M1919A4
Caliber:7.62mm. (cal.30)
Length:1041mm.
Barrel length:610mm
Weight:14.060 kg.
Initial projectile speed:854 m/s.
Rate of fire:400-500 rounds/min.
Power supply:250 cartridge tape.
M1919A6
Caliber:7.62 mm.
Length:1,346mm.
Barrel length:610mm
Weight:14.740 kg.
Initial projectile speed:854 m/s.
Rate of fire:400-500 rounds/min.
Power supply:250 cartridge tape.
The water cooling system of the first models of Browning machine guns made them heavy and bulky. In order to overcome this drawback, the new M1919 model received an air cooling system. Originally, the M1919 had been designed to be mounted on the tanks that the United States were to produce in large series. But the end of the First World War canceled all orders for tanks, as well as those for machine guns. Nevertheless, variants of this model were produced in small series:the M1919A1, the M1919A2 (for the cavalry) and the M1919A3. On the other hand, the M1919A4 was produced in quantity. In 1945, production reached 438,971 copies, and it continued to increase thereafter.
This weapon was mainly intended for infantry, and it proved to be terribly effective, capable of heavy fire and resistant to the worst treatment. The Americans thus built an equivalent weapon adapted to tanks, the M1919A5, as well as a version more particularly intended for aviation. The navy also had a whole series of machine guns inspired by the M1919A4, the ANM2.
Despite the many modifications that the variants of these models underwent during their long period of production, the basic principle of the M1919 was retained. This weapon was fixed on a lookout whose form went from the simple tripod of infantry to the lookout heavy and complicated of the anti-aircraft weapons. There were also various mounts for all types of vehicles, from Jeeps to tank trucks, as well as for small planes. The most original variant of the M1919 was undoubtedly the M1919A6, an F.M. designed to reinforce the firepower of infantry platoons, which, until its entry into service in 1943, relied on the BAR and the rifle.
It was in fact an M1919A4 equipped with a stock of a new type, a bipod, a carrying handle and a lighter barrel. The result gave a heavy F.M. which had the advantage of being able to be manufactured quickly on the existing chains. However, this F.M. had two serious drawbacks:it was an awkward weapon to handle, which required wearing gloves to change the :anon when it was hot. Despite its shortcomings, the M1919A6 was manufactured in large numbers (43,479 at the end of its production), and the troops had to be content with it, because it fulfilled its role better than the BAR. But no one disputed an essential quality of the 2 different M1919 machine guns:their reliability in conditions where other weapons would have failed.
All M1919s operated on the principle of :ulasse recoil, which was taken up by an accelerator until springs returned the mechanism to its starting position.