M1919 Browning machine gun
| Gun, Machine, Caliber .30, Browning, M1919 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Medium machine gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1919–present |
| Used by | See users |
| Wars |
Banana Wars World War II Korean War First Indochina War Congo Crisis Vietnam War Rhodesian Bush War Six-Day War Cambodian Civil War Syrian Civil War other conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designer | John M. Browning |
| Designed | 1919 |
| Produced | 1919–45 |
| Number built | ~5 million |
| Variants | A1; A2; A3; A4; A5; A6; M37 and AN/M2 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 31 lb (14 kg) (M1919A4) |
| Length |
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| Barrel length | 24 in (610 mm) |
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| Cartridge | |
| Action | Recoil-operated/short-recoil operation |
| Rate of fire |
400–600 round/min (1200–1500 for AN/M2 variant) |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1,500 yd (1,400 m) (maximum effective range) |
| Feed system | 250-round belt |
400–600 round/min
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1919 saw service as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries. Many M1919s were rechambered for the new 7.62×51mm NATO round and remain in service to this day.
The M1919 was an air-cooled development of the standard US machine gun of World War I, the John M. Browning-designed water-cooled M1917. The emergence of general-purpose machine guns in the 1950s pushed the M1919 into secondary roles in many cases, especially after the arrival of the M60 in US Army service. The United States Navy also converted many to 7.62mm NATO, and designated them Mk 21 Mod 0; they were commonly used on river craft in the 1960s and 1970s in Vietnam. Many NATO countries also converted their examples to 7.62, and these remained in service well into the 1990s, as well as up to the present day in some countries.
A similar conversion of the M1917 also produced the larger M2 Machine Gun, using the same basic operating principles and layout but firing the much more powerful .50 caliber (12.7mm) ammunition. The M1919 is distinguished by its smaller size and the use of a pierced cheese-grater-like guard around the barrel used on most versions.
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