Semi-Auto BAR
Guns & Ammo (October 1996)
by Gary Paul Johnston

Developed by small arms genius John M. Browning in 1917, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was designed to meet the United States military requirement for an automatic rifle during that "war to end all wars”, World War I. Called the Model 1918, the BAR was made during the war by Colt, Winchester and the Marlin Rockwell Corporation.
By the armistice, these three companies had made some 85,000 Model 1918 BARs for our "doughboys" in Europe, in whose hands the BAR became a legend not only in its own time, but far beyond, with Colt making a total of five different models. Capable of both semi and full-automatic fire, the Model 1918 BAR is a gas operated rifle firing from an open bolt and a locked breech. This means that the bolt remains to the rear when cocked, and only goes forward into battery when the trigger is pulled, stripping a cartridge from the detachable 20-round box magazine and feeding it into the chamber. There it locks into an upper recess in the receiver via a pivoting bolt lock just before the slide portion of the operating rod causes its link-type hammer to hit the firing pin to fire the cartridge. When the bullet has traveled about 14 inches, it passes a gas port in the barrel about six inches from the muzzle. Here gas passes through the port down into the gas cylinder where it acts against the gas piston, driving it and the operating slide to the rear to begin the cycle over again. By the time the slide unlocks the bolt, the bullet has left the muzzle and pressure in the barrel has returned to zero. Containing three different size gas holes, the gas regulator can be turned to bring a larger hole in line with the barrel's gas port if the BAR becomes sluggish in combat because of dirt. Quite modern in its day, the
BAR has a cocking handle mounted on the left side of its receiver, meaning that the user never has to remove the shooting hand to cock the rifle. Non-reciprocating, the cocking handle remains forward while the gun fires. The 20-round box magazine is detachable via a plunger type magazine release located inside the front of the trigger guard. On the left side of the trigger guard is the safety selector lever. Moving this lever all the way to the rear blocks the trigger and makes the M1918 BAR safe. Pushing the lever halfway forward allows full-automatic fire and pushing it all the way forward allows the rifle to fire semi-automatic. Using a forward mounted recoil spring inside the operating rod similar to the M1 Garand, the BAR has an efficient spring loaded buffer system at the rear of its receiver. Extending into the buttstock, the buffer cushions the receiver and shooter, making for a gentle recoil impulse. Enhanced by its 16 pound weight, the Model 1918 BAR is quite accurate on
full-automatic as well as semi-automatic fire.

THE MODELS 1918A1 AND 1918A2

Adopted in 1937, the Model 1918A1 BAR incorporated a bipod attached to the gas cylinder and a hinged support buttplate. Like the M1918, this BAR is selective fire and has sights similar to the WWI Model 1917 Enfield rifle. Shortly before WWII the M1918A2 BAR was adopted.
Capable of full-automatic fire only, the 1918A2's selector has two firing positions, one providing the standard 500-650 rounds per minute (RPM) cyclic rate of fire and the other giving 300-450 RPM by using a rate reducer built into the buffer. Incorporating magazine guides on the trigger housing, the Model 1918A2 BAR also uses an improved bipod mounted to a new flash suppressor, a shorter hinged shoulder rest on the butt, an improved forend and a rear sight similar to that used on the 1918A4 light machine gun. The improvements made to the 1918A2 BAR increased its weight to 19.4 pounds. During WWII, the gun continued to undergo improvements including a finger grooved forend, a plastic buttstock and a carrying
handle. I.B.M. and New England Small Arms Corp. made the 1918A2 BAR during this era. Remaining in continuous use through the Korean War, 61,000 1918A2 BARs were made by the Royal McBee Typewriter Corporation during that period where a simplified gas regulator was introduced for the rifle. In 1949, a variation of the BAR called the T34 automatic rifle was made to use the T65E3 cartridge that went on to become the 7.62mm NATO round.
Of superb quality, the BAR was made to last a lifetime, and it has. However, the rifle has always been very expensive to make, a feature that eventually led to its being phased out of military service. Nevertheless, it remains one of the world's all time great automatic rifles and has been used by many of the world's armies. Beside the United States, a number of variations of the BAR were made by FN of Belgium. Calibers included 7mm, 7.56mm, 7.92mm and .30-06.

THE 1918A3 SELF-LOADING RIFLE

Being a selective fire rifle, ownership of the BAR is restricted. While many legal BARs are proudly owned and fired for recreation, they are today almost worth their weight in gold. Prompted by a lifelong love for the BAR and a desire to see the rifle proliferate, Robert I. Landies of Ohio Ordnance Works, Inc., undertook the development and production of a legal Browning Automatic Rifle copy capable of firing semi-automatic only. Designated the Model 1918A3 Self Loading Rifle (SLR), this BAR clone has been years in development and is now finally ready to go. Having known Bob Landies for 30 years, I am well acquainted with the outstanding work he does in restoring and repairing rare collectible military firearms and I have followed closely the development of his M1918A3 SLR. After first offering a 1918A2 BAR type manually operated rifle (MOR), Bob was inundated with requests for a semi-automatic only version. Until now, his reply
was always "not available." Acquiring like new surplus BAR parts from all over the world, Bob Landies set the course for the production of one of the finest semi-automatic rifles ever available to American collectors and shooters. Starting literally from scratch, Bob and his staff (some with over 40 years experience) designed a new BAR style semi-automatic receiver. Nearly identical to its 1918A2 counterpart on the exterior, the new receiver along with the trigger group and slide has been extensively redesigned on the inside to provide match grade semi-automatic only fire. Firing from a closed bolt, the 1918A3 SLR complies with BATF rules for a Title I rifle in having absolutely no provision to lock the bolt to the rear, even after the last shot is fired. BATF has also approved the 1918A3 SLR as not being an assault rifle with respect to the 1994 federal assault rifle ban. Conventionally hammer fired, the SLR uses a patented secondary firing mechanism consisting of an intermediate firing pin that only comes into play when the bolt is fully locked. Differing from the original BAR, the SLR also uses lockwork with a hammer not unlike the type found in the M1 Carbine and
FN-FAL, allowing it to achieve match grade accuracy. Held in the receiver by two cross pins instead of only one as in selective fire BARs, the trigger housing of the 1918A3 SLR will not interchange with any original BAR trigger group. When Bob Landies contacted me in early 1995 to ask if I wanted to do an exclusive article on the 1918A3 SLR when it was ready, I eagerly accepted. A perfectionist, Bob made it clear that he was not building just a rifle, but a piece of history—an art form. Made from the finest 86/20E aircraft grade cast steel that
is far superior to the steels used in the original BARs and machined on the most modern
state-of-the-art computer numerically controlled machining center, the receiver is then heat treated and carborized. Like its predecessors, the 1918A3 SLR is built to last a lifetime.
Bob told me he would not ship a sample until it was perfect. I have just received 1918A3 SLR serial #035. Perfect it is, and the wait was worth it. Looking like a brand-new Model 1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle, the Ohio Ordnance Works' 1918A3 SLR is indeed a sight to behold. Built with original like new G.I. parts, our sample SLR is in the original U.S. .30 M2 (.30-06) caliber with a barrel stamped NE 8-1944 (New England Small Arms Corp.). From its pristine military type parkerized finish to its new G.I. buttstock, walnut forend, carrying handle and bipod, the rifle looks as if it just came out of a military arsenal for the first time, but Bob Landies informed me that this particular pre-production sample had already fired some 8,000 rounds of .30-06 in endurance testing. 

With the 1918A3 SLR being one rifle I simply could not wait to shoot, I found it difficult to sleep until I was able to take it to the range. Gathering up a host of original WW II BAR accessories, I met a friend, Jay Jackson, at the Four Corners Rifle and Pistol Club for a day of shooting. Firing an array of U.S. and foreign surplus ammunition in our sample 1918A3 SLR, we found that some of it required that the gas regulator be set on the intermediate
position for positive ejection. The more the rifle was fired, the better it worked, probably due to some fouling making the piston work more efficiently. While I have fired original
BARs extensively over the years, shooting the semi-automatic SLR was almost as much fun.
Firing the rifle rapidly from the hip, Jay was surprised to find that it had so little recoil.
Not only does its nearly 20-pound weight soak up most movement, but its heavy bolt and buffer system make the BAR shoot like a pussycat. Shooting various types of .30 M2 G.I. ball for accuracy in the SLR brought average results with five shot groups running four to five inches or so at 100 yards. The gun's roughly seven pound trigger seemed to do little to enhance accuracy, but shooting Federal Premium Match .30-06 brought different results. Here our SLR consistently put five shots into three inches or less with iron sights.

This would make the semi-automatic BAR competitive in some of the National Matches. After all, it is a clone of a U.S. military issue rifle. Wouldn't it be interesting to see a 1918A3 SLR show up at Camp Perry this year? I understand that Ohio Ordnance Works will also offer a few SLRs in 8x57mm, and other limited edition models are a possibility in the future. Having tested so many firearms through the years, not everything new excites me, but rest assured, the 1918A3 Self Loading Rifle does. Representing the completion of an enormous ambition, this rifle is almost too good to be true. I've known many U.S. military combat veterans who used Browning Automatic Rifles in WWII or Korea. All have sworn by the BAR, and none ever swore at it. I guarantee the same will be true of the 1918A3 SLR. If you are a military collector, re-enactor, or one with a desire to own a piece of history, the 1918A3 Self Loading Rifle is for you. Oh yes, and it is California legal. For information on all of their outstanding military firearms, contact Ohio Ordnance Works, Inc.

Guns & Ammo Magazine