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Riguel3d In reply to strange-familiar [2010-02-05 08:19:44 +0000 UTC]

Not that's the Browning Automatic Rifle BAR M1918 (7.62x63mm). But your point is interesting when you know that Browning sold the design of this weapon to the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale who is at the origin of the FAL ...

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riverine69 In reply to Riguel3d [2010-03-16 21:11:45 +0000 UTC]

Yes, and the Fabrique National Modified the Browning Automatic Rifle Model 1918 and continued to produce for years after production stopped in the US. The name was never pronounced "bar" like "car"), troops referred to it as the B-A-R.

It was originally designed by the master John Browning in 1918 to go into World War 1 combat for what was called "walking fire", and it was to replace the simply horrible French Chauchat which was made so poorly that replacement parts weren't interchangable! John's son Val actually demostrated the rifle on the fields of France, but it barely got into combat very late in the war.

The government contracts were cut back after the war, and the US Navy bought a batch for shipboard and landing party Marine Corps use in the "Banana Wars' of the 1920's and '30's. It was also a favorite of American gangsters who raided National Guard armories and produced a chopped barrel and stock version for their illegal pursuits!

A heavy automatic weapon for the infantry to lug around, it weighed in at over 20 lbs. fully loaded compared to the M1 semi-auto Garand at a bit over 10 lbs. It was the Army's squad level assault rifle of its day (WW2 and Korea) and it still was in used in Vietnam although the US Army had already moved over to the 7.62 mm M14 and the smaller, lighter M-16. In the WW2 island campaigns, the US Marines often assigned 2 or 3 BAR's per squad for extra firepower. BAR gunners carried their ammuntion in a web belt that weighed so much it had to be support with suspenders to hold it up. Often each squad had a gunner and and assistant to carry extra ammo. The bipod was an option, most in assault combat didn't use it due to the extra weight, but it was more accurate when used on the rifle in a fixed fortification along with the shoulder tab that formed the end of the buttstock.

The BAR delivered a withering fire of heavy .30-06 ammunition, which it shared with the M1, although the BAR was limited by the 20-round magazine. Early BAR's were capable of semi-auto fire, later models had a slo.fast auto switch. It was relatively reliable, although it was a bit more fussy about cleanliness to avoid jams.

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strange-familiar In reply to Riguel3d [2010-02-05 09:00:41 +0000 UTC]

Oh, *that* BAR! Sorry, the capitalisation threw me off—thought the picture was related to a bar for alcoholic beverages.

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Riguel3d In reply to strange-familiar [2010-02-05 12:19:38 +0000 UTC]

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strange-familiar In reply to strange-familiar [2010-02-05 09:01:14 +0000 UTC]

Or maybe like stars and bars. {::sweat::}

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Riguel3d In reply to gfxpalette [2007-12-28 16:18:31 +0000 UTC]

Thanks forthe links!

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