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Old Salt
Posts: 403
Location: Sacramento/Twain Harte | Subject: BAR
The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was a family of American automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century. The primary variant of the BAR series was the M1918, chambered for the .30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge and designed by John Browning in 1917 for the U.S. Expeditionary Corps in Europe as a replacement for the French-made Chauchat and M1909 Benet-Mercie machine guns.
The BAR was designed to be carried by advancing infantrymen, slung over the shoulder and fired from the hip, a concept called "walking fire"—thought to be necessary for the individual soldier during trench warfare.[1] However in practice, it was most often used as a light machine gun and fired from a bipod (introduced in later models).[2] The original M1918 version was and remains the lightest machine gun to fire the .30-06 Springfield cartridge, though the limited capacity of its standard 20-round magazine tended to hamper its utility in that role.[2]
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: BAR
I thought that Browning was a Belgium manufacturer. I didn't realize the the BAR was an American patent. Live and learn. Thanks DEX |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 561
| Subject: RE: BAR
As a kid I loved those WWII movies where the US Marines wold be assulting a jap positon with their M-1s and flame throwers, then as they would seem to slow the guy with the BAR would step up and mow the jungle with his seemingly long bursts. The US Marine standing there with his pants cut off at the top of his boots, his shirt sleeves cut short, ammo belt of fresh clips around is waist, helmet bouncing round on his head, with a Lucky Strike or Camel hanging from his lips. All the while he seemed to have a smirk on his lips.
As a kid those guys were my heroes and still are.
T.Spoon, DBF |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1814
Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: BAR
We had some BAR's on the skimmer I rode in 1960. When we had a break in operations, the Gunnary Div. would sometimes lay back to the fantail to qualify on all the small arms aboard.
The M-1, .30 Cal carbines and .45 pistols were fun and we could actually sometimes hit milk cartons and other garbage tossed overboard, but with the Tompson and especially the Browning automatic, I could scarcely hit the ocean!!! Those weopons took a strong hand and a lot of practice to handle correctly. The BAR weighed more than I did at the time!! Fun, though, lots of fun.
Steamboat sends |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: BAR
I love the sound.... nothing like it. Not a Brappp of a really fast MG just that steady wap, wap, wap, wap of round after round of .306 leaving the barrel.... |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1796
Location: Albany, GA. | Subject: RE: BAR
She was also a very accurate machine gun. Have shot about fifteen of them. With practice, they are easy to handle. With a yoke mount, you can drop one in a searchlight bracket on the rail and do some damage with it. Off the bi-pod, it is feirce in the hands of someone used to it. There are, and were folks that can write their initials with a Thompson. It is all a matter of practice. I can do the W and the S, but not a good E. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: BAR
When I was in the seventh and eigth grade I went to a military school in Carlsbad California called ARMY-NAVY ACADEMY. I was an obnoxious pain in the ass and was constantly in hot water. They had this foot worn circle called the Bull Ring where you worked off demerits with "walking tours". Being the resident smart ass, I became the Bull Ring King. At one point I had 36 hours to "walk off". We walked "tours" an hour at a time (max allowed per day was three). We walked with a bayonet and carrying a 9.5 pound M-1 Garand. The rifle got a little heavy after a while and having a single weapon you could request permission to change shoulders to give yourself some relief. Being a jerk with a single digit IQ, I was whistling the Seven Dwarfs "Whistle While You Work" and a TAC officer named George Manuzak ordered me to go draw a second M-1...Now I had two damn near ten pound rifles and couldn't change shoulders. Capt Manuzak said, "How's that smart ass?" I had an hour left, "I'm tough enough to handle it." A BAR weighs 20 pounds, the next thing I knew I had two of the bastards...one on each shoulder. And rather than whine I walked the last hour in total silence hauling those two heavy bastards. At 13, that'll warp your spine. No adult should have that kind of power over kids. I went to five military schools and found a lot of guys who ducked military service, who loved to wear uniforms with ranks they never earned and loved being called Captain and Major and order kids around and feel important. Every now and then you ran into a really great leader, teacher and role model...when you did, they stood out like a diamond in a manure pile. You never want to walk off a one hour tour hauling two 20 pound BAR's. Take my word. DEX |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1890
Location: Patterson, New York | Subject: RE: BAR
I thought on the SSBNs we had one in the small arms locker...I doubt anyone knew how to use it. 
It has been a long time; just what did we have in the small arms locker?
On the boats I sailed on the TMs handled the small arms; MTs not so much. |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: BAR
On Flasher we had 12 M-1's; 6 M-1 carbines; 2 Thompson's; 2 .50 Caliber MG; a .45 for each officer and chief plus a few spares for topsides and below decks and someone said we had a box of grenades, plus many guys had personal weapons in the locker. I had my model94 .30 cal. in there. A lot of guys had pistols in the locker. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2357
| Subject: We carried...
...
2 x 9MM Browning Pistols
6 x 9MM F1 Submachine Guns
2 x 7.62MM L2A1's
and a Shotgun which I never ever saw used.
Later on the boats would go to 6 x 5.56MM F88 Aus Styers.... ( which I never used until I did my short and unsuccessful time in the Australian Army Reserves. )
Blue *_* |
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BAR
