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Browning Automatic Rifle
Browning Automatic Rifle
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) 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 Light Machine Gun 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 500-650rpm (M1918 / M1922 / M1918A1) 500rpm (Colt Monitor) selectable 300-450rpm & 500-650rpm (M1918A2)
- Weight Unloaded 16lb 0oz (7.28kg) (M1918) 24lb (11kg) (M1922) 13.2lb (6kg) (Colt Monitor) 19lb (8.8kg) (M1918A2)
- Feed System: 20 round box magazine
- Fire Modes: Semiautomatic/Full Automatic (M1918, M1918A1), "Slow" Full-Auto/"Fast" Full-Auto (M1918A2)
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For Whom the Bell Tolls | Gary Cooper | Robert Jordan | 1943 | |
| Gung Ho! | Marine Raider | 1943 | ||
| A Walk In The Sun | US Army soldiers | 1945 | ||
| They Were Expendable | US Navy sailor | Without bipod | 1945 | |
| Back to Bataan | Philippine guerrilla fighters | 1945 | ||
| Battleground | 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 | |
| Halls of Montezuma | Martin Milner | Whitney | 1951 | |
| Halls of Montezuma | US Marines | 1951 | ||
| Battle Circus | U.S. Army soldier | 1953 | ||
| Between Heaven and Hell | US National Guards | 1956 | ||
| The Deadly Mantis | US Military personnel | 1957 | ||
| The Young Lions | Lee Van Cleef | U S Army soldier | 1958 | |
| Pork Chop Hill | US Army soldiers | 1959 | ||
| The FBI Story | William Phipps | Lester "Baby Face" Nelson | 1959 | |
| Hell Is for Heroes | Mike Kellin | Pvt Kolinsky | 1962 | |
| The Longest Day | US Army soldiers | 1962 | ||
| Merrill's Marauders | US Army soldiers | 1962 | ||
| Battle of the Bulge | US Army soldiers | 1965 | ||
| The 317th Platoon | French soldiers | M1918A2 version | 1965 | |
| The Sand Pebbles | Steve McQueen | Jake Holman | Early model with anachronistic muzzle brake | 1966 |
| Tarzan and the Valley of Gold | Mike Henry | Tarzan | M1918 | 1966 |
| Tarzan and the Valley of Gold | Vinero's soldiers | M1918 | 1966 | |
| Is Paris Burning? | Free French Forces soldiers | 1966 | ||
| The Sand Pebbles | Richard Crenna | Capt. Collins | Early model with anachronistic A2 muzzle brake | 1966 |
| Beach Red | US Marines | 1967 | ||
| Westerplatte | Polish soldiers | Polish wz. 28, late version | 1967 | |
| The Devil's Brigade | Luke Askew | Pvt. Hubert Hixon | 1968 | |
| The Bridge at Remagen | George Segal | Lt. Hartman | Early model | 1969 |
| The Bridge at Remagen | US Army soldiers | Early model | 1969 | |
| Castle Keep | Tony Bill | Lt. Amberjack | 1969 | |
| Castle Keep | Scott Wilson | Cpl. Clearboy | 1969 | |
| Kelly's Heroes | Perry Lopez | Pvt. Petuko | FN BAR Type D | 1970 |
| Kelly's Heroes | Fred Pearlman | Pvt. Mitchell | FN BAR Type D | 1970 |
| Kelly's Heroes | Michael Clark | Pvt. Grace | FN BAR Type D | 1970 |
| The Omega Man | Charlton Heston | Neville | With bipod removed and M3 infrared night scope | 1971 |
| Dillinger | Warren Oates | John Dillinger | Early model | 1973 |
| Dillinger | Harry Dean Stanton | Homer Van Meter | Early model | 1973 |
| Dillinger | Richard Dreyfuss | Lester "Baby Face" Nelson | Early model | 1973 |
| Dillinger | Geoffrey Lewis | Harry Pierpont | Early model | 1973 |
| Dillinger | Michelle Phillips | Billie Frechette | Early model | 1973 |
| Go Tell the Spartans | South Vietnamese troops | 1978 | ||
| Apocalypse Now | French Colonists | 1979 | ||
| Cuba | Cuban soldier | Browning wz. 1928 | 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 | |
| Jungle Warriors | Paramilitary guard | 1984 | ||
| Exterminator 2 | Mounted on Eastland's truck | 1984 | ||
| Order No. 027 (Myung ryoung-027 ho) | ROK Armed Forces soldiers | 1986 | ||
| Laser Mission | soldiers | 1989 | ||
| Michael Collins | IRA member and a Black & Tan | 1996 | ||
| Last Man Standing | Mexican police officer | Dressed as a Colt Monitor | 1996 | |
| The Thin Red Line | David Harrod | Cpl. Queen | 1998 | |
| The Thin Red Line | Robert Roy Hofmo | Pvt. Sico | 1998 | |
| Pearl Harbor | Matthew Davis | Joe | 2001 | |
| Pearl Harbor | US Military personnel | 2001 | ||
| Saving Private Ryan | Edward Burns | PFC Richard Reiben | With bipod removed | 1998 |
| City Of God | Charles Paraventi | Charlie "Uncle Sam" | 2002 | |
| The Quiet American | Gen. The's soldiers | 2002 | ||
| The Rundown | Henchmen | Without bipod | 2003 | |
| The Rundown | Dwayne Johnson | Beck | Without bipod | 2003 |
| 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 | |
| Assembly (Ji jie hao) | Chinese Nationalist soldiers | FN BAR Type D | 2007 | |
| Public Enemies | Stephen Dorff | Homer Van Meter | Customized with cut-down barrel | 2009 |
| 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 | |
| City 44 | Polish insurgent | Browning wz. 1928 | 2014 | |
| Fury (2014) | U.S. Army soldiers | 2014 | ||
| Hacksaw Ridge | Luke Bracey | Smitty Ryker | with bipod removed | 2016 |
| Hacksaw Ridge | US Army soldiers | with bipod removed | 2016 |
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 | ||
| Deadliest Warrior | French Foreign Legion | . | 2009-2011 | |
| The Pacific | US Marines | 2010 | ||
| Bonnie and Clyde (2013) | William Hurt | Frank Hamer | Colt Monitor | 2013 |
| Bonnie and Clyde (2013) | Holliday Grainger | Bonnie Parker | 2013 | |
| Bonnie and Clyde (2013) | Emile Hirsch | Clyde Barrow | 2013 | |
| Parer's War | US Marines | 2014 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWII G.I. | . | . | . | 1999 |
| Medal of Honor (1999) | . | . | . | 1999 |
| Medal of Honor: Underground | . | . | Used in Panzerknacker Unleashed! (Bonus Mission) | 2000 |
| Medal of Honor: Allied Assault | . | . | . | 2002 |
| Medal of Honor: Frontline | . | . | . | 2002 |
| Medal of Honor: Heroes | . | . | . | 2006 |
| Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | . | . | . | 2003 |
| Medal of Honor: Infiltrator | . | . | . | 2003 |
| Forgotten Hope | . | . | M1918A2 w/ bipod and wz.1928 | 2003 |
| Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault | . | . | . | 2004 |
| Medal of Honor: Airborne | . | . | With various upgrades available | 2007 |
| Medal of Honor: Vanguard | BAR | . | M1918A2 | 2007 |
| Day of Defeat: Source | . | . | With semi and full auto fire modes | 2005 |
| Call of Duty | . | . | With ability to fast/slow fire and bipod removed | 2003 |
| World War II Online: Battleground Europe | . | . | Released with 1.34 update, M1918A2 | 2011 |
| Call of Duty: United Offensive | . | . | With bipod removed | 2004 |
| Call of Duty 2 | . | . | . | 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 |
| Call of Duty 3 | . | . | . | 2006 |
| Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45 | . | . | With deployable bipod | 2006 |
| Call of Duty: World at War | . | . | . | 2008 |
| Commandos: Strike Force | 2006 | |||
| Battlefield: 1942 | . | . | . | 2002 |
| Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood | . | . | . | 2005 |
| Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway | . | . | . | 2008 |
| UberSoldier | 2006 | |||
| Jurassic: The Hunted | As the ".30-06 Assault Rifle" | . | Incorrectly shown with optional 30-round magazine | 2009 |
| Fallout Tactics | "Browning Auto Rifle" | 2001 | ||
| Fallout: New Vegas | "Automatic Rifle" | pistol grip | M1918A2, rechambered for .308 Win/7.62x51mm NATO(Dead Money expansion) | 2010 |
| 7554 | "M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle" | bipod but you can not use it | 2011 | |
| vietcong 2 | 2005 | |||
| Hidden & Dangerous 2 | 2003 | |||
| Karma Online | 2011 | |||
| L.A. Noire | . | . | . | 2011 |
| Project Reality: Normandy | Can switch between 360 RPM and 650 RPM settings | 2013 | ||
| Counter-Strike Online | "M1918 BAR" | . | M1918A2 | 2014 |
| Enemy Front | WZ.28 | Browning wz. 1928 | 2014 | |
| Battle of Empires : 1914-1918 | BAR | M1918 | 2014 | |
| Verdun | "Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 BAR" | M1918 | 2015 | |
| Battlefield 1 | M1918 | 2016 | ||
| Heroes & Generals | M1918A2 | 2016 |
Anime
| Film Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage | Gretel | 2006 | |
| Strike Witches | Charlotte E. Yeager | Without bipod | 2008 |
Ohio Ordnance HCAR
The Ohio Ordnance Heavy Counter Assault Rifle (HCAR) is a modernized version of the BAR.
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
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 | Notes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield Hardline | HCAR | w/ various attachments | Incorrectly has a full-auto option | 2015 |
See Also
- Browning Arms Company - A list of all firearms manufactured by Browning.