The Browning Automatic Rifle: A Short History

by
posted on March 3, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
browning.jpg

In early 1917, the United States began its inevitable path to being pulled into the Great European War that began in 1914. John M. Browning of Ogden, Utah, foresaw the need for lighter machine guns and took a working example of his new automatic rifle to Hartford, Conn., to demonstrate to the directors of Colt’s on Feb. 27, 1917.

Exactly a year later, in Washington D.C., 300 American military officers and assorted Congressional leaders were able to personally try out Browning’s new automatic rifle chambered in .30-’06 Sprg. Dubbed the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), Winchester was given the initial order for 25,000 BARs, and Gen. John J. Pershing’s troops began to take delivery of them in France in June 1918. The U.S. Model of 1918 Browning Automatic Rifle’s first combat use was recorded on Sept. 22, 1918, by the men of the 79th Infantry Division.

Browning BAR serial number stamping on left and trench knife on right with sheath.

The rest, as they say, is history. The BAR and its successor variants saw service from the Meuse-Argonne to Vietnam. More than 500,000 were produced, and it remains one of Browning’s most amazing contributions to the U.S. military’s inventory of small arms that helped win two World Wars. For a more in-depth look at the original Model of 1918, check out Bruce Canfield's extensive look covering this first model in "The U.S. Model of 1918 Browning Automatic Rifle."

Of course, that wasn't the end for the Browning Automatic Rifle. Following WWI, the BAR served well in the U.S. Military, seeing action around the globe over the next two decades in places like China, Haiti and Nicaragua. A commercial model of the BAR entered the market under the name "Colt Monitor," which saw action not in a strange land overseas but in America's backyard as gangsters and FBI agents battled it out during the Prohibition Era. You can read about one such encounter in Barrington, Ill. here in "A Battle At Barrington: The Men & The Guns."

This wasn't the end for the Browning Automatic Rifle, though. Not by a long shot. Just prior to U.S. entry into WWII, the U.S. Military adopted the final and most widely produced version of the BAR: the M1918A2. Much had changed from the original BAR. The gun featured a hinged bipod, a modified buttstock and was capable of firing in full-automatic only, with a slow and fast rate of fire of 300-450 r.p.m and 500-650 r.p.m., respectively.

It wasn't only M1918A2 BARs that saw service during WWII. Many original Model of 1918 Browning Automatic Rifles went overseas to arm the British under Lend-Lease, escaping conversion into the M1918A2. After WWII, the BAR continued to see service in the U.S. Military in Korea, and many remained in inventory well into the 1960s, long past the adoption of the M60. For more details on the Browning Automatic Rifle's service, check out "John Browning's Automatic Rifle."


The NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va., the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops In Springfield, Mo., and the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, N.M., offer the opportunity to learn the story of firearms, freedom and the American experience. nramuseums.com

Latest

Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto
Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Review: Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Following the success of its .45 ACP-chambered LC Carbine, Ruger realized that this platform would go a long way toward making the 10 mm Auto more controllable and fun to shoot, and a new 10 mm version was released in 2024.

The Armed Citizen® July 14, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Favorite Firearms: A Little Stevens From Chicago

"Over the next five or six years, and before I went off to college, I fired hundreds and hundreds of rounds of .22 BB Caps, CB Caps, Shorts and Longs through this rifle."

Preview: Strike Industries T-Bone Charging Handle

The T-Bone from Strike Industries is an ideal fit for suppressed applications, as it can be configured by the user to redirect gas blowback entirely to either side ...

New For 2025: Weatherby Model 307 Range XP 2.0 & Alpine ST Rifles

Weatherby's Model 307 bolt-action rifle opens up a world of aftermarket components to consumers, thanks to its Model 700 receiver footprint, and the company now has two new models for hunters and sport shooters.

Preview: Thunderbolt To The Rebels | The United States Sharpshooters In The Civil War

Author Darin Wipperman provides a tantalizing glimpse into the world of Berdan’s sharpshooters during the American Civil War.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.