Browning Automatic Rifle

M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle

M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle - .30-06

Clyde Barrow's cut down M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle - .30-06

The Browning Automatic Rifle or BAR (sometimes incorrectly known as the "Browning BAR," which is actually the name of a later semi-automatic rifle which shares no parts with the original BAR) traces its origins back to a First World War French concept of a "walking fire" gun that could be used from the hip by soldiers crossing No Man's Land to suppress the enemy trench line. Ultimately the 16-pound weapon was not suited to this role, but was adopted as a light machine gun by the United States military and was used extensively during the Second World War (as the improved M1918A2) and Korean War, ultimately seeing its last action in US service in Vietnam where it was replaced by the M60 machine gun. BARs remained in National Guard armories until the mid-70s, and was still in use by other countries as late as the 90s.

While heavy, it had a relatively low capacity for a support weapon (most period LMGs using a 30-round magazine compared to the BAR's 20; an experimental 40-round magazine was created, but for infantry use it was turned up too cumbersome, and it was only limited used in anti-aircraft roles) and a fixed barrel which could not be easily changed out, making it unsuited for protracted fire. It was often employed in a capacity more similar to a modern Designated Marksman Rifle, with the BAR gunner being tasked with extending the squad's range of fire and suppressing enemy snipers.

The BAR was also sold to civilians in the interwar years, and proved a popular weapon among gangsters; the civilian variant, the Colt Monitor, was acquired by US law enforcement to combat the threat. Clyde Barrow and his girlfriend Bonnie Parker were particularly notorious for their use of a cut-down M1918 BAR.

The highly successful FN MAG uses the same locking mechanism as the BAR, though since it is belt-fed the MAG's is upside-down compared to the BAR's. The BAR action was also used in the French Chatellerault Light Machine Gun, descendants of which included the ZB26 Machine Gun and through that the Type 96 and Bren gun.

The Browning Automatic Rifle and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Specifications

(1917 - 1950s)

• Type: Light Machine Gun

• Caliber: .30-06 Springfield

• Barrel Lengths 24" (610mm) & 18" (457mm)

• Cyclic Rate 500-650 RPM (M1918 / M1922 / M1918A1) 500 RPM (Colt Monitor) selectable 300-450 RPM & 500-650 RPM (M1918A2)

• Weight Unloaded 16 lb 0oz (7.28 kg) (M1918) 24 lb (11 kg) (M1922) 13.2 lb (6 kg) (Colt Monitor) 19 lb (8.8 kg) (M1918A2)

• Feed System: 20-round box magazine; rare 40-round magazines are known to have existed.

• Fire Modes: Semi-Automatic/Fully-Automatic (M1918, M1918A1), "Slow" Full-Auto/"Fast" Full-Auto (M1918A2)

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
The Lost Battalion		An American soldier		1919
Wings		U.S. soldiers		1927
Wake Island		A U.S. soldier		1942
For Whom the Bell Tolls	Gary Cooper	Robert Jordan		1943
They Were Expendable		US Navy sailor	Without bipod	1945
Back to Bataan		Philippine guerrilla fighters		1945
The FBI Story	William Phipps	Lester "Baby Face" Nelson		1959
The Sand Pebbles	Steve McQueen	Jake Holman	M1918 with anachronistic A2 muzzle brake	1966
	Richard Crenna	Capt. Collins
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold	Mike Henry	Tarzan		1966
		Vinero's soldiers
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?		US Army soldiers		1966
Beach Red		US Marines		1967
The Devil's Brigade	Luke Askew	Pvt. Hubert Hixon		1968
The Bridge at Remagen	George Segal	Lt. Hartman		1969
		US Army soldiers
Dillinger	Warren Oates	John Dillinger		1973
	Harry Dean Stanton	Homer Van Meter
	Richard Dreyfuss	Lester "Baby Face" Nelson
	Geoffrey Lewis	Harry Pierpont
	Michelle Phillips	Billie Frechette
A Bridge Too Far		US Airborne troops		1977
Go Tell the Spartans		South Vietnamese troops		1978
Exterminator 2			Mounted on Eastland's truck	1984
Michael Collins		IRA member and a Black & Tan		1996
Public Enemies	Stephen Dorff	Homer Van Meter	Customized with cut-down barrel	2009
War Pigs		US Army soldiers		2015
Live by Night	Ben Affleck	Joe Coughlin		2016
The Highwaymen	Thomas Mann	Ted Hinton	M1918	2019

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Bonnie and Clyde	Holliday Grainger	Bonnie Parker		2013
	Emile Hirsch	Clyde Barrow
Fallout - Season 1		NCR Fighters	"The Beginning" (S1E08)	2034
	David Chen	NCR Fighter
	Aixa Kendrick	NCR Fighter

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Call of Duty: Finest Hour	"BAR"			2004
Call of Duty 3				2006
Jurassic: The Hunted	".30-06 Assault Rifle"	.	Incorrectly shown with optional 30-round magazine	2009
NecroVisioN: Lost Company	"BAR 1918"			2010
State of Decay	"M1918A2"		added in Breakdown DLC	2013
Battle of Empires: 1914-1918	"BAR"			2015
Verdun	"Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 BAR"			2015
Battlefield 1	"BAR M1918"			2016
Enlisted	"Browning M1918"			2021
Beyond The Wire	"BAR M1918"			2022

M1918A1 Browning Automatic Rifle

M1918A1 Browning Automatic Rifle - .30-06

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Enlisted	"Browning M1918A1"			2021

M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle

M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle - .30-06. This is a late-war version with an added carry handle.

M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle without carry handle - .30-06

The M1918A2 was a broad package of improvements to the original BAR that included a magazine guide, new sights, a bipod, modified fire control group and a redesigned handguard and stock. The A1 version with a spiked bipod and hinged steel buttplate is almost never seen as very few examples were made; the M1922, the US Cavalry version with a ribbed barrel and spiked bipod, is similarly rare.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Gung Ho!		Marine Raider		1943
A Walk In The Sun		US Army soldiers		1945
Battleground (1949)		US Army Airborne Soldiers		1949
Go for Broke!	George Miki	Chick		1951
The Steel Helmet		U.S. Army soldiers		1951
Halls of Montezuma	Skip Homeier	"Pretty Boy" Riley		1951
	Martin Milner	Whitney
		US Marines
Battle Circus		U.S. Army soldier		1953
From Here to Eternity	Burt Lancaster	1st Sergeant Milton Warden		1953
Between Heaven and Hell		US National Guards		1956
The Young Lions	Lee Van Cleef	First Sergeant Rickett		1958
Pork Chop Hill		US Army soldiers		1959
Hell Is for Heroes	Mike Kellin	Pvt Kolinsky		1962
The Longest Day	George Segal	Pvt. Wohl		1962
Merrill's Marauders		US Army soldiers		1962
Battle of the Bulge		US Army soldiers		1965
The 317th Platoon		French soldiers	M1918A2 version	1965
Is Paris Burning?		Free French Forces soldiers		1966
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?		US Army soldiers		1966
Castle Keep	Tony Bill	Lt. Amberjack		1969
	Scott Wilson	Cpl. Clearboy
Che!	Rudy Diaz	Willy		1969
The Omega Man	Charlton Heston	Neville	With bipod removed and M3 infrared night scope	1971
The Seventh Company Outdoors (La 7ème compagnie au clair de lune)		A German soldier		1977
Death Force		Soldiers		1978
Apocalypse Now		French Colonists		1979
The Year of Living Dangerously		Indonesian soldiers		1982
Uncommon Valor	Patrick Swayze	Kevin Scott		1983
Rookies Run Amok 2 (Le retour des bidasses en folie)		German and French soldiers		1983
Jungle Warriors	Paul L. Smith	Cesar Santiago		1984
		Paramilitary guard
Order No. 027 (Myung ryoung-027 ho)		ROK Armed Forces soldiers		1986
Laser Mission		soldiers		1989
Farewell To The King	Gerry Lopez	Gwai		1989
Last Man Standing		Mexican police officer	Dressed as a Colt Monitor	1996
Saving Private Ryan	Edward Burns	PFC Richard Reiben	With bipod removed	1998
The Patriot	L.Q. Jones	Frank		1998
When Trumpets Fade	Dylan Bruno	Sgt. Talbot		1998
	Zak Orth	Pvt. Sanderson
The Thin Red Line	David Harrod	Cpl. Queen		1998
	Robert Roy Hofmo	Pvt. Sico
Pearl Harbor	Matthew Davis	Joe		2001
		US Military personnel
City Of God	Charles Paraventi	Charlie "Uncle Sam"		2002
Windtalkers	Noah Emmerich	Pvt. Charles "Chick" Clusters		2002
The Quiet American		Gen. The's soldiers		2002
The Rundown		Henchmen	Without bipod	2003
	Dwayne Johnson	Beck	Without bipod
The Devil's Rejects	Tyler Mane	Rufus	Without bipod	2005
King Kong		US Army soldier	With bipod removed	2005
Flags of Our Fathers		US Marines	With & without bipod	2006
The Artist		Guard	M1918A2	2011
The Front Line (2011)		South Korean Army		2011
Memorial Day		82nd Airborne Division paratrooper	With bipod removed	2011
My Way		US Army soldiers	With bipod removed	2011
Machine Gun Preacher		LRA troops		2011
Red Tails		American troops		2012
Gangster Squad	Holt McCallany	Karl Lockwood		2013
Fury (2014)		U.S. Army soldiers		2014
Hacksaw Ridge	Luke Bracey	Smitty Ryker	with bipod removed	2016
		US Army soldiers	with bipod removed
Overlord	Jacob Anderson	PFC Dawson		2018
Jojo Rabbit		U.S. Army soldiers		2019

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Combat!	Jack Hogan	Pvt. William G. Kirby	.	1962 - 1967
The A-Team	Sergio Calderón	Malavida Valdez	"Mexican Slayride" (S01E01)	1983
Crime Story	Bill Smitrovich	Sgt. Danny Krychek	.	1986-1988
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman		Joey	"That Old Gang of Mine" (S02E07)	1994
Band of Brothers		American soldiers		2001
The Company		Cuban freedom fighters		2007
Deadliest Warrior		French Foreign Legion	.	2009-2011
The Pacific		US Marines		2010
Breaking Bad - Season 5	Matthew T. Metzler	Matt	"To'hajiilee" (S5E13), "Ozymandias" (S4E14)	2013
Parer's War		US Marines		2014

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Hidden & Dangerous				1999
WWII G.I.				1999
Medal of Honor				1999
Medal of Honor: Underground			Used in "Panzerknacker Unleashed!" bonus mission	2000
Fallout Tactics	"Browning Auto Rifle"			2001
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault				2002
Medal of Honor: Frontline				2002
Battlefield: 1942				2002
BloodRayne	"M1918 GAR"		M1918A2 w/ bipod	2002
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun				2003
Call of Duty			With ability to fast/slow fire and bipod removed	2003
Forgotten Hope			M1918A2 w/ bipod	2003
Hidden & Dangerous 2				2003
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault				2004
Day of Defeat: Source			With semi and full auto fire modes	2005
Call of Duty 2				2005
Medal of Honor: European Assault	"BAR"			2005
Forgotten Hope 2			With deployable bipod. Includes "Reiben BAR" from Saving Private Ryan with ability to fire at 450/600rpm and with bipod removed	2005
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood				2005
Vietcong 2				2005
Commandos: Strike Force				2006
Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45			With deployable bipod	2006
Company of Heroes				2006
UberSoldier				2006
Medal of Honor: Airborne			With various upgrades available	2007
Medal of Honor: Vanguard	BAR		M1918A2	2007
Hour of Victory				2007
Call of Duty: World at War				2008
Call of Duty: World at War - Final Fronts	"BAR"			2008
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway				2008
Fallout: New Vegas	"Automatic Rifle"	pistol grip	M1918A2, rechambered for .308 Win/7.62x51mm NATO(Dead Money expansion)	2010
World War II Online: Battleground Europe			Released with 1.34 update, M1918A2	2011
7554	"M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle"	W/bipod; unusable		2011
Karma Online				2011
L.A. Noire				2011
Project Reality: Normandy			Can switch between 360 RPM and 650 RPM settings	2013
Payday 2			Unusable	2013
Company of Heroes 2			Added with Western Front Armies add-on (2014)	2013
Counter-Strike Online	"M1918 BAR"	.	M1918A2	2014
World of Guns: Gun Disassembly	Browning Automatic Rifle			2014
Heroes & Generals			M1918A2	2016
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades	"M1918 BAR"		M1918A2	2016
	"M1918 BAR Shorty"		Short barrel & bipod removed, similar to John Dillinger's BAR
	"Fire Walker"		Highly stylized version
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam				2017
Raid: World War II	"BAR"			2017
Squad 44: Letters From The Front				2018
Battlefield V				2018
Gun Club VR				2018
State of Decay 2				2018
Enlisted	"Browning M1918A2"			2021
Battlefield 2042	BAR 1918		M1918A2	2021
Military Conflict: Vietnam				2022

Anime

Film Title	Character	Note	Date
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage	Gretel		2006
Strike Witches	Charlotte Yeager	Without bipod	2008
Strike Witches 2	Charlotte Yeager	Without bipod	2010
Strike Witches: The Movie	Charlotte Yeager	Without bipod	2012
Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow	Charlotte Yeager	Without bipod	2014-2015
Strike Witches: Road to Berlin	Charlotte Yeager	Without bipod	2020
	Liberian tank crews
Luminous Witches	Grace Steward	Without bipod	2022
	Grace's two wingmen

Colt Monitor

Colt R80 Monitor - .30-06

Colt Model 1925

The Colt Model 1925 was a commercial version of the BAR, known as the R75 and based on the FN BAR with the pistol grip, larger handguard, bipod and so on. It was released in a wide variety of calibers such as .30-06 Springfield, .303 British, 7x57mm Mauser, 7.92 Mauser and 7.65x53mm Belgian Mauser. A modified version of this was the Colt R80 Monitor, developed for the FBI as a "fighting rifle". The bipod was removed, the barrel and gas system were shortened, the pistol grip was added and it was fitted with a Cutts compensator.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
The Highwaymen	Kevin Costner	Frank Hamer	M1918 BAR modified to resemble an R80 Colt Monitor	2019
The Highwaymen	Woody Harrelson	Benjamin Maney Gault	M1918 BAR modified to resemble an R-80 Colt Monitor	2019

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
Bonnie and Clyde (2013)	William Hurt	Frank Hamer	Colt Monitor	2013

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
State of Decay 2				2018
Enlisted	"Colt Monitor"			2021

FN Model D

FN Model D - 7.65×53mm Belgian Mauser

The FN Model D is an improved European version of the FN Model 1930, a licensed clone of the 1925 version of the Colt R75. Note the folding carry handle, quick-change barrel, and a smaller forend than the American M1918 versions. Also note separate pistol grip and stock.

The FN Model D is chambered in .30-06, 7mm Mauser, 8mm Mauser, and 7.62x51mm NATO. The 7.62x51mm NATO version was designated the FN-DA1, and uses the same magazine as the FN FAL. The .30-06, 7mm and 8mm Mauser magazines are identified by a large "X" stamped on them.

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Assembly		Chinese Nationalist soldiers		2007

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Enlisted	"FN Model 1930"		7.92mm Mauser variant	2021

Wz. 28 Browning

Wz. 28 Browning - 7.92x57mm Mauser

Wz. 28 Browning - 7.92x57mm Mauser

Wz. 28 Browning (late version) from the Cody Firearms Museum - 7,92 x 57 mm Mauser.

The Polish Browning wz. 1928, known in Polish as Ręczny karabin maszynowy wzór 1928 Browning (Rkm wz. 28 Browning for short), is another European variant of the BAR based off of the FN Model D that won Polish Army trials in 1925. Made by both FN as well as Polish firm FK, it was heavily used both by the Polish Army as well as Polish Home Army and partisans.

Specifications

(1930–1945)

• Number built: 24 000
• Type: Light machine gun
• Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser‎
• Weight: 19.8 lbs (9 kg)
• Length: 43.7 in (111 cm)
• Barrel length: 24.1 in (61.1 cm)
• Feed System: 20 rounds
• Rate of Fire: 600rpm

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The Wz. 28 Browning and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Westerplatte		Polish soldiers	Late version	1967
Neighbors (Sąsiedzi)		Polish soldiers		1969
Kelly's Heroes	Perry Lopez	Pvt. Petuko		1970
	Fred Pearlman	Pvt. Mitchell
	Michael Clark	Pvt. Grace
Night Over Chile (Noch nad Chili)		Chilean soldiers	Including mounted on MG34 tripod	1977
Cuba		Cuban soldier		1979
Catch the Wind (Ishchi vetra...)	Konstantin Grigoryev	Pavel		1979
		Cossacks
Across the Gobi and the Khingan (Govi Khyangand tulaldsan ni)	Nikolay Penkov	Votintsev	Late version	1981
City 44		Polish insurgent		2014

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Forgotten Hope				2003
Uprising44: The Silent Shadows	"Browning wz. 1928"			2012
Enemy Front	"WZ.28"		Browning wz. 1928	2014
Land of War: The Beginning	"rkm Browning wz. 28"			2021
Enlisted	"Browning wz. 1928"			2021

Wz. 37 Szczeniak

Wz. 37 Szczeniak - 7.92x57mm Mauser‎

Karabin maszynowy obserwatora wz. 37 ("Observers machine gun M1937") is a Polish aircraft mounted flexible machine gun, based on the Wz. 28 Browning. The main difference between the base Wz. 28 and the Wz. 37 is a new feeding mechanism that uses a 91-round pan magazine mounted on the standard receiver. The buttstock of the infantry machine gun was replaced with a spade grip.

The Wz.37 was nicknamed "Szczeniak" ("Pup") due to its lightness and compactness in comparison with compared with previously used Vickers machine guns. The Wz.37 was used mainly on PZL.37 Łoś bombers and LWS-3 Mewa observation and close reconnaissance aircrafts. Only 339 pieces were produced until the defeat of Poland in Autumn 1939.

Specifications

(1937–1939)

• Number built: 339

• Type: Air machine gun.

• Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser‎

• Weight: 15.4 lbs (7 kg)

• Length: 42.5 in (108 cm)

• Barrel length: 24.1 in (61.1 cm)

• Feed System: disc, 91 rounds.

• Rate of Fire: 1100rpm

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The Wz. 37 Szczeniak and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Land of War: The Beginning	"ckm Szczeniak wz. 37"			2021

Kg m/21

Kg m/21 - 6.5x55mm

The Kg m/21 is the Swedish version of the BAR, first bought by Sweden in 1920 from Colt with modifications such as a bipod, pistol grip, dust cover and conical flash hider. Sweden would also buy the license to produce the BAR and subsequently adopted a modified version based on the FN Model D as the m/37 in 1937. Both the m/21 and m/37 were kept in production until 1949 and used in service until the Swedish adoption of the FN MAG in 1958 although the m/21 and m/37 remained in rear line arsenals well into the 1980's.

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Call of Duty: WWII	"KG M-21"		Added in June 4th 2019 update	2019

Ohio Ordnance HCAR

Ohio Ordnance HCAR (desert finish with short barrel) - .30-06 Springfield

Ohio Ordnance HCAR (black finish with short barrel) - .30-06 Springfield

Ohio Ordnance HCAR (black finish with long barrel) - .30-06 Springfield

The Ohio Ordnance Heavy Counter Assault Rifle (HCAR) is a modernized version of the BAR made by Ohio Ordnance, who also make semi auto clones of the original M1918A2 pattern.

Specifications

(2013 - Present)

• Type: Battle Rifle
• Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
• Barrel Lengths: 16 in (40.6 cm), 20 in (50.8 cm)
• Capacity: 30-round box magazine
• Fire Modes: Semi-Auto

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The Ohio Ordnance HCAR and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Payday 2	"Akron HC"		Added in McShay Weapon Pack 3 (2023); depicted as full-auto	2013
Warface	"HCAR Classic"		Added in 2018	2013
	"HCAR Auto"		Heavily customized
Battlefield Hardline	"HCAR"	w/ various attachments	Depicted as select-fire	2015
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III	"DTIR 30-06"		Added in Season 6 (2024); depicted as select-fire	2023

See Also

• Browning Arms Company - A list of all firearms manufactured by Browning.