M-1917A1 Water Cooled Machine Gun
Following World War I the M-1917 was modified and remanufactured at the Rock Island Arsenal, IL. The modified weapon was designated M-1917A1. Additional modifications were made to new production machine guns. The M-1971A1 was the Army's standard battalion level machine gun in World War II and Korea. The M-1917 had a rate of fire of 450-600 cpm.
Browning machinegun, cal. .30, M-1917A1.
The M1917 machine guns fired the .30-06 cartridge, originally developed for the M-1903 Springfield rifle and later used for many other rifles and light machine guns. The original World War I ammunition boxes for this weapon were made of wood. The boxes were replaced by metal during World War II.
1932 photo of "speed car" mounted with Browning Machine Gun in Nicaragua.
Specifications of the M-1917 Browning Machine Gun
Sgt. 1st Class Gary G. Beylickjian provides instruction on the M-1917 to new members of the Heavy Machinegun Platoon, H Co., 7th Inf. Regt., 3rd Inf. Div., following the Korean armistice in 1953.
| Caliber | .30 |
| Effective range (on tripod) | 2500 yards |
| Maximum usable range | about 4000 yards |
| Method of Feed | fabric belt |
| Barrel Length | 24 inches |
| Weight of gun (and pintle) | 32.8 lbs. |
| Tripod weight | 53.2 lbs. |
| Total weight, including gun, tripod, water, ammunition, and box | 102.5 lbs. |
| Rate of fire | 50-600 rounds per minute |
| Manufacturer | Browning |
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