Return of the BAR
by Peter J. Kokalis. Jan 1997

Faithful semi-automatic reproduction of the Browning Automatic Rifle that served as the squad's base of fire during World War II, the Korean War and the early years of the Vietnam War. Robust and reliable. Extremely accurate. M1918 BAR saw little action in World War I, but was a favorite of both desperadoes such as John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde and J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBl. The 1918A3 SLR is a faithful semi-automatic reproduction of the M1918A2 BAR

It was the stuff of legends. Designed by the most famous firearms inventor that ever lived John Moses Browning, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) fought
its way through World War II, the Korean War and even saw action during the early years of the Vietnam War. Serving as the squad's base of fire in the U.S. Army and as the centerpieces of the USMC's fire team concept. Marine Corps veterans of the Pacific campaign and Korea have literally canonized this weapon. On 6, April 1917 when war was declared between the United States and the Imperial German Government, the U.S. Armed Forces had a total of 1,100 assorted Benet- Mercie, Maxim and
Colt "Potato Digger"

Model 1895 machine guns. Germany, on the other hand, had entered the war three years previously with 12,500 Maxims and another 50,000 under construction. The first machine gun issued in quantity to the American Expeditionary Force was the incredibly dreadful French Chauchat. One of the very first true automatic rifles, it was intended to provide "marching fire" to suppress enemy fire from the trenches while the infantry moved forward on the assault across open ground.

John Browning first demonstrated his automatic rifle, which was based upon the above tactical concept, on 27 February 1917. The BAR was originally designed to be carried by an advancing infantryman with the sling over his shoulder and the butt against the hip. In fact, early BAR web gear featured a steel box on the right side on the belt into which the soldier would place the butt as he walked forward, firing the weapon with each step of the right foot. The hit probability must have been unacceptably low by today's standards, but the idea was to keep the enemy hunkered down in their trenches as the assaulting units advanced.

Initially, Colt held the exclusive rights to manufacture Browning's designs in the United States, but as the need for machine guns became urgent after the United States entered the war in April 1917, contracts were also awarded to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and the Marlin-Rockwell Corporation. The inventor's son, 2nd Lieutenant Val A. Browning, was the first to use the BAR in combat, firing on German positions on 13 September 1918. However, World War I ended before the BAR was available in quantity and its actual combat use was quite limited in that conflict. By the end of the war, 85,000 BARs were delivered before all the contracts were cancelled. During the so-called gangster era of the 1930s, the M1918 BAR gained prominence almost approaching that of the Thompson submachine gun with both desperadoes - such as John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde - and J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBI.

 The original Model 1918 (so called to avoid confusion with the M1917 Browning water-cooled machine gun (although the BAR also was adopted the previous year) fired from the open bolt position, either full-auto or semi-auto.
The cyclic rate was about 480 rpm. The bottom fed, 20-round magazine could be emptied in 2.5 seconds. Gas operated with an adjustable regulator and a conventional piston below the barrel, it was chambered for the standard
.30-06 U.S. service round of that period.
Although reliable and widely acclaimed, the M1918 was difficult to control in full-auto fire, as it had no bipod and at 16 pounds, empty, was too heavy to fire effectively from a shoulder mount. A cavalry version was adopted as the model 1922, but only a few hundred were made. In 1937,
a small number were converted to the M1918A1 configuration, which included a buttplate with a hinged shoulder strap and a bipod attached to the gas cylinder. This increased the weight to 18.5 pounds. With the bipod at this location, the gun could easily be pivoted to engage fast moving targets on the flanks. Colt manufactured a number of commercial versions, including the famous Colt Monitor with a short barrel, Cutts muzzle compensator and pistol grip which was marketed in the 1930s as a law enforcement and bank guard weapon. Fahrique Nationale, licensed to manufacture John Browning's designs in Europe, sold several versions of the BAR in various calibers throughout the world including a caliber 7.92x57mm variant to Poland known as the Model Wz28. After World War II, FN introduced the Model D version with a quick change barrel and simplified disassembly. In 1937, Sweden developed a model of the BAR with a quick change barrel and pistol grip.

The final U.S. military version of the BAR was adopted and issued in 1940 as the M1918A2. Provision to attach a monopod was added to the buttstock, but the monopods, of dubious value anyway, were never issued. The checkered wooden forearm was reduced in height to enhance cooling of the barrel and then eventually replaced by a shorter, uncheckered forend.

The M1917 Enfield pattern rear sight was replaced by a unit similar to that of the M1919A4 .30 caliber BMG (Browning machine Gun).
Guide ribs were added to the front of the machined trigger housing to assist insertion of magazines. The M1918A1 buttplate with hinged shoulder strap was retained. In 1942 a plastic buttstock replaced the walnut buttstock.
Toward the end of World War II, a carrying handle was added to the barrel, but it did not see widespread use until the Korean War (at which time an odd looking pronged flash hider was also adopted). All of this brought the weight up to 19.4 pounds, empty. There was no longer any provision for semi-automatic fire (it was felt that the adoption of the Ml Garand made this unnecessary), only two rates of full-auto:
300-450 rpm and 500-650 rpm, respectively.
The Marines preferred the original semi-automatic feature and frequently retained that capability. Initially, M1918A2 BARs were converted from existing M1918s and M1918Als. Most of the M1918 configuration BARs in collectors' hands today were sent to England under the Lend-Lease program and then imported back to the United States by Interarms
prior to 1968.

By the end of World War II, a total of 208,380 M1918A2 BARs were manufactured by IBM and (mostly) New England Small Arms. During the Korean War approximately 61,000 M1918A2 BARs were manufactured by Royal McBee Typewriter Company. Prior to 19 May 1986 a small number of M1918A2 type BARs were assembled from surplus parts and newly made receivers by Tony Maples of RAMO. An additional 250 BAR receivers were manufactured by Group Industries. The total number of BARs manufactured in the United States throughout its production life span was somewhat less than 355,000.

Battle-Proven BAR

Even in its final M1918A2 configuration, the highly regarded BAR was less than perfect.
The location of its bottom fed magazine limited capacity and 20 rounds is just not enough for a squad automatic. None of the models fielded by the U.S. Armed Forces had quick change barrels. Melvin M. Johnson, Jr., designer of the Johnson M1941 semi-automatic rifle and Models 1941 and 1944 Light Machine Guns, stated that a BAR barrel could withstand 75 to 100 rounds per minute for up to 300-400 rounds without serious damage to the barrel.
In one test the barrel was ruined after 1,000 rounds of firing at this rate.

Semi-automatic accuracy was degraded by the open bolt firing mechanism which caused
the reciprocating group to slam against the rear of the barrel to jar the weapon at the moment of primer ignition. In juxtaposition, full-auto fire off the bipod was almost too accurate. At the standard 1,000 inch machine gun target, the M1918A2 BAR could place one full 20-round burst into a 2x3 inch rectangle.

 This is a direct consequence of the bipod's location at the muzzle.
Group dispersion of this size is superior to that of the M1917A1 water-cooled Browning machine gun mounted on its tripod. As a result, at combat ranges of 200 to 600 yards the M1918A2 BAR almost comes close to lacking a useful distribution of fire. In addition, with the bipod attached to the muzzle, it becomes more difficult for the operator to engage flanking targets. At almost 20 pounds the M1918A2 BAR is too heavy for anything other than snap shooting from a standing shoulder mount.

Regardless of its idiosyncrasies, the BAR is a genuine, battle proven piece of American military history. It ranks in desirability with collectors and shooters right up there with the Thompson submachine gun, .30 Ml Garand, Colt M1911 Government Model .45 pistol and the Colt Single Action Army Revolver. Unfortunately, in private hands, BARs are quite rare. There are probably no more than 10 M1918A2 BARs, manufactured by either IBM, New England Small Arms or Royal McBee Typewriter Company, registered to individuals in the United States. When offered for sale they will bring up to $7,500. About 1,500 M1918 BARs, manufactured by either Colt, Winchester or Marlin-Rockwell, were imported by Interarms from Great Britain. In excellent condition they will sell for $5,000. All of these are Title II firearms and require a $200 tax stamp when acquired by individuals living in a state that permits their possession, as well as the fingerprint cards, photos and three to six month delays involved in BATF approval of ATF Form 4 transfer applications. A substantial number of collectors and shooters don't want the hassle and can't afford the price tag of a full-auto BAR.

Best Alternative BAR-None

There is now an intriguing alternative: Ohio Ordnance Works, Inc. (Dept. SOF, 310 Park Drive, P.O. Box 687, Chardon, OH; phone: 216.285.3481; fax: 216.286.8571) has recently introduced the 1918A3 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) which is an exact external duplicate of the M1918A2 BAR. Complete with bipod, flash hider, carrying handle, web sling and two
20-round magazine, the price is $2,850 plus shipping.

 This caliber .30-06, closed bolt, hammer fired, semi-automatic only rifle has been approved by the BATF as it has been designed and manufactured to permit only semi-automatic fire. The receiver, not modified from an existing BAR receiver, is made from an 86/20 steel investment casting, fully machined on a state-of-the-art, computer controlled, machining center. Both M14 and Ml Garands were also made from 86/20 ordnance steel. In addition, since this rifle does not have either a sinister folding or telescoping buttstock, pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action, a bayonet lug or grenade launcher, the gun Gestapo has ruled that it is not a banned and extraordinarily dangerous "semi-automatic assault weapon".

The 1918A3 SLR receiver precludes the installation of the following BAR components: slide, firing pin, trigger group, hammer and bolt link. A second retaining pin hole was drilled through the receiver to support the rear end of the redesigned trigger housing. This retaining pin is attached to an additional takedown lever on the left side of the receiver. The slide was modified by machining its lower surface to completely remove the original sear surface. The rail channels in the receiver have been machined to accept only the modified slide. The firing pin has been altered and is designed to work only in conjunction with a secondary striker mounted in a redesigned bolt link. The new firing pin is designed for firing from the closed bolt position when the secondary striker is impinged against by a spring loaded hammer. The trigger mechanism was redesigned by the inclusion of a spring loaded hammer and a .30 Ml Carbine type o sliding sear that also serves as a disconnector. The standard BAR bolt lock, gas cylinder and handguard have been utilized.

Just about everything else remains pretty much the same. When the bolt group travels forward and is about 2 inches from battery, a circular cam surface on the bottom of the bolt lock starts to ride over the bolt support's rear shoulders, camming the rear end of the bolt lock upward. As the link pin rises above the line between the hammer and bolt pins, the bolt lock is aligned with its locking recesses in the receiver and pivots around the bolt lock pin. The hammer pin revolves on its link and forces the bolt lock upward. A rounded surface on the lock slips over the locking shoulder in the "hump" of the receiver and provides additional momentum to force the bolt all the way up into battery. On the recoil stroke, the piston and slide, driven rearward by expanding propellant gases forced into the gas cylinder through the barrel's gas port, draw the bolt group down out of its locking recess and then rearward. This method of operation, turned upside down (locking onto shoulders below the action), was used 40 years later on the famous FN MAG 58 GPMG.

The overall length, with flash hider, is 47.8 inches. The 24 inch barrel, which by itself weighs 3.65 pounds, has four grooves with a right hand twist of one turn in 10 inches. The non-reciprocating cocking handle is on the left side of the receiver with the ejection port on the right. The selector lever, located on the left side of the trigger housing, has two positions: S to the rear indicating safe, and F in the forward position for fire. The top of the receiver is marked "SELF LOADING RIFLE MOD. 1918A3, U.S. CAL. 30 COLLECTORS CORNER, CHARDON, OHIO, PAT. PEND”. Followed by the serial number. It carries the same phosphate ("Parkerized") finish as the M1918A2.

The gas cylinder assembly is composed of a body, body lock key and regulator assembly. There are three circles of different sizes on the face of the regulator assembly, which correspond to similar size gas ports in the body of the regulator. These gas ports control the amount of gas required to operate the weapon as fouling increases or other parameters such as ammunition, lubrication or atmospheric conditions alter the operating cycle. The BAR is normally operated with the regulator set to the smallest port and then varied only if the weapon exhibits signs of insufficient gas. To adjust the gas setting to the smallest port, turn the knurled regulator knob to the extreme clockwise position. All three regulator positions have audible click stops provided by a spring loaded plunger indenting on one of three notches on the body lock key. This also prevents the regulator from rotating during firing.

A complex buffer and rate reducing group is located in the M1918A2 BAR'S buttstock.
It serves two purposes: Most important in the case of the 1918A3 SLR, the buffer mechanism absorbs a great deal of the recoil of the reciprocating parts as they travel rearward. However, the rate reducing mechanism obviously has no effect on the I9I8A3 SLR's performance, as it was intended only to permit the M1918A2 BAR to be fired at the slow cyclic rate of 350 to 550 rpm.

A Full Supply Room

BAR magazines hold 20 rounds, and are of the staggered column, detachable box type.
BAR magazines represent 80 year old technology. They should never be kept loaded for any length of time. Load them only prior to use or their accordion shaped, flat follower springs will lose their compression strength.

Other USGI BAR parts and accessories available from Ohio Ordnance Works Inc. include an original World War 11 era cradle for dash board and pedestal mounts at $350; winter trigger assembly for $35; complete gas regulator assembly for $35; blank firing adapter for $15; gas cylinder reaming tool for $7.50; and small parts pouch for only $8.50.

The M1918A2 BAR bipod uses wing nuts to both retain the bipod in its open and closed (against the barrel) positions and to adjust the command height (the distance from the ground to the bore's center line), which can be altered from 9 to 14.5 inches. The gun will rotate 360 degrees in the bipod body, which surrounds the muzzle end of the barrel.

The rear sight is a modified M1917A1 BMG leaf type. The windage scale, located at the
rear of the leaf, is attached to the base. The rear sight can be moved to the right or left
by rotating the knurled windage knob located on the right side of the base. One click of windage moves the mean point of impact (mpi) 4 inches to the right or left at 100 yards (turn the knob backwards to move the aperture to the left). There are two rear sights.
An open U-notch is used when the leaf is down and corresponds to a battle sight setting
of 300 yards. The peep aperture is used when the leaf is in the upright position. It can be adjusted for elevation from 100 to 1,500 yards by means of the knurled knob on top of the leaf (turn the knob to the right to move the aperture up). One click of elevation adjustment will also move the mpi 4 inches at 100 yards. The front sight blade, a reverse ramp type,
is dovetailed to its base on the barrel and can be drifted right or left to establish initial windage zero. It is protected by a robust hood. This is a classic example of the type of sophistication almost always found on the sights of U.S. military small arms. In juxtaposition, contemporaneous European small arms often featured sights that were crude in comparison and frequently had no provision for windage adjustment.

Detailed disassembly of the BAR series is somewhat complicated and is best accomplished through the use of a Department of the Army Field Manual. In my opinion, the best manual ever written about the BAR was FM 23-15, BROWNING AUTOMATIC RIFLE CAL. .30, M1918A2. The last edition of this field manual was published in May 1961 and it can still be found
at gun shows or from the numerous book dealers who specialize in military manuals.
The 1918A3 SLR specimen sent to Soldier Of Fortune for test and evaluation has had a total of more than 10,000 rounds fired through it. Reliability is up to M1918A2 BAR standards.
I would plan on stocking the following spare parts for any BAR: recoil spring and guide rod, extractor and extractor spring, firing pin, hammer, bolt link and complete gas cylinder assembly.

Weighing close to 20 pounds and firing from the closed bolt position, the 1918A3 SLR's accuracy potential, when shot from the prone position off the bipod or rested on sandbags, is outstanding. This rifle will shoot close to 1 inch groups at 100 yards with USGI Armor Piercing (AP) ammunition and no worse than 2 inches with standard ball - all this with the issue iron sights. With its substantial mass and highly efficient buffer system, the 1918A3 SLR generates about as much perceived recoil as a pop gun.

Ohio Ordnance Works, Inc. has just developed a National Match version of the 1918A3 SLR. Furnished with a Krieger heavy barrel, but without bipod, flash hider or threaded muzzle, this rifle produced 7/8 inch 10-shot groups at 100 yards with match grade ammunition at the most recent Camp Perry High Power Competition.

The 1918A3 Self Loading Rifle provides both military buffs and shooters the opportunity to own a piece of American firearms history without the red tape associated with acquiring a machine gun and at less than half the price of a selective fire BAR. It also shoots like a match rifle.

Soldier of Fortune.  "Return of the BAR" by Peter J. Kokalis. Jan 1997