M-1919 .30 cal. Machine Gun
M-1919A4 on packboard. Click for larger image.
Photo courtesy of BMG Parts.
More photos and videos of the M-1919 .30 cal. Machine Gun are available at the linked page and in the Olive-Drab.com Gallery.
At the Olive-Drab.com YouTube Channel, the video Automatic Weapons: American vs. German (1943) compares the M-1919 .30 cal. Machine Gun to the German MG34 & MG42 Machine Guns and to the M-1917 .30 cal. Machine Gun.
Machine Gun, Cal. .30, M1919A4/M1919A6
Official name: Machine Gun, Cal. .30, M1919A4/M1919A6. The M-1919A2, the predecessor to the M-1919A4 and M-1919A6, evolved from the Browning model M-1917 water-cooled machine gun. The M-1919 series .30 cal. machine gun was replaced by the M-60 7.62mm machine gun in the mid-1950s, but continued to be used into the Vietnam War. M-1919A4 was used as both a company level flexible light machine gun on the M-2 tripod mount and as a fixed machine gun on armored vehicles. The M-1919A4 had a heavier barrel with a ventilated barrel jacket, but developed a slower rate of fire (400-550 cpm) than the water-cooled gun. The M-1919 series fired the Army's standard .30-06 round in fabric or metal link belts.
Browning machinegun, cal. .30, M-1919A6 (M2 mount).
The M-1919A5 was a modification to the M1919A4 for use as a tank machine gun. M-1919A6 was a war time modification to add tactical flexibility by substitution of a bipod in place of the tripod and addition of a shoulder stock and carrying handle. The M-1919A6 had a lighter barrel than the M-1919A4 and had a rate of 400-500 cpm. A total of 43,479 M-1919A6 were built. The M-1919 series, still in use around the world, has been one of the most reliable and efficient machine guns ever produced.
M-1919 Series Machine Gun Specifications
| Caliber |
.30 |
| Effective range (on tripod) |
900-1500 yards |
| Maximum usable range |
About 4000 yards |
| Method of Feed |
Disintegrating link belt |
| Length of gun |
40.9 inches |
| Length of barrel |
24 inches |
| Weight of gun |
31 lbs. |
| Rate of fire |
400-500 rounds per minute |
| Manufacturer |
General Motors and others |
M-1919A6 machine gun, 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, October 1950.
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