up on both sides of the receiver and were attached by rivets. This fixed the problem of the original bottom plates, and became standard for all M1917- and M1919-series machine guns. While the US Arsenal at Rock Island was the leader in converting the existing stocks of M1917-series guns over to 1917A1 configuration, other arsenals took part. In addition, the rear sights were updated for the new ammunition and were changed to yards from meters, and also did away with the World War I multiple-aperture disk on the rear sight. The top covers also had a stronger feed pawl pivot arm installed, so the gun could handle the stress of pulling an ammunition belt from the ground. Rock Island Arsenal also developed an all-steel water jacket that went into production around 1943; this was stronger than the earlier brass-capped jackets. These steel components were interchangeable with the earlier brass ones to allow for repair of worn or damaged water jacket components.
Other changes were implemented, some during the war, but not all M1917s received these updates. Beginning in 1938, the pivot in the top cover was replaced with a new one that would become standard on all M1919-series guns. While the World War I–pattern top cover hinge pin appears to have been retained on most converted M1917s, the later-production M1917A1s had a positive locking top cover hinge pin that allowed the top cover to remain open, lessening the chance of it dropping closed on one's hands while working on the gun—this became the standard on all M1919-series guns.
M1918
Air-cooled aircraft version of the M1917. Developed during the First World War, the M1918 arrived too late, but became the dominant weapon of its type in US service until the development of the M1919. It features a heavier barrel, but lighter barrel jacket as compared to the M1917. A sub-variant, the M1918M1, was developed as a flexible version of the fixed M1918.[1]: 28–29
International variants & designations
The M1917 pattern has been used in countries the world over in a variety of forms. In certain cases a new designation was applied by the user nation.
FN30
From 1930, Belgian Fabrique Nationale produced air-cooled and water-cooled versions of the M1917, chambered in various calibers for domestic and export use.[1]: 65–66
Ksp m/14-29 and ksp m/36
Kulspruta m/14-29 was the Swedish designation for the licensed M1917A1, produced by Carl Gustafs Gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna, for infantry support. The main differences was that it was chambered in the standard caliber
The 6.5mm bullet was found to be too light for long-range fire support and anti-aircraft use, so in 1932 the heavier 8×63mm patron m/32 cartridge was developed. As this resulted in a heavier recoil, a spring-loaded cradle replaced the backplate with a heavily spring-loaded buffer that acted as an extension of the standard Browning recoil buffer. This also replaced the regular spade-grips with the ones integrated in the cradle. The cradle, now part of the weapon, would then be hooked onto a tripod m/36. This tripod featured, beside a 5×25 power optical sight, advanced elevation and traverse controls. The unprecedented recoil control and steadiness of the tripod made Dolf Goldsmith remark that this arrangement “was undoubtedly the most accurate long-range rifle-caliber machine gun ever made”.[12][13] For anti-aircraft purposes, a double cradle was made to hold a matching pair of m/36s. The right gun, lacking sights altogether, was fed from the right, while the left gun, with iron sights complemented with an AA sight ring, was fed from left. The cocking handles were located between the guns, while safeties and triggers were individual for left and right. The special AA tripod had elongated legs and chains to either secure the tripod or hang weights on it for extra stability.[12] These double cradles were also used as standard defense, mounted on a ring on the cab roof, on terrain vehicles and armored troop carriers like Terrängbil m/42 KP. The latter was used with good effect in the Congo Crisis in the early-1960s. Until 1966, the m/14-29 and m/36 machine guns could use both the 6.5mm and the 8 mm ammunition. Converting between the two was a matter of changing barrels, cartridge stops, and bolts.[12]
In 1966, most were converted to 7.62×51mm NATO.[13] Some old models were retained in training use to use up the stores of obsolete ammunition.[13] After the stocks were expended in the 1970s, all guns were re-barreled to 7.62mm NATO.[12][14] The weapons were finally taken out of service in the 1995.[12]
Ckm wz.30
The
M/29
Norwegian designation for the Colt MG 38 (mentioned in the following section) in
Commercial variants
Colt commercially produced the M1917 under several names:
- Colt Model of 1919 (not to be confused with the air-cooled M1919 Browning machine gun)[1]: 65
- Colt Model of 1924.[1]: 65
- Colt Model of 1928. The Model 1928 featured a thumb safety, Type A flash hider, and a mount for a panoramic sight unit.[1]: 65
- Colt MG38 series, derivatives of the Colt M1928 for general commercial sale, designed in 1931.[1]: 65
- The 38 and 38B were water-cooled with a barrel jacket threaded inside the trunnion, unlike the M1917 and Colt Model 1928.
- The 38BT was a short heavy barreled air-cooled weapon resembling the Browning M1919A2, designed for use in tanks.
- The MG40 was an aircraft machine gun, with double handgrips.[1]: 65
- The 38 series also features spade grips, not found on the rest of the M1917 and the majority of the M1919 families.
Derivatives
A simplified, air-cooled version of the weapon, the Model 1919, was adopted after World War I and saw action in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Congo crisis.
Users
- Argentina: Colt Model 1928 and FN Model 30 in 7.65×53mm Mauser[1]: 65–66
- Belgium: locally produced[1]: 66
- Bolivia: bought 256 MG38s between 1920 and 1938 and 207 MG40s in 1933-1934, all in 7.65×53mm Mauser.[19]
- Second Sino-Japanese war[20]
- Cuba[21]
- Ethiopia[22]
- Greece: FN30 variant in 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer[1]: 66
- Guatemala: Model 1924 in 7×57mm Mauser[1]: 65
- South Korea: The Armed Forces received 316 M1917A1s before the Korean War, and 751 were in service with the Army by the end of the war.[25]
- Mexico: Model 1919 in 7×57mm Mauser[1]: 65
- Norway: m/29[1]: 65
- Paraguay: bought 144 MG38s between 1928 and 1934[19]
- Philippines[1]: 76
- Poland[1]: 65
- Sweden (designated as Kulspruta (Ksp) m/36)[1]: 65
- Thailand: FN Model 30 in 8x52mmR,[1]: 66 designated as the Type 66
- United Kingdom: Acquired through Lend-Lease[1]: 13
- United States: was the standard medium machine gun until it was replaced a few years after WWII.[1]: 75 It was used in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard until the late 1960s and early 1970s.[1]: 5
See also
- List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation(SNL A-5)
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- Vickers machine gun – British equivalent
- MG 08 – German equivalent
- PM M1910 – Russian equivalent
References
- ^ ISBN 9781780969213.
- ^ "The Browning Model 1917 Water-Cooled Machine Gun". Small Arms Defense Journal.
- ^ US 678937, Browning, John M., "Automatic Gun", published 1901-07-23
- ^ a b c d e f Chinn (1951). "Part III, Full Automatic Machine Gun Development, Chapter 3, Browning Automatic Machine Guns". The Machine Gun. Vol. I. Bureau of Ordnance, Department of the Navy. pp. 172–181.
- ^ a b c Dunlap, Roy, Ordnance Went Up Front, Samworth Press (1948), p. 309
- ^ Curtis, Thomas J., History of the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion, Fourth Brigade, U.S. Marines, Second Division, and its Participation in the Great War, Neuwied on the Rhine, Germany, 1919, p. 59.
- LCCN 62-12654, p. 23
- ISBN 978-1636241043.
- ^ Dunlap, Roy F., Ordnance Went Up Front, Samworth Press (1948), p. 310
- ^ Lowenherz, David H. The 50 Greatest Letters from America's Wars. New York: Crown, 2002 p. 35.
- ^ Ordnance committee minutes number 18105, April 22, 1942
- ^ a b c d e f Segel, Robert G (2012-09-11). "Swedish Medium Machine Guns: Kulspruta M/36 LV DBL". Small Arms Defense Journal. 4 (3). Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ a b c Swedish Kulspruta m/36, forgottenweapons.com
- ^ O. Janson The Swedish machineguns before 1950
- ^ Morgan, Martin (6 June 2014). "The Forgotten Guns of D-Day". American Rifleman.
The Wehrmacht also made good use of a captured water-cooled heavy machine gun in Normandy: the Ckm wz.30. Manufactured in Poland by Ciezki Karabin Maszynowy and chambered for the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge, the wz.30 was capable of laying down sustained fire in a way that air-cooled machine guns simply could not .... The bitter irony is that Franz Gockel killed an unknown number of Americans on D-Day using an obscure Polish machine gun that was based on John M. Browning's M1917 design.
- ISBN 978-1-84908-712-4.
- ^ a b Mårtensson, Robert. "Norwegian weapons – Infantry weapons". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ISBN 978-82-991167-2-5.
- ^ a b Huon, Jean (September 2013). "The Chaco War". Small Arms Review. Vol. 17, no. 3. Archived from the original on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
- ^ Shih, Bin (2018). China's Small Arms of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
- ISBN 9781472826282.
- armamentresearch.com.
- ^ Rossi, Michel (November 1992). "Le bataillon de Corée (1950/1953)". La Gazette des Armes (in French). No. 227. pp. 10–15.
- ISBN 9781472831828.
- ISBN 979-11-5598-079-8. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
External links
- Gothia Association for Weapon History on the Ksp m/36
- Segel, Robert G. "The Model 1917 Browning Water-Cooled Machine Gun". Small Arms Defense Journal.
- YouTube animation showing mechanism of Browning Model 1917 machine gun