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96-528: Filed for patent in 1892, the M1895's operating mechanism is one of John and Matthew S. Browning's early patents for automatic rifles; they had previously been working on lever-action rifles for Winchester such as the Winchester 1886 . In a typical lever-action design, the operating lever lies under the rear of the gun, typically below the stock, and is hinged near the breech area. It is operated by rotating

192-446: A .276 in (7.0 mm)-thick suspended chrome steel alloy boiler plate at 150 ft (46 m). The 112-grain (0.26 oz; 7.3 g) round-nosed bullet had a flatter trajectory than its 135-grain (0.31 oz; 8.7 g) predecessor at all ranges up to 500 yards; above this distance, the heavier bullet began to show an advantage. The new loading had an effective range (individual rifle fire) of 600-700 yards, at which point

288-422: A 100% increase in penetration compared to the former .45-70 Government cartridge, and the ability to carry twice the number of cartridges per individual sailor or Marine. The report also acknowledged that the 6 mm round had two principal disadvantages: first, as a small-caliber round, the 6 mm bullet would not sufficiently wound an enemy to put him out of action, and second, the "shock" or stopping power of

384-794: A 112-grain (0.26 oz; 7.3 g) bullet at 2,560  ft/s (780  m/s ) from a 28 in (710 mm) barrel, the 6 mm U.S.N. was the highest-velocity cartridge used by any military force at the time of its adoption. Designed to achieve better penetration than the Army's .30 Army cartridge used in the Model 1892/98 (Krag) rifle, the round was intended to perforate the hulls of small enemy craft such as patrol and torpedo boats, and could penetrate 13 in (330 mm) of softwood at 700 yd (640 m), 0.5 in (13 mm) of low-carbon steel at 10 feet (3 m); 0.375-inch (9.5 mm) of ordinary boiler plate at 100 ft (30 m), or

480-488: A 2.35-inch-long case and 0.517-inch rim, with a bullet diameter of 0.244 inches (the bore diameter before rifling was 0.236 inches). The rifle powder for the new cartridge was Rifleite , a flake nitrocellulose smokeless powder originally developed for use in the British .303 cartridge. The new 6 mm cartridge achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,550 fps (777 m/s) and was initially manufactured by Winchester (WRA) for

576-670: A Colt M1895. The Marlin gun saw postwar use on the machine gun version of US Army's M1917 Tank , an American version of the French Renault FT . However, the Marlin guns quickly disappeared from U.S. military service after the great success of the .30 Browning machine guns and variants subsequently adopted for air, ground, and shipboard use, with the debut of the M1919 Browning machine gun air-cooled ordnance. After World War I, some Colt–Browning guns (possibly including

672-556: A Colt gun mounted on a Dundonald galloping carriage to stop a rare mounted Boer charge, resulting in his being awarded the Victoria Cross , one of three awarded to Canadians in that action. Winston Churchill , then a young Lieutenant in the South African Light Horse and a war correspondent, was impressed by the effect of the fire of a whole battery of these guns. The Canadian success with the M1895 led to

768-468: A caliber smaller than as yet adopted elsewhere...the Bureau is convinced it is looking to the future … it is surely wise to attempt to advance with one stride as far as existing conditions allow toward the goal to which the world is moving with slow steps." The report went on to list the advantages of the smaller 6 mm caliber: greatly increased velocity, the flatness of bullet trajectory, reduced recoil,

864-566: A dismounted volunteer cavalry regiment that fought in Cuba, also deployed two M1895 Colt machine guns in 7×57mm Mauser caliber (built for export, both guns were privately purchased for the Rough Riders by family members of the troops), but although they did cause some Spanish casualties were reportedly somewhat unreliable. As Lt. Col. Roosevelt noted, "These Colt automatic guns were not, on the whole, very successful...they proved more delicate than

960-436: A gas port about six inches (15 cm) back from the muzzle. To minimize heating during rapid fire, the gun used a very heavy straight contour barrel , bringing its weight up to 35 pounds (15.8 kg). Later versions added prominent finning to aid air cooling. The standard tripod mount with seat for the gunner added another 56 pounds (25.4 kg). Despite the heavy barrel, the closed bolt mechanism would cook off shots if

1056-439: A hard substance such as bone or metal. However, when the 6 mm bullet struck muscle or air-filled cavities such as the lungs, the bullet tended to make a perforating wound of small diameter that caused little damage. The 6 mm Lee Navy cartridge proved expensive to produce, with a per round cost approximately double that of the previous .45-70 service cartridge. Delays caused by difficulties in getting smokeless powder of

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1152-439: A result, the light, roundnosed 6 mm bullet lost much of its effectiveness at 600–700 yards, while the 220-grain (0.50 oz; 14 g) round-nosed bullet of the .30 Army service cartridge was still considered effective at ranges of 1,000 yards or more, an important consideration in the days when rifle and indirect machine gun fire at distant targets such as massed enemy infantry was considered necessary. While by no means

1248-410: A round was left chambered in a hot barrel. This required that the gun be unloaded immediately after an extended burst of firing. During testing of the gun, it was found to be capable of firing extended bursts of over 1,000 rounds before the barrel overheated and bullets began to tumble out of control; upon stopping, the red-hot barrel cooked off four or five additional shots before cooling down. The gun

1344-690: A series of rifles and shotguns, most notably the lever action Winchester Model 1887 and the Model 1897 pump shotgun, the falling-block single-shot Model 1885 , and the lever-action Model 1886 , Model 1892 , Model 1894 , Model 1895 rifles. After falling out with Winchester, Browning designed the long recoil operated semi-automatic Remington Model 8 rifle. Many of the models are still in production today in some form; over six million Model 1894s had been produced as of 1983, more than any other sporting rifle in history. Winchester manufactured several popular small arms designed by John M. Browning. For decades in

1440-532: A significant advance in firepower for the Marines, who employed them in the first known use of machine guns by the American military to provide tactical support of infantry forces during an assault. In contrast, Army regular forces in the campaign were still burdened with heavy, manually operated Gatling guns that required heavy artillery carriages pulled by mule transport. Lt. Colonel Roosevelt 's Rough Riders ,

1536-470: A single fee payment. With this new product, Browning and his brother Matthew sought royalties based upon unit sales, rather than a single front-end fee payment. If the new shotgun became highly successful, the Browning company stood to make substantially more income. Winchester management, which had agreed to royalties for an earlier Browning shotgun design that was never manufactured, now refused to accede to

1632-529: A universal opinion, the lack of shocking power of the 6mm Lee reported by some Marine units in combat may also have weighed against the idea of delaying a change to the .30 Army for all services. A further complication was that issues of barrel wear from the Rifleite smokeless powder and corrosive primer used in the 6 mm cartridge continued to plague Navy ordnance authorities. Finally, due in part to its long, thick-gauged semi-rimless rim case and beveled rim,

1728-591: A very long time. Well into the Second World War they were still being issued to second-line units, namely to MVSN branches such as DICAT (in charge of Flak guns) and MILMART (coastal artillery) for the anti-aircraft defense of Italy proper as late as 1943. John Browning John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges , and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around

1824-436: A year. In March 1897, after reports of excessive chamber pressures and short barrel life (3,000 rounds) despite the use of 4.5 percent nickel-steel barrels, the specifications for the 6 mm round were changed to incorporate a 112-grain (0.26 oz; 7.3 g) round-nosed lead core bullet with a copper jacket, which was then tin-plated to prevent corrosion from salt air. Winchester and UMC had difficulty in achieving

1920-608: The 6mm U.S.N. or .236 Navy , is an obsolete American rifle cartridge . It was the service cartridge of the United States Navy and Marine Corps from 1895 (therefore replacing the .45-70 Government rifle cartridge) to 1899, when it was then itself replaced by the more modern .30-40 Krag rifle cartridge. By 1894, the U.S. Navy desired to adopt a modern small-bore, smokeless powder service cartridge and rifle in keeping with other first-line naval powers for both naval and marine forces. Naval authorities decided that

2016-604: The Browning Citori made in Asia, continue to be manufactured into the 21st century and come with varying grades of fine hand engraving and premium quality wood. Throughout his life, Browning designed a vast array of military and civilian small arms for his own company, as well as for Winchester , Colt , Remington , Savage , Stevens , and Fabrique Nationale de Herstal of Belgium. Browning firearms have been made, both licensed and unlicensed, by hundreds of factories around

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2112-784: The Colorado Coalfield War . In 1914, an emplaced "digger" of one of these private militias fired extensively into a miner camp in Ludlow, Colorado, an event later termed the Ludlow Massacre . A privately purchased M1895 also provided the main armament of an armored car of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency used to terrorize miners' camps during the strike, which the miners called the Death Special . The First Newfoundland Regiment of

2208-633: The Guantánamo Bay campaign. The lighter weight of the 6 mm Lee cartridge meant individual riflemen could carry more cartridges, since one-hundred and sixty .30 Army cartridges weighed as much as 220 rounds of 6 mm. The extra cartridges proved useful when early ammunition resupply from Navy ships was disrupted at the outset of the Guantanamo operation, allowing Marines to continue their assault even while individually resupplying Cuban rebels who had run short of ammunition. Later, during

2304-598: The Lee Rifle, Model of 1895, caliber 6mm . As adopted by the Navy after tests at the Naval Torpedo Station, the ball cartridge, 6mm or 6 mm USN cartridge, featured a long, bottle-necked semi-rimmed brass case and a 135-grain (0.31 oz; 8.7 g) round-nosed, cupro-nickel coated, steel-jacketed, lead core bullet. The initial version utilized a 135-grain steel-jacketed lead core bullet with

2400-551: The M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle , and the Browning Auto-5  – the first semi-automatic shotgun . Some of these arms are still manufactured, often with only minor changes in detail and cosmetics to those assembled by Browning or his licensees. The Browning-designed M1911 and Hi-Power are some of the most copied firearms in the world. Browning's father Jonathan —who was among

2496-541: The Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) as a field weapon for Marine infantrymen defending the mouth of the Piave river. They also appeared on Navy vessels, with as many as four equipping each Italian MAS (torpedo boat) , on "Class F" submarines and on some destroyers . The MAS used by Gabriele D'Annunzio in the famous Beffa di Buccari and displayed at his former residence ( Vittoriale degli italiani ) still mounts

2592-487: The .30 Army or the 6mm Lee. In 1899, the Navy officially adopted the .30 Army cartridge for all small arms, though it continued to use the 6 mm for existing stocks of Lee rifles and Colt machine guns. In 1907, the Navy adopted the .30-06 Springfield cartridge for both rifles and machine guns. 6mm Lee ammunition still in military stores in 1917 was sold at auction by the government to a private military surplus dealer, F.W. Bannerman & Co. Unfortunately for Bannerman,

2688-436: The 6mm Lee was one of the most expensive service cartridges to produce in terms of cost per round, yet it was already becoming obsolescent in comparison to ammunition that used more efficient powders and true rimless cases. Rapid developments in military small arms ammunition would soon demonstrate the advantages of a magazine-fed rifle and machine gun cartridge with a rimless case and spitzer bullet, features not found in either

2784-684: The Auto-5 ) and the new Model 1912 pump shotgun, which was based in small part upon design features of the earlier Browning-designed Winchester Model 1897 shotgun. This shift marked the end of an era of Winchester-Browning collaboration. John Browning was known as a dedicated and tireless innovator and experimenter who sought breakthrough consumer-oriented features and performance and reliability improvements in small arms designs. He did not retire in his later years but dedicated his entire adult life – literally to his last day – to these pursuits. On November 26, 1926, while working at

2880-767: The Belgian Exile Army. The French also tested the Colt and some were used in early aircraft for testing. Additional Colt guns were sent to the Russians, who used them extensively. While the United States used the M1895 for training, it was considered obsolete by the time the United States entered the war, and saw no service. Colt ceased production of the M1895 and variants in 1916, selling the machinery and rights to manufacture to Marlin Rockwell , who took over

2976-587: The British Army also purchased a Colt-Browning for training purposes in 1914. The M1895/14 Colt–Browning saw use in France by some Canadian infantry formations. Deploying to France in 1915, the 21st Battalion, CEF used .303-caliber M1895/14 machine guns in combat, as did the 10th Battalion, CEF which employed them until mid-1917 when they were replaced by the Lewis. The Colts were reallocated to equip formations of

M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun - Misplaced Pages Continue

3072-555: The Brownings' terms. Remington Arms also was approached but the president of the company died of a heart attack while the Brownings were waiting to offer him the gun. Remington would later produce a copy of the Auto-5 as the Model 11 which was used by the US Military and was also sold to the civilian market. Having recently successfully negotiated firearm licenses with Fabrique Nationale de Herstal of Belgium (FN), Browning took

3168-727: The Gatlings, and very readily got out of order." The two M1895 guns were transferred to Lt. John Parker 's Gatling Gun Detachment, who used them in the siege of Santiago . The M1895 in 6mm Lee was also utilized by American Naval and Marine forces during the Philippine–American War , and the Boxer Rebellion , where it proved to be accurate and reliable. Around 1904 the Mexican government purchased 150 of these guns in 7mm Mauser caliber, and these guns were employed throughout

3264-661: The Lee had not received either rifles or ammunition until 1897, two years after the adoption of the cartridge and rifle. Colonel-Commandant Charles Heywood of the Marine Corps reportedly refused initial deliveries of small numbers of Lee rifles to Marine battalions until he received assurances that an appropriation would be made to the Corps for at least 3,000 Lee rifles, improved target ranges, and enough ammunition to continue existing marksmanship training programs. Despite this threat,

3360-399: The M1895 rifle. The revised cartridge was designated the 6 mm U.S.N., but continued to be referred to in naval stores reports as the ball cartridge, 6 mm. Owing to difficulties in obtaining acceptable lots of Rifleite smokeless powder for the cartridge, as well as cartridge clips, Winchester and UMC did not fill the initial April 1896 Navy order of 1,000,000 cartridges for more than

3456-526: The M1895 was introduced in 1917 for tank and aircraft use, later designated the Marlin M1917 and M1918, with a Swedish armaments designer named Carl Gustave Swebilius responsible for the improvements. Like the Navy Marlins, these variants used a linear gas piston in place of the 'potato digger' arm and bore little outward physical resemblance to the basic "digger" design. The new reciprocating piston

3552-765: The M1917/18 Marlin variants) saw use in the Russian Civil war. Its most spectacular use came during the Czech Legion 's exodus from Russia, where the guns (either Colt–Browning M1914 or Marlin M1917 models) were photographed in sandbagged stations on the top of trains being used to transport the Legion as it withdrew from Soviet Russia. Many of these guns were also used in the Polish–Soviet War of 1920. At

3648-767: The Marine Legation Guard, which used the 6mm Lee in the defense of the foreign legations in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), together with Marines and Navy bluejackets serving in the expedition relieving the besieged legations, apparently had no such criticisms. However, the high velocity 6 mm round was ahead of its time in terms of powder technology and barrel steel metallurgy. In addition to complaints of bore fouling with corrosive nitro-compounds M1895 rifles in service began to display signs of early barrel wear and throat erosion caused by inconsistent chamber pressures and powder burn rates, despite

3744-601: The Marlin-Rockwell firm, in the hands of a guardsman supporting sheriff's deputies. The presence of the breech-to-muzzle finned aluminum heat sink indicates the gun was most likely a Marlin-Rockwell M1917/18 machine gun purchased by the Army in 1917–18 for training and familiarization purposes, as the U.S. military never purchased the Colt M1895/1914 variant. Due to their previous use in the Spanish Army

3840-441: The Navy's requirement of nickel-steel barrels. Several factors led to the discontinuance of the 6mm Lee as an official U.S. military cartridge. The most important was the decision of the war department, based upon a recommendation by a board composed of Army, Navy, and Marine Corps officers, to standardize on the .30 Army cartridge for all services. Additionally, the 6 mm's special—and expensive—semi-rimless beveled-rim case

3936-567: The Navy. Because of production delays and the desire to have a secondary ammunition source in the event of war or another emergency, the Union Metallic Cartridge (UMC) Company was also awarded a contract to produce 6 mm ammunition. After the adoption of the M1895 Lee, the case rim of the government cartridge was redesigned with a slight bevel (rebated rim) for optimum performance in the en bloc charger-loaded magazine of

M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-486: The U.S.'s standard military side arm until 1986; a variant is still used by special operations units of the United States Marine Corps and the design remains very popular among civilian shooters and some police departments. The Browning Hi-Power has had a similarly lengthy period of military service outside the United States. The .50 caliber M2 Browning machine gun – the enduring "Ma Deuce" –

4128-876: The US Army was the M1909 Benét–Mercié (Hotchkiss) machine-rifle , a bipod-mounted, strip-feed machine gun. Further south, the M1895 was also used by the Uruguayan Army against rebels during a late flare-up of the Uruguayan Civil War in 1904. Canadian mounted troops successfully used .303 M1895 guns in the Second Boer War (1899–1902). In one spectacular rear guard action at the Battle of Leliefontein on 7 November 1900, Sergeant Edward James Gibson Holland of The Royal Canadian Dragoons used

4224-490: The action. As gunners gained experience with operating an air-cooled machine gun, it became apparent that avoiding long continuous periods of fire materially added to the weapon's reliability and barrel life. The M1895 was the first machine gun adopted by the United States military, and it saw service with the Army (who never formally adopted it), and the US Navy/US Marines, and was adapted to use in many roles. It

4320-437: The age of seven, where he was taught basic engineering and manufacturing principles, and encouraged to experiment with new concepts. He developed his first rifle, a single-shot falling block action design while he was still his father's apprentice, then, in 1878, in partnership with his younger brother, co-founded John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company, later renamed Browning Arms Company . The company began producing

4416-506: The autoloading of ammunition. He invented, or made significant improvements to, single-shot, lever-action , and pump-action rifles and shotguns. He developed the first reliable and compact autoloading pistols by inventing the telescoping bolt , then integrating the bolt and barrel shroud into what is known as the pistol slide . Browning's telescoping bolt design is now found on nearly every modern semi-automatic pistol , as well as several modern fully automatic weapons. He also developed

4512-402: The barrel before locking again. The earliest prototype developed by Browning in fall 1889 was a .44-40 black powder cartridge rifle, weighing under 12 pounds (5.4 kg). This version placed the operating lever at the front of the barrel, and was acted on directly by the muzzle blast . An improved design was offered to Colt in 1892. The lever was moved rearward, and power was supplied by

4608-538: The bench on a self-loading pistol design for Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN) in Liège , he died of heart failure in the design shop of his son Val A. Browning . Even the 9 mm semi-automatic pistol he was working on when he died had great design merit and was eventually completed in 1935 by Belgian designer Dieudonné Saive . Released as the Fabrique Nationale GP35, it was more popularly known as

4704-422: The blunt-tipped bullet rapidly lost velocity and energy. The 112-grain (0.26 oz; 7.3 g) bullet, like its predecessor, demonstrated an inclination to instability unless rapidly rotated. The M1895 Lee rifle therefore received a rapid barrel rifling twist of one turn in 7.5 inches (19 cm) (with right-hand twist) to keep the bullet from wobbling or tumbling at extended ranges. At some point, this rifling

4800-412: The breech and locking it in a closed bolt position for firing. The bolt actuates an auto sear releasing a linear hammer when in-battery to fire the weapon. As the bullet travels down the barrel after firing, it eventually passes a hole drilled in the bottom of the barrel known as a port . The hot gasses behind the bullet flow into the port and push down on a plug, marked p in the diagrams. This causes

4896-617: The brothers' designs and other non-military firearms. By 1882, the company employed John and Matthew's half-brothers Jonathan (1859–1939), Thomas (1860–1943), William (1862–1919), and George (1866–1948). Like his father, Browning was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served a two-year mission in Georgia beginning on March 28, 1887. He married Rachel Theresa Child (September 14, 1860 – September 30, 1934) on April 10, 1879, in Ogden, Weber County, Utah Territory, and

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4992-567: The couple had 10 children, two of whom died in infancy. Production examples of the Browning Model 1878 Single Shot Rifle caught the attention of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company , who dispatched a representative to evaluate the competition. Winchester bought the design for $ 8,000 and moved production to their Connecticut factory. From 1883, Browning worked in partnership with Winchester and designed

5088-431: The day. The lever-operated repeating action gave the weapon a relatively low rate of fire (less than 400 rounds a minute). However, the low rate of fire combined with a heavy barrel also allowed the gun to be air-cooled, resulting in a simpler, lighter, and more portable machine gun compared to water-cooled designs. Though combat reports of action stoppages were not uncommon, most of these could be overcome by manually cycling

5184-537: The early stages of the Moro Rebellion (1899–1913) in the Philippines, the 6 mm cartridge was criticized by some Marines for failing to stop the frenzied charges of bolo-wielding Moro juramentados at very close ranges. The possibility that a 6 mm bullet might lack stopping power had been raised as far back as 1895 when the cartridge was in the process of being developed for adoption. However,

5280-417: The entire breech mechanism with it. The rear end of this mechanism presses on the cam, forcing the bolt upward and unlocking it. Continued motion slides the bolt rearward against the spring, while also operating the mechanism that feeds the ammunition belt and readies the next round. When it reaches the end of its motion the spring pushes everything forward again, carrying the new bullet with it and seating it in

5376-564: The first gas-operated firearm, the Colt–Browning Model 1895 machine gun  – a system that surpassed mechanical recoil operation to become the standard for most high-power self-loading firearm designs worldwide. He also made significant contributions to automatic cannon development. Browning's most successful designs include the M1911 pistol , the water-cooled M1917 , the air-cooled M1919 , and heavy M2 machine guns,

5472-407: The first example of such in a machine gun design. The bolt slides forward and rearward within a slot in the receiver area, held forward by a spring inside the tube that also holds the operator's grip handle. As it moves forward the bolt eventually meets the barrel. At that point a cam below the bolt dropped into a hole which allowed the rear of the bolt to tilt downward, seating it against the rear of

5568-602: The further use of the gun by the Canadian Army in World War I. The M1895 was also used by various U.S. state militia and guard units, including the Colorado National Guard . A few of these guns fell into the hands of private militias staffed by mine company guards after the state discontinued funding of most of the guard units assigned to maintain order during the prolonged miners' strike that became

5664-580: The government cartridge was being developed, the Navy tested rifle barrels in various alloys and rifling twists, eventually settling on a barrel steel made of 4.5 percent nickel steel, with a rifling twist of one turn in 6.5 inches. As the Chief of the Bureau of Naval Ordnance stated in his 1897 Small Arms report to the Secretary of the Navy, "In making what may appear a radical departure in its selection of

5760-695: The ground if it were fired from too low a position. The M1895 was made for export as well; the Russians ordered several thousand M1895 machine guns in 1914 in 7.62×54mmR caliber for use in World War I. In .303 British caliber, the M1895/14 saw service in the United Kingdom and France. The M1895 was also sold in 7×57mm Mauser caliber for use by various countries in South America. The Colt's unusual method of operation had both advantages and disadvantages compared to competing machine gun designs of

5856-522: The late 19th century-early 20th century, Browning designs and Winchester firearms were synonymous and the collaboration was highly successful. This came to an end when Browning proposed a new long recoil operated semi-automatic shotgun design, a prototype finished in 1898, to Winchester management, which ultimately became the Browning Auto-5 shotgun. As was the custom of the time, Browning's earlier designs had been sold exclusively to Winchester for

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5952-426: The lever down and forward, which causes the breechblock to slide rearward away from the barrel and eject the spent round. The potato digger mechanism, in effect, bears some similarities to the basic lever action design; it uses a lever that is powered by the expanding gases that are propelling the bullet down the barrel, rather than the operator's hands. The M1895 uses a tilting bolt to lock into position when firing,

6048-428: The lower diagram, with the lever having traveled through an arc of about 160 degrees. A spring located at the hinge is compressed by this motion, and eventually causes the lever to rotate forward again, forcing the plug back into the port and holding it there when it is not in motion. Connected to the midpoint of the rotating lever is a long metal arm. The motion of the lever causes this arm to be forced rearward, pushing

6144-508: The machine gun was used extensively on both sides of the Spanish Civil War. It was notably used to great effect at the Battle of Jarama by the British battalion however it often jammed and so was ill thought of by the troops. The Belgian army acquired a large number of 7mm Mauser M1895/14 versions towards the end of World War I, which were kept in storage after the conflict and allocated to certain reserve infantry regiments before

6240-408: The new 6mm Navy caliber developed by naval ordnance authorities. The government notice of bid requirements said no other calibers or cartridges would be considered. Winchester made the ammunition for the government, which in turn provided each competitor with 6 mm USN cartridges and 0.236-inch caliber rifle barrels, the latter supplied unchambered and with receiver threads uncut. The rifle action

6336-514: The new cartridge should be adaptable to both rifles and machine guns. Noting that the world's military forces were adopting smaller and smaller caliber rifles with higher velocity cartridges, U.S. naval authorities decided to leapfrog the trend to smaller and smaller calibers by adopting a cartridge in 6 mm (0.236 inch) caliber, with a semi-rimmed case capable of holding up to 40 gr (0.091 oz; 2.6 g) of 'Rifleite' smokeless powder and proof chamber pressures of up to 60,000 psi. While

6432-478: The new shotgun design to FN; the offer was accepted and FN manufactured the new shotgun, honoring its inventor, as the Browning Auto-5. The Browning Auto-5 was continuously manufactured as a highly popular shotgun throughout the 20th century. In response, Winchester shifted reliance away from John Browning designs when it adopted a shotgun design of Thomas Crossley Johnson for the new Winchester Model 1911 SL, (Johnson had to work around Browning's patents of what became

6528-486: The old single-shot Springfield and .45-70 ammunition. Issued to both naval armed guards ( bluejackets ) and Marine battalions, the 6 mm Lee Navy cartridge saw combat service with U.S. forces (primarily Marine riflemen and Colt machine gun detachments) in both Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish–American War . The round was also issued to small formations of attached Cuban rebels participating in

6624-457: The original M1895 "potato digger" ordnance's closed bolt firing cycle, these Marlin guns, weighing only some 25 pounds (11.34 kg) apiece, versus the standard Vickers gun's 33 pound (15 kg) figure for aviation use, could readily be used for forward-firing offensive armament with fighter aircraft, when used with synchronization gear for safely firing forward through a spinning propeller—the non-synchronizable, open bolt-firing cycle Lewis gun

6720-650: The outbreak of World War II. The guns were widely used in action during the German invasion of Belgium between 10 May and 28 May 1940. Colt–Browning guns placed in storage by the US military after the First World War were purchased for the British Home Guard in the summer of 1940. There were mostly later "Marlin" variants, and few appear to have reached troops. Italy also kept M1895s in its inventory for

6816-426: The outset of World War II, M1917 and M1918 Marlins were also sent to Britain for use by the Home Guard , but were never used in combat. The last documented use of the type was by the US National Guard against striking miners in the Battle of Blair Mountain , West Virginia, U.S., in 1921. A contemporary photo illustrates a Colt–Browning gun with one of the aforementioned finned aluminum heat-sink outfitted barrel from

6912-438: The plug to pop out of the hole with some velocity. The plug is attached to one end of a short lever, l , while the other end of the lever is connected to a hinge below the barrel. The motion of the plug causes the entire lever to rotate down and to the rear, around the hinge point. This action is essentially front-to-back version of the typical back-to-front motion of a lever action rifle. The end point of this motion can be seen in

7008-501: The powder used in the 6mm Government cartridges had deteriorated to such a degree they were determined to be unfit for sale, and the company destroyed the entire lot rather than resell them to the public. A commercial sporting version of the M1895 Lee Straight Pull was sold by Winchester. It did not sell well in U.S. markets due to a heavy preference by American consumers for lever-action rifle designs. The cartridge

7104-401: The pressure limit specification (43,000 psi) for the new loading with Rifleite, and chamber pressures varied widely from lot to lot of powder, ranging up to 60,000 psi. The new M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun was also modified to accept the new 112-grain (0.26 oz; 7.3 g) loading the same year, and a further 500,000 cartridges were ordered to accommodate machine-gun usage. Firing

7200-555: The proper specification postponed shipments of ammunition under the Navy's contract with Winchester (WRA) and UMC, and shipments of the 6 mm Lee rifle were also delayed due to manufacturing issues and contract changes. As a result, the .45-70 Government cartridge and small arms chambered for it continued in front-line service with the Navy until 1897, when the latter cartridge was made substitute standard for second-line vessels. Because of arguments over inadequate congressional appropriations, Marine battalions scheduled to be equipped with

7296-761: The protracted Mexican Revolution . Use of the 7mm M1895 in the Mexican Revolution has been photographically documented, including the use of the gun by what appears to be a Villista. The US Navy also deployed some 6mm Lee M1895 guns from ship armories during the 1914 Vera Cruz fighting and occupation. The US Army, while never formally adopting the M1895, purchased two guns in 1902, followed by an additional purchase of 140 guns in 1904. These guns, along with small quantities of Maxim and Vickers guns , were issued to various units for evaluation purposes. These saw intermittent use by Army and National Guard Units at least until 1921. The first formally adopted machine gun by

7392-583: The rear", and last, "the explosive effect of a small-caliber, high-velocity bullet against the human body—the bullet tumbles or fragments to produce devastating wounds against bone or fluid-filled organs—would be more incapacitating at all ranges than wounds made by a slow-moving bullet of large caliber". On August 1, 1894, a naval test board was convened at the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island , to test submitted magazine rifles in

7488-416: The report of the Marine Corps quartermaster as of September 1897 begged the secretary for an additional $ 10,000 appropriation for 6 mm ammunition to allow the Marines to conduct live fire and target practice with the Lee rifle. The report went on to warn that, except for drill practice, enlisted Marines were "entirely unfamiliar with the use of this arm", since all target practice had to be conducted using

7584-420: The rimmed .30 Army round was less than ideal when used in modern machine guns, and the decision to adopt it for the Navy and Marine Corps might be postponed until a rimless version was developed (which would eventually take place in 1903 in the form of the .30-03 ). Another factor in the demise of the 6mm Lee was its bullet; the 6 mm Lee was adopted prior to the invention of the spitzer -shape bullet. As

7680-415: The smaller bullet would not "stop the onset of excited men at short range". In answer to these objections, the report gave three responses: first, "the battle of the future will be fought at long range, and men will not live to come to close quarters with an enemy who stands his ground"; second, "99 percent of wounded enemy soldiers were unlikely to investigate the severity of their wound, but simply retire to

7776-490: The still active Russian military and Italian Navy contracts, in order to concentrate on increased Vickers production. After Marlin started making the Colt 1914s, it developed an improved version of the M1895. In 1917 this was adopted by the US Army as a training weapon and approximately 2,500 were purchased. Besides its designation of Colt–Browning M1895/14, it was also called the "Marlin Gun" and "Model 1917". The primary improvement

7872-507: The successful Browning Hi-Power pistol, a favorite of sportsmen and gun collectors as well as many military and law enforcement agencies around the world. The premium-priced Browning Superposed shotgun, an over-under shotgun design, was his last completed firearm design. It was marketed originally with twin triggers; a single trigger modification was later completed by his son, Val Browning. Commercially introduced in 1931 by FN, Browning Superposed shotguns, and their more affordable cousins,

7968-594: The thousands of pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who made an exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois , to Utah —established a gunsmith shop in Ogden in 1852. As was common in the Latter-day Saint community at the time, Jonathan Browning was a polygamist , having taken three wives. He fathered 22 children, including John Moses, and raised two stepdaughters with his wife Elizabeth Caroline Clark. Browning worked in his father's Ogden shop from

8064-656: The world. Browning Arms Company was established in 1927, the year after Browning's death on November 26, 1926, in Liège, Belgium. In 1977, FN Herstal acquired the company. The M1895 Machine Gun saw action in the Spanish–American War with the United States Marine Corps. The Colt M1911 , Browning 1917/19 , and the BAR saw action with US forces in World War I , World War II , and the Korean War . The M1911 went on to serve as

8160-416: The world. He made his first firearm at age 13 in his father's gun shop and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents on October 7, 1879, at the age of 24. He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries and a pioneer of modern repeating , semi-automatic , and automatic firearms. Browning influenced nearly all categories of firearms design, especially

8256-479: Was also provided to Italian forces during World War I to replace similar weapons lost in the retreat that followed the massive Austrian-German breakthrough at the Battle of Caporetto . Besides being chambered for the standard 6.5×52mm Mannlicher–Carcano Italian rifle cartridge, they were converted to liquid cooling with the installation of a narrow brass sleeve around the barrel; M1895/14 machine guns receiving this modification were designated "6.5/80" and employed by

8352-524: Was chambered for a time in the Remington-Lee and Blake magazine rifles. With a reputation for penetration and explosive effect, the 6mm Lee was reportedly quite popular as a hunting cartridge in Alaska and Northwest Canada. It was discontinued from commercial production in 1935. The 6mm Lee cartridge case later served as the basis for the .220 Swift , which used a necked-down 6mm Lee case with

8448-426: Was changed in later production rifles to one turn in 10 inches RH (25 cm). Contemporary medical reports of the day noted the 112-grain (0.26 oz; 7.3 g) bullet produced noticeably greater damage to tissue and bone than other contemporary military cartridges when fired at full velocity (2,560 fps), and the bullet's copper jacket frequently fragmented or detached entirely from its lead core after penetrating

8544-411: Was designed to work optimally in the charger clips of the M1895 rifle. This proved an unnecessary complication when adapting the cartridge to other, more modern machine guns and small arms. Aside from the benefits of interchangeability between the services, the board noted the government had its greatest investment in the .30 Army cartridge and rifles chambered for it. Nevertheless, the board acknowledged

8640-598: Was developed in 1918, entered service with the US Armed Forces in 1921, and has remained in active service for over a century with militaries across the world in a variety of roles. The 37mm M4 autocannon was initially designed by Browning in 1921 and entered service in 1938; it was used both in aircraft and on U.S. Navy PT boats during World War II. Several of Browning's designs are still in production today. Some of his most notable designs include: 6mm Lee Navy The 6mm Lee Navy (6×60mmSR), also known as

8736-400: Was located parallel to the barrel and below it, allowing the gun to be mounted lower to the ground. Another improvement was the addition of a breech-to-muzzle aluminum heat sink , with lengthwise fins and covering some 270° of the gun barrel's outer circumference's upper areas, to dissipate heat. Most Marlin M1917 and M1918 guns saw use in aircraft as defensive armament—however, as they retained

8832-565: Was mounted on tripods, horse-drawn carriages, boats, aircraft, and even armored cars. The US Navy was the first to begin testing, as early as 1893, with a version chambered in the Navy's 6mm cartridge. In 6mm Lee Navy caliber, the M1895 saw service with the United States Marines during the Spanish–American War , including the 1898 invasion of Guantanamo Bay , where a Marine battalion deployed four Colt guns (two of them borrowed from USS Texas 's armory). The M1895 proved to be

8928-526: Was originally chambered in 6mm Lee Navy and later, after the adoption of the Krag–Jørgensen rifle, in .30-40 Krag , 7×57mm Mauser caliber (the same cartridge used in the Spanish Model 1893 Mauser), and .30-06 Springfield in 1914. The 1914 version also included a lower tripod for firing prone; this is likely what led to the gun's nickname of "potato digger", as the operating lever would dig into

9024-411: Was required to withstand the firing of five overpressure (proof) cartridges with a chamber pressure of 60,000 psi. Several inventors and rifle manufacturers submitted models for testing, among them James Paris Lee , who offered two designs, a turnbolt and a cam-action or locking bolt type, the Lee straight-pull . The Lee straight-pull won in repeated trials and the U.S. Navy adopted the round in 1895 as

9120-652: Was still slightly heavier than the Marlin, at about 28 pounds (12.7 kg). By the last months of World War I, almost 50% of the SPAD XIII fighter aircraft used by the United States Army Air Service in France had their Vickers guns replaced with Marlins. Had the war lasted into 1919, the Marlin would have been the primary U.S. tank and aircraft gun. The M1917/1918 also equipped Thomas Morse Scout aircraft used for advanced training at stateside bases. A number of Colt and Marlin-made machine guns

9216-472: Was the use of a detachable barrel, a more generous side plate cut-out and a sliding door on the right side plate opening (also made larger) for easier access. Despite these improvements, the Marlin was limited to 500 rounds of continuous fire due to a tendency to overheat. The Navy also purchased a version of the Marlin gun with a gas piston in lieu of the lever mechanism, although very few if any guns saw service aboard ship. A second, much more radical version of

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