browning - Small Arms Defense Journal

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MODEL
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1917
BROWNING
WATER-COOLED MACHINE GUN
by ROBERT G SEGEL
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Not long after John Browning invented the
world’s first gas operated fully automatic machine gun, the Model 1895 Automatic Gun,
he realized that there must be a better, simpler, more efficient operating system. He set
about to create his version of a short-recoil
operated machine gun that was significantly
different from the then current Maxim design.
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The Model 1901
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of the type and style as used on the
Model 1895 Automatic Gun and used
the Model 1895-style belt box with a
sliding lid.
Browning informed the U.S. Ordnance Department of his new invention, but they were not interested and
it appears that they never even examined it for testing.
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On June 19, 1900, Browning was
granted U.S. Patent No. 678,937,
which was his first patent on a recoil
operated machine gun. This “first” gun
was substantially different from his
later, more familiar, versions. The gun
ejected the empty brass cartridges out
to the right side rather than through the
bottom, had an external feed lever, a
specialized cartridge belt that left most
of the cartridge body exposed, and
its trigger and firing mechanism were
significantly different and featured a
hammer driven firing system. Nevertheless, this first model set the stage
for further development and had many
features that are recognizable in his
later guns. This included a barrel attached to a separate barrel extension,
an accelerator to speed up the movement of the bolt, a rising breech block,
a claw extractor and a recoil spring
guide with a coil recoil spring that could
be turned thus locking the recoil spring
inside the bolt body.
The tripod cradle he created in his
workshop for this gun was reminiscent
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The Model 1910
On October 29, 1918, just two weeks until the end of the war,
and just before the 80th Division was committed to combat,
the men of Company A, 315th Machine Gun Battalion, 80th
Division receive instruction on the Browning Model of 1917
from Lt. Val Browning in France. (U.S. National Archives)
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Over the next several years,
Browning continued to work to refine
his recoil operated machine gun. He
redesigned much of the internal operating system eliminating the hammer
method of firing and replacing it with a
firing pin with a sear notch on the end
and added a trigger bar that engaged
a sear that released the sear notch on
the firing pin. He added a pistol grip
with fiber buffer discs that absorbed
excess energy and helped “bounce”
the bolt back to battery and simplified
the ejection system to eject the spent
cartridges out through the bottom.
There were other minor improvements
as well such as using breech lock de-
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pressors to help disengage the breech
lock from the locking recess in the bottom of the bolt. It was this gun, the
Model 1910, that was the basis of the
Model of 1917. Browning also redesigned the cradle for the gun to sit in
that became the M1917 tripod.
All of the refinements that were
incorporated in the Model 1910 were
done on Browning’s own initiative. His
business was thriving with hunting and
sporting weapons and there was no
governmental interest in his machine
gun, yet he was determined to produce
an efficient weapon that required very
little adjustment, could produce a high
volume of fire and operated by a soldier with minimal training, with simplicity of construction that enabled cost
effective manufacturing. Since there
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peditionary Force that went to France
in 1917 went to war with no machine
guns and had to be initially equipped
with the French M1914 Hotchkiss
heavy machine gun and the disastrous
M1915 Chauchat machine rifle.
In 1917, after much delay, procrastination and indecision, the U.S. finally
put out a call to American inventors to
submit designs for consideration. John
Browning had been waiting for just
such a call and personally traveled to
Washington, D.C. to present his guns.
That is guns, plural, because besides
bringing his improved Model of 1910
water-cooled machine gun, he also
brought along another project he had
been working on: the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR).
In May, 1917 the official endurance trial test was held at the Government Proving Ground at Springfield Armory. The Army requested that 20,000
rounds be fired. The 20,000 rounds
were fired without a malfunction or broken part. And, to the amazement of
all, Browning fired an additional 20,000
Right side of a Browning Model of 1917 water-cooled machine gun on an M1917 tripod.
Note the leather box attached to the rear leg containing spare parts and take-down tools.
was no market for his new machine
gun, he decided to just “sit on it” until
an appropriate time that his new invention was needed. However, Browning
continued to work on his new invention and on October 13, 1916 applied
for another U.S. patent based upon
his perfected recoil-operated machine
gun; the Model of 1910 that ultimately
became the Model of 1917. It is interesting to note that by the end of 1916,
it had become apparent that the United
States would be drawn into the war in
Europe and so patent applications on
war materiel were withheld as once
a patent was granted it became public knowledge and thus available to
everyone – including their enemies.
The patent was eventually granted
three months after the war ended on
February 4, 1919 as U.S. Patent No.
1,293,021: Automatic Machine Gun.
The U.S. government showed
practically no interest in machine guns.
It had adopted the Maxim gun in 1904
and the Benet-Mercie machine rifle in
1909, but both weapons were few in
numbers and tactics were sorely lacking. When war broke out in Europe in
1914, there was again a slight flurry of
machine gun interest in the U.S. and
the Vickers was adopted in 1915. But
even with almost three years to prepare for the eventual U.S. involvement
in World War I in 1917, there was no
effective machine gun development
program in spite of the fact that it was
obvious that the war in Europe was a
machine gun war. It was under such
circumstance that the American Ex-
M1917A1 accessories included water
condensing can, early wood and later
metal ammunition boxes, 1918 belt filling
machine, water condensing hose, combination tools, anti-aircraft sight, ruptured
case extractor, headspace and timing
gages, clinometer, spare barrel cover, etc.
rounds – 40,000 rounds in total – with
just one failure of a component part.
The board overseeing the test consisted of five Army officers and two civilians appointed by the Secretary of War
and they recommended the immediate
adoption of the weapon as the Model
of 1917 noting the outstanding reliability and simplicity of design. They were
particularly impressed that the officers
who demonstrated the gun were able
to take the gun apart and put it back
together in minutes – blindfolded. This
had never been done before and became the standard “blindfold test” at
machine gun schools.
Browning knew that there still
needed to be some refinements done
on the heavy machine gun. He returned
to the Colt factory, who had exclusive
manufacturing rights, to personally improve and function test the gun to make
certain it was ready for a pubic demonstration at Congress Heights just
outside Washington D.C. on February
27, 1918. Two Model 1917s were fired
before a crowd of three hundred dignitaries and guests that included the
military, politicians, foreign observers
and the press. Both guns performed
excellently and were well received.
The press was particularly enamored
with the highly successful demonstration and many newspaper articles appeared around the country extolling the
virtues of Browning’s new gun.
Model of 1917
It soon became evident that no
one single manufacturer could produce the vast quantities needed. Colt
had an agreement with Browning to
produce guns of his design exclusively
but there was no way they could do it
alone as the Colt manufacturing facilities were already at full capacity with
other production. Colt made the rights
available to the government and in
July, 1917 delivered gages and drawings that other companies would use to
produce the guns.
Colt established a manufacturing facility in Meriden, Connecticut to
produce 10,000 guns. In September
of 1917, Remington Arms Company of
Illion, New York was given a contract
to manufacture 15,000 guns. And on
January 10, 1918, New England Westinghouse was given a contract to pro-
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substantially weakened enemy. Nevertheless, it should be noted that even
in the German Army’s death throes in
those final three months, they fought
valiantly to the end and inflicted serious casualties on the American fighting
forces who were generally equipped
with French machine guns and the
U.S. Model of 1915 Vickers, not the
new Brownings. And, there were problems with the new gun.
Problems
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Model of 1917 being demonstrated at Congress Heights on February 27, 1918 mounted on an M1917 tripod. (U.S. National Archives)
duce 20,000 guns.
Because of Colt already being in
production of other weapons, most notably the Vickers Model of 1915, and
the time required to start up the new
facility in Meriden, Colt was the last of
the three manufacturers to get up to
speed in late June, 1918 with the production the Model of 1917 Browning,
producing only 600 guns by the time
of the Armistice in November, 1918.
Remington also experienced delays
due to completing a Russian contract
and didn’t begin production until May,
1918. By the end of the war Remington had produced 12,000 guns. It
was, however, Westinghouse, that
stepped in with an outstanding production schedule. Within 29 days of
receiving the contract on January 10,
1918, Westinghouse had produced a
hand-made prototype production gun
and, 63 days later, the first production gun came off the manufacturing
line. Just nine months later when the
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Because the gun was accepted
so quickly, a full trial of tests of all aspects of the gun were either omitted
or rushed so as to get the gun into
production. Further testing was conducted while the gun was in production
but production guns were entering the
field with flaws. It was probably fortunate that the gun actually saw limited
combat use. If it had been used longer
under the harsh and demanding conditions that permeated WWI, the failure
rate would have mounted very quickly.
Though there were few problems encountered regarding the functioning of
the guns in the field, there were a high
number of parts failures due to improper material preparation, poor workmanship and inspection.
Armistice was signed on November
11, 1918, Westinghouse had manufactured 30,150 guns and was producing
guns at the rate of 500 per day. As was
so often the case in the past, and still
is currently, the U.S. was ill prepared
for war and the mighty industrial might
of the U.S stepped up to meet the demand.
Into The Crucible – Finally
A machine gun training facility was
established at Camp Hancock in Augusta, Georgia though the majority of
the graduates never engaged in combat in France. The first Browning guns
arrived in France on June 29, 1918
and shortly thereafter, training commenced there even though there was
a shortage of guns, spare parts and instructors. The shortage of instructors
was so acute that Val Browning, John
Browning’s son, went to France to be
an instructor on the new gun. As more
guns arrived and the training continued, particularly with the 79th and 80th
Divisions, the guns were ready to be
fielded for combat in September of
1918. The first instance of combat usage was in the Meuse-Argonne Forest
on September 26, by a small detachment of the 79th Division, where in the
wet and muddy conditions, the new
Browning performed exceptionally well
with one company firing 10,000 rounds
per gun.
In all, a total of 1,168 Browning
guns actually made it to the front lines
of World War I seeing action for only
two months before the war ended.
While that number may initially seem
impressive, it was not, as only a very
small portion of the Allied Expeditionary Force was so equipped. It was too
little, too late. But that didn’t matter
because the fresh influx of American
troops fighting against an army that,
after fours years of decimating casualties, was the final hammer blow to a
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On May 10, 1918, just four months after getting the contract, Westinghouse made their
first delivery of 85 Browning Model of 1917 guns. By June of 1918, they had manufactured 2,500 guns. Colt was just beginning production in June. (Col George M. Chinn)
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The list of parts failure was extensive, and included accelerators, ejector pins, worn out barrels (that had a
life of only about 8,000 rounds), extrac-
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tors, barrel extensions, extractor cam
plungers, firing pins, belt holding pawl
springs, sears, etc. The list continued naming another twenty key com-
At some disputed barricade in the Meuse-Argonne front, US soldiers lay down fire
with their Browning Model of 1917 machine gun.
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and reliable machine gun operating
system is a testament to his inventive
genius. The exact same operating
principle was applied to the larger .50
Browning M2 machine gun that is still
in use to this day.
Accessories
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Wearing their gas masks, US soldiers in the Meuse-Argonne fire their Browning
Model of 1917 machine gun under protection of a smoke screen.
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ponents. Many of the parts problems
were due to improper heat treating and
poor workmanship. The two most serious defects were leaking water jackets
both at the end cap and at the trunnion
block due to improper manufacturing
techniques at Westinghouse and, the
biggest problem, was cracked bottom
and side plates due to a flaw in the design of the support of the breech lock
cam, which produced a lot of stress
on the bottom and side plates. Even
as guns were being manufactured,
shipped and fielded, testing continued
back at Westinghouse, Remington and
Colts to try and work out problems.
This included a number of interchangeability tests to assure parts from one
manufacturer would fit in the gun of another manufacturer.
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Post War WWI Development
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tablished and different design changes
were conceived and tried. In 1922, the
rear sight was changed from meters to
yards. (Meters were used as all the
firing tables and maps used in World
War I were in meters.) In 1925, there
were modifications to the buffer to accommodate the 15% increase in recoil
energy due to the adoption of the more
powerful 172-grain boattail M1 .3006 cartridge, but the sight graduation
wasn’t changed until 1932.
The biggest modification was the
retrofitting of Model of 1917s with a
reinforcement stirrup under the breech
lock cam to strengthen the sides and
bottom plate. Different methods were
used as were different sizes of brackets. Initially, a simple “U” bracket was
either riveted or welded just under the
breech lock cam. It wasn’t until 1936
that a program was initiated by Rock
Island Arsenal to convert all existing Model of 1917 Brownings with all
the upgrades. Some of the changes
included a large, new-manufactured
reinforced bottom plate that extended
up the sides of the receiver and riveted
in place, a new belt feed lever and the
new rear sight in yards for the M1 ball
cartridge. A new tripod cradle was also
introduced that simplified construction
and incorporated a traverse and elevation mechanism as one unit at the rear
of the cradle. This improved version
of the Model of 1917 was designated
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It was fortunate that the war ended
when it did in terms of working out the
problems on the Model of 1917 Browning water-cooled machine gun. Production continued after the war with
most of the 72,500 guns ultimately
produced being assembled in the
post war era. It was during this time,
from about 1919 to the mid 1930s that
work continued to perfect the Browning. Comprehensive testing continued,
metallurgy improved, standardization
of manufacturing processes was es-
Accessories for the M1917 consisted of a water condensing can,
water condensing hose, flash hider,
combination tool, M1917 clinometer,
M1918 belt filling machine, headspace
and timing gage and a ruptured case
extractor. Ammo boxes were made of
wood in two styles, both slotted to fit on
the M1917 cradle. The two styles of
wood boxes differ in that the early ones
had a straight front while the later ones
had a slanted bottom to the front. This
was so they would also fit on the short
lived M1918 tripod cradle.
Accessories for the M1917A1 consisted of those accessories mentioned
above, albeit with some updating and
modifications, as well as several styles
of metal ammunition cans, carrying
handle, anti-aircraft front sight, antiaircraft tripod extension, and canvas
covers of various types.
as the M1917A1. (The “Model of” designation for U.S. arms was dropped in
1939 and replaced with the letter “M”.)
WWII
During World War II, more changes occurred to the M1917A1 that included an improved bolt, the bronze
end cap and trunnion block replaced
by steel, the steam tube assembly was
strengthened and the rear leaf sight
graduated for the now standard M2 ball
cartridge.
While almost all Model of 1917s
were ultimately converted to the A1
specifications, production resumed
from 1936 to 1945 with 55,869
M1917A1s being produced by Rock Island Arsenal.
The M1917A1 was the final
achievement of the heavy watercooled machine gun. The water-cooled
Browning was already considered obsolete by the end of World War II because of its use of water and weight
and was ultimately supplemented with
the light weight air-cooled Browning
M1919A4, which functioned exactly
the same as the M1917A1, and used
the same internal parts, except without the water jacket and used a light
weight M2 tripod. Nevertheless, the
M1917A1 was used extensively in both
theaters of operation during World War
II and continued service throughout
Korea and the beginning stages of the
Vietnam War.
John Browning’s vision of a simple
M1917 Tripod
Historians familiar with the Browning family of .30 caliber machine
guns are acquainted with the versatile M1917A1 tripod as used with the
M1917A1 Browning water-cooled ma-
FIELD-STRIPPING
the
MODEL 1917
by
ASSEMBLIES
1. Make sure the gun is unloaded by checking to make sure there is no belt in
the feedway. Open the top cover and cycle the bolt to the rear three times
and visually check the chamber and T-slot on the bolt face that no cartridges
are present. Return bolt to forward position and close top cover.
2. Drain water from the water jacket by unscrewing the water jacket drain plug.
3. Pull the bolt handle back and hold in that position.
4. Push in on the driving spring rod protruding from the rear of the back plate
and turn to the right so that the lugs on it will catch in undercut recesses in
the bolt. Use a screwdriver or the base (rim) of a cartridge to turn the driving
spring rod.
5. Push the bolt handle forward so as to remove the driving spring rod from the
hole in the back plate.
6. Pull back on the top cover latch and open the top cover. Then, push the top
cover latch forward and lift out the back plate.
7. Pull the bolt handle all the way back and draw the bolt handle out to the right.
8. The rear of the bolt will be visible. Grasp it by the top and bottom with the
thumb and forefinger and pull it out of the rear end of the receiver. In order
to get a better grip on the bolt, it can be pushed backwards from inside the
receiver. Make certain that the driving spring rod is not pointed at the hand
or any other part of the body or another person. It must be pointed in a safe
direction. The driving spring rod is under tremendous spring tension, and if it
should become loose (which can happen) it will be a very dangerous missile.
9. Push in on the trigger pin through the hole located on the right side of the
receiver with the point of a bullet. Take hold of the trigger and draw the entire
lock frame, barrel extension and barrel unit all the way out to the rear.
10. Holding the barrel tightly, take hold of the lock frame and hold securely while
pushing forward on the accelerator with the thumb. This unlocks the lock
frame and barrel extension, which allows them to be separated.
11. Unscrew the barrel from the barrel extension.
12. Each complete assembly is now separated from any other assembly.
13. To reassemble the weapon, reverse the order.
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Members of the US 315th Machine Gun Battalion, 80th Division, advance through the wood with their Browning Model of 1917
machine gun between La Chalade and Le Claon, Meuse, France October 29, 1918.
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pods were produced in 1917-1918 by
two manufacturers: the Nelson Blower
& Furnace Company of Boston, and
the Crown Cork & Seal Company of
Baltimore. The M1917 tripod was an
improvement of a tripod originally designed and patented by John Browning
for his early water-cooled guns that he
built in 1901 and in 1910. The basic
improvements were lightening the total
weight by cutting spaces in the left and
right tripod cradle side plates and refin-
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BOTTOM LEFT: Right side view of the M1917 cradle where it attaches to the tripod head. Seen is the large clamping
handle to provide gross adjustments of elevation arc and gross elevation marks on the cradle. The gun attaches directly
to the cradle on the M1917. Also note the location on the tripod head just forward and above the rear leg attachment
clamp of the M1917 traversing worm dial for fine adjustment of the worm gear for traversing. One of the two traverse
stops can also be seen by the marked brass traversing dial ring located horizontally on the tripod head. BOTTOM RIGHT:
On the left side of the M1917 tripod head can be seen the worm gear traversing unlocking and gross adjustment knob just
below the brass traversing dial ring. This disengages the worm gear completely to allow for large traversing movement.
Also seen is the left side traversing stop on the brass traversing dial ring and the bracket to hold the ammunition box.
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Three soldiers of Company A, 339th Machine Gun Battalion, 88th Division, take a
position on the Rhone-Rhine Canal near Eglingen with their Browning Model of 1917
machine gun on October 29, 1918.
chine gun. Rock steady with integral
traverse and elevation mechanism, it
saw service from its adoption in 1935
through the Korean War. It’s only real
drawback to the soldier in the field was
its weight. But just as the M1917A1
Browning machine gun was an improvement of the M1917 Browning
machine gun, so too was the M1917A1
tripod an improvement of the M1917
tripod.
Approximately 20,000 M1917 tri-
ing the elevation mechanism.
Unlike the later M1917A1 tripod that had a traverse and elevation
mechanism incorporated as a single
unit at the rear of the cradle, the M1917
only had an elevation adjustment at
the rear operated by a large elevation
hand wheel marked with graduations to
correctly set the elevation of the gun.
Traversing was by a different method
whereas fine traversing was accomplished by a “slow motion” worm gear
located within the cradle socket above
and ahead of the rear leg clamp. Additionally, the M1917 Browning gun
attaches directly to the M1917 tripod
cradle, whereas a separate pintle is
attached to the gun (either M1917 or
M1917A1) that fits into a socket in the
head of the M1917A1 tripod.
Because of the height of both tripods and due to the weight of pulling a
loaded belt from ground level through
the feedway, which seriously affected the operation of the gun, both the
M1917 and the M1917A1 tripods had a
bracket on the left side cradle plate that
facilitated the attachment of a slotted
wood ammunition box. This presented
the belt close to the mouth of the feedway and provided ease of operation of
the working parts of the gun as the feed
pawl lever is directly attached to the recoiling bolt.
Ordnance Captain S.C. Stanley
best described the M1917 tripod by
writing, “The Browning Machine Gun
Tripod, Model of 1917, consists of four
The elevation mechanism at the rear of the M1917 cradle (left) is the only function conducted at this location. Note the large elevation hand wheel has graduation markings for fine adjustment and a lock screw. The M1917A1 (right) has both elevation and traverse
mechanisms located at the rear. Mil marks for fine adjustments are located on each adjusting wheel and on the traversing bar.
major parts; the legs, the socket, the
pintle and the cradle. The legs are
steel tubing having feet attached to
one end and the serrated connections
to the other. The socket is of manganese bronze and is the part to which
the legs are assembled, in which the
pintle revolves and in which the slow
motion mechanism and stops are attached. The traversing clamp is also
attached to the socket. The pintle is
the center member of the tripod and
carries the cradle clamp and traversing stop pin. The cradle is attached
to the top of the pintle and is used to
allow a quick elevation or depression
of the gun. It carries at its rear end
the elevating mechanism which allows
a micrometer adjustment of the gun
in elevation. It has a 360 degree free
traverse graduated on an adjustable
dial at 20 mil intervals for 6,400 mils;
a clamping feature on the pintle similar to that used on the British (Vickers)
Mark IV Tripod; a slow traversing worm
mechanism graduated in 2 mil intervals and traversing stops adjustable to
a single mil both having a quick throw
off to allow for free traverse; an elevating mechanism of 125 mils capacity
and graduated to 1 mil on an adjustable dial; a cradle construction on the
pintle which allows a quick elevation
or depression of 30 degrees each way
with graduation marks at 12-1/2 mil intervals. The weight is approximately
the same as the British (Vickers) Mark
IV Tripod, that is, 50 pounds.”
Captain Stanley continues in a
conclusion that, “This tripod was not
originally designed for the slow motion mechanism, or for stops. Accordingly the slow motion and stops
are not especially efficient, although
they are very quick and positive in action. The tripods have been issued to
troops and such reports as have been
received show them to be highly satisfactory. No adverse criticism has been
received except in regard to the stops
and slow motion mechanism.”
M1917 Browning machine guns
were upgraded and modified to A1
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specifications in a rebuild program in
the 1920s and ‘30s and an original
M1917 Browning machine gun that
has not been modified and upgraded is exceptionally rare. So too, the
M1917 tripods were also modified and
upgraded to the A1 tripod specifications. This often consisted of removing the traversing worm gear adjustment wheel mechanism attached to
the worm gear and replaced with a
tear-shaped cover over the resulting
hole. An original, as manufactured,
M1917 tripod is an extremely rare collectable accessory.
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B R O W N I N G
M O D E L
Caliber:
.30-06
Weight of gun with water:
36.75 pounds
Length of gun:
38.5 inches
Method of operation:
Short recoil
Weight of gun without water:
Water jacket capacity:
Length of barrel:
Operation:
Cyclic rate of fire:
Feed:
1 9 1 7
30 pounds
7 pints
24 inches
Full automatic only
500 rounds per minute
250-round fabric belt
Weight of loaded belt:
15.25 pounds
Rear sights:
Peep, adjustable leaf
Front sights:
Weight of tripod:
Protected blade
graduated to 2,800 meters
53 pounds
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