Browning Model 1917A1 water cooled machine gun
Browning Model 1917
Type	machine gun
Nation(s) of origin	US
Era	WW1
History
Date of design
Production period
Service duration
Operators	US.
War service	WW1, WW2
Variants	1917A1
Number built
Specifications
Type
Caliber	.300 (7.62 mm)
Ammunition	.30-06
Feed system	250 round fabric belt
Action	recoil
Length
Barrel length	24 in (609 mm)
Weight	103 lb (47 kg) (gun, tripod, water, and ammunition)
Rate of fire	450 round/min, 600 round/min for M1917A1
Muzzle velocity
Effective range	{{{range}}}

The Browning Model 1917 Machine Gun is a heavy machine gun used by the United States armed forces in World War I, World War II, Korea, and to a limited amount in Vietnam; it was also used by some other countries too. It was a belt-fed water-cooled machine gun that served alongside the much lighter air-cooled Browning M1919. It was used at the battalion level, and often mounted on vehicles (such as a jeep). There were two main iterations of it; the M1917, which was used in WWI, and the M1917A1 which was used after. The M1917 was used on the ground and some aircraft, and had firing rate of 450 round/min; the M1917A1 had a firing rate of 450 to 600 round/min. http://www. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod, also common for handguns. ... Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... .303 in. ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... The barrel of a gun or other firearm is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed. ... The Rate of fire is the speed at which a specific firearm or artillery piece can operate. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II... Korea (한국, Hanguk, or 조선, Choseon) is a civilization and geographical area situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, bordering China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast, with Japan situated to the southeast across the Korea Strait. ... The Browning M1919 is a light infantry unit machine gun manufactured by the Browning Arms Company. ...

History

In 1901, John Browning was issued U.S. Patent 678,937 for a recoil powered automatic gun. The design initially met with little interest in the US military. Browning’s Model 1917 was essentially an updated version of this weapon. The Browning is a water cooled heavy machine gun, though some versions that did not use a water jacket were experimented with; the M1919 was preferred. Unlike many other early automatic MG's the M1917 had nothing to do with Maxim's design. It was much lighter than Maxim types, while still being highly reliable. The only similarity, which its shares with any non-externally power machine gun, is the use of gunpowder energy to reload. John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926), born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of weapons which were used in the U.S. military for decades in the 20th century. ...

The Army Ordnance Department initially showed little interest in Browning's design, but after war was declared in April 1917, Browning was able to arrange a test. The first test was a success, but the Army demanded a second test a short time later. In the second test, Browning fired the weapon in two lengthy bursts of 20,000 rounds each without a single mishap. The Ordnance Board was impressed but was unconvinced that the same level of performance could be achieved in a production model. Browning produced a second weapon which he fired in a third test continuously for 48 minutes. Finally convinced, the Army adopted the weapon as its principal heavy machine gun.

Polish resistance fighters firing the Ckm wz.30, a Polish-made clone of the Browning 1917

Until that time, the Army had used a variety of older machine guns like the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" (which Browning had also designed) and weapons like the Maxim Gun, Benet-Mercies M1909, and the Hotchkiss machine gun. Although the Model 1917 was intended to be the principle US Army heavy machine gun in the war, in fact the Army was forced to purchase many foreign weapons and the French produced Hotchkiss 8 mm machine gun was actually the most numerous heavy machine gun used by the American Expeditionary Force. Image File history File links Jędrusie, an armed resistance unit formed by Władysław Jasiński in the area of Sandomierz File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Jędrusie, an armed resistance unit formed by Władysław Jasiński in the area of Sandomierz File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... ciężki karabin maszynowy wz. ... An early Maxim gun in operation with the Royal Navy The Maxim gun was the first self-acting machine gun. ... The Hotchkiss machine gun was the standard machine gun of the French Army during World War I. It was made by the French arms company Hotchkiss et Cie, which was set up by American engineer Benjamin B. Hotchkiss after he moved to France in the 1860s. ... Officers of the American Expeditionary Force and the Baker mission The American Expeditionary Force or AEF was the United States military force in World War I. The AEF helped the French defend the Western Front during the Aisne Offensive in May. ...

Service

The M1917 saw limited service in the latter days of the First World War. Because of production delays, only about 1,200 Model 1917s saw combat in the conflict, and then only in the last two and a half months of the war. Where the Model 1917 did see action, its rate of fire and reliability were highly effective.

A Browning Model 1917 in action during the Korean War

The Model 1917A1 was again used in the Second World War. Some were supplied to the UK in the .300 caliber for use by the Home Guard to replace their Vickers .303 which were presumably needed at the front line. The Model 1917 was called to service again in the Korean War. The Model 1917 was slowly phased out of military service in the late 1960s in favor of the much lighter, and more suitable for modern warfare, M60 machine gun. The attributes of the Model 1917 and similar weapons such as the Vickers machine gun - continuous fire from a static position had been rendered useless by the movement to highly mobile warfare. Many of the 1917's were given to South Vietnam. The gun did continue to see service in some Third World armies well into the later half of the 20th century. Download high resolution version (627x800, 80 KB)A Model 1917 heavy machine gun in action during the Korean War. ... Download high resolution version (627x800, 80 KB)A Model 1917 heavy machine gun in action during the Korean War. ... Overview map of the Korean War The Korean War from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (the war has not ended officially), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ... The Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) or Home Guard, was instituted by the British government during World War II to defend the UK in the event of an invasion by Germany. ... .303 cartridge The . ... Overview map of the Korean War The Korean War from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (the war has not ended officially), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ... Caliber: 7. ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ...

US Variants

M1917

• initial model

M1917A1

• M1917's "rearsenaled" at the US Arsenal at Rock Island in order to extend service life.

M1918

• Air-cooled aircraft version of the M1917. Developed during the First World War, the M1918 arrived too late, but became the dominant weapon of its type in US service until the development of the M1919.
• Features a heavier barrel, but lighter barrel jacket as compared to the M1917.
• A supposed sub-variant, the M1918M1, was developed a flexible version of the fixed M1918.

International Variants & Designations

The M1917 pattern has been used in countries the world over in a variety of forms. In certain cases a new designation was applied by the user nation.

M36B

Swedish designation for 7.62x51mm rechambered M1917s.

Ckm wz.30

Polish-built clone of the M1917 chambered in 8mm (technically 7.92x57mm) Mauser. ciężki karabin maszynowy wz. ...

Derivatives

A simplified, air cooled version of the weapon, the Model 1919 was adopted after World War I and saw action in World War II and Korea. The Model 1919 became the basis for the M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun which is still in front line service with the US military today. The Browning M1919 was a . ... This article is about the . ...

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Browning M1917

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

See also

• M240