1918 Browning BAR?

[RASelkirk]

Where did they all go? These were the workhorses of two major wars, I've been watching Gunbroker for months and have never seen one come up. Are the Ohio Ordinance BAR's collectible? They don't really have a history like a war survivor would...

Russ

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[browningautorifle]

The good onnes are in FA collections I should think. We have some here in Canada that are FA but most are Converted Auto. Just fixed at semi...the Ohio Ord guns would be shooters. But...what a shooter. If you need an FA, try this site... http://www.subguns.com/classifieds/ He usually has some.

[RCS]

Sometime around 1937, US Ordnance started to upgrade the Model 1918 BAR to the Model 1918A1 which included a bipod mounted on the gas cylinder. By the start of WW2, the BAR was upgraded again to the Model 1918A2 with the later bipod. By the end of WW2 very few Model 1918 BAR's were in US service as most were rebuilt to the A2 configuration.

Even after the bipod was adopted there were still manuals to train troops to used the BAR without a bipod (photos shows 1940 manual and both early and late bipods)Attachment 58761Attachment 58762

[Harlan (Deceased)]

The good onnes are in FA collections I should think. We have some here in Canada that are FA but most are Converted Auto. Just fixed at semi...the Ohio Ord guns would be shooters. But...what a shooter. If you need an FA, try this site... http://www.subguns.com/classifieds/ He usually has some.

Neat MG site Jim... (If only I had a 'Money Tree')

[RASelkirk]

So, all the USGI ones are select fire? Maybe that's why I'm not seeing them very often. The real ones from subguns are at least 4x what the Ohio Ord builds are...

Russ

[browningautorifle]

The early ones were select, safe/semi/FA. The later ones had two rates of fire. Approx 300-450 or 500-650 rounds/min (M1918A2). One at Subguns.com was an original Colt I think...a 1918 model, very pretty.

[browningautorifle]

And if I was only in Texas, I'd be living in a basement with a vault door for all the subguns...

[Harlan (Deceased)]

You couldn't take the brutal weather here Jim! They say it might drop to below 50F here tonight!!
BRRRRRRRRR!!! Break out the electric blankets and put another log on the fire!

[browningautorifle]

Yup...I'm still in a T shirt and was out in the shed casting bullets today. It's the rest of the country that get the ugly weather...mostly...30F here today. I checked.

[joem]

I would think the Ohio Ordnance BAR's are not collectable at this time. While expensive they are fun rifles to shoot, extremly well made and HEAVY. Always draws a crowd when I take it to the range.