HISTORY
The M1919 machine gun was developed after World War 1 to supply the US forces with a capable medium machinegun. The M1919 is an air-cooled development of the Browning M1917 water cooled machine gun. The M1919 is much more mobile as it is much lighter and is easier to use than the M1917. The M1919 was used extensively during World War 2 and the rest of the 20th century. The M1919 was not only used by US forces, but also by most NATO forces and many nations with good ties to the West. The M1919 proved it was a reliable weapon during its use in World War 2 and many Asian and African conflicts. In US service the M1919 was replaced by the M60 for infantry use and M73 for vehicle use. Most other users replaced it with the MAG general purpose machine gun. Nowadays the M1919 is mostly in reserve use or phased out, but a few nations and irregular forces still use the M1919.
Production
The majority of M1919 models was produced in the United States. Various manufacturers produced the M1919, including Colt, Remington, Westinghouse and Winchester. After World War 2 the production continued at a low pace for export sales, but most nations that used the M1919 bought it before World War 2 or received it as military aid after the war. In the UK the M1919 was built during World War 2 by BSA. Fabrique National of Belgium produced the M1919 between both World Wars in various calibers such as 7.92x57mm for Eastern European use and 7.5x54mm for French use. In Sweden it was produced as the Ksp m/42 in 6.5x55mm.
Conversions
After the introduction of the 7.62x51mm NATO round many M1919 were retrofitted to fire this round. In US Navy service the upgraded weapons were designated Mk 21. The Israeli Defense Force was a major user of rebuilt M1919's, with many still in reserve. In Canadian service the M1919 changed its designation from C1 to C5 after the upgrade. The South African MG4 was a new built weapon, but kits to upgrade existing M1919's were also available.
DESIGN
The M1919 is an air cooled version of the water cooled M1917. As the .50 M2 heavy machinegun was also developed by John Browning there is much resemblance between those two weapons. The M1919 fires the .30-06 round from cloth or linked belts that are inserted on the left of the weapon. The first models were fitted with a very heavy barrel in order to mimic the performance of the M1917. This was deemed to be too heavy to accept for service. The M1919A1 had a light barrel that did not make the weapon that much easier to carry but impaired the sustained fire ability significantly. The design settled on a medium barrel on the M1919A2 and the slightly improved, mass produced M1919A4.
PERFORMANCE
The M1919 series of machineguns proved themselves during World War 2 and many other conflicts in the 20th century. The M1919 fires the .30-06 round at a relatively low rate of fire. Compared to its water cooled predecessor it is much lighter and less crew is needed to operate the weapon. The M1919 series is known for its reliability. The fact that many M1919's were used throughout the 20th century is a testament to its performance, while since the 1960's the MAG, M60 and other design were available. Besides its many qualities there are some disadvantages. First of all it is a very heavy weapon. It weighs about one and a half times as much as most other general purpose machine guns. Another problem is its lack of ergonomics. Except for the A6 model the M1919 can only be used while mounted on a tripod or vehicle. Operating a machine gun by spade grips can be useful sometimes, but even on a tripod a shoulder stock is convenient. For these two reasons most M1919's that remained in use after World War 2 were fitted to flexible mounts on vehicles. The M1919A6 made the M1919 a weapon that could advance with the infantry. This was especially useful to paratroopers. The lighter barrel made the M1919A6 man portable, but it could no longer be used for sustained fire. The M1919A6 was one of the first M1919 models that suffered competition from newer medium machineguns.
The M1919 machine gun was developed after World War 1 to supply the US forces with a capable medium machinegun. The M1919 is an air-cooled development of the Browning M1917 water cooled machine gun. The M1919 is much more mobile as it is much lighter and is easier to use than the M1917. The M1919 was used extensively during World War 2 and the rest of the 20th century. The M1919 was not only used by US forces, but also by most NATO forces and many nations with good ties to the West. The M1919 proved it was a reliable weapon during its use in World War 2 and many Asian and African conflicts. In US service the M1919 was replaced by the M60 for infantry use and M73 for vehicle use. Most other users replaced it with the MAG general purpose machine gun. Nowadays the M1919 is mostly in reserve use or phased out, but a few nations and irregular forces still use the M1919.
Production
The majority of M1919 models was produced in the United States. Various manufacturers produced the M1919, including Colt, Remington, Westinghouse and Winchester. After World War 2 the production continued at a low pace for export sales, but most nations that used the M1919 bought it before World War 2 or received it as military aid after the war. In the UK the M1919 was built during World War 2 by BSA. Fabrique National of Belgium produced the M1919 between both World Wars in various calibers such as 7.92x57mm for Eastern European use and 7.5x54mm for French use. In Sweden it was produced as the Ksp m/42 in 6.5x55mm.
Conversions
After the introduction of the 7.62x51mm NATO round many M1919 were retrofitted to fire this round. In US Navy service the upgraded weapons were designated Mk 21. The Israeli Defense Force was a major user of rebuilt M1919's, with many still in reserve. In Canadian service the M1919 changed its designation from C1 to C5 after the upgrade. The South African MG4 was a new built weapon, but kits to upgrade existing M1919's were also available.
DESIGN
The M1919 is an air cooled version of the water cooled M1917. As the .50 M2 heavy machinegun was also developed by John Browning there is much resemblance between those two weapons. The M1919 fires the .30-06 round from cloth or linked belts that are inserted on the left of the weapon. The first models were fitted with a very heavy barrel in order to mimic the performance of the M1917. This was deemed to be too heavy to accept for service. The M1919A1 had a light barrel that did not make the weapon that much easier to carry but impaired the sustained fire ability significantly. The design settled on a medium barrel on the M1919A2 and the slightly improved, mass produced M1919A4.
PERFORMANCE
The M1919 series of machineguns proved themselves during World War 2 and many other conflicts in the 20th century. The M1919 fires the .30-06 round at a relatively low rate of fire. Compared to its water cooled predecessor it is much lighter and less crew is needed to operate the weapon. The M1919 series is known for its reliability. The fact that many M1919's were used throughout the 20th century is a testament to its performance, while since the 1960's the MAG, M60 and other design were available. Besides its many qualities there are some disadvantages. First of all it is a very heavy weapon. It weighs about one and a half times as much as most other general purpose machine guns. Another problem is its lack of ergonomics. Except for the A6 model the M1919 can only be used while mounted on a tripod or vehicle. Operating a machine gun by spade grips can be useful sometimes, but even on a tripod a shoulder stock is convenient. For these two reasons most M1919's that remained in use after World War 2 were fitted to flexible mounts on vehicles. The M1919A6 made the M1919 a weapon that could advance with the infantry. This was especially useful to paratroopers. The lighter barrel made the M1919A6 man portable, but it could no longer be used for sustained fire. The M1919A6 was one of the first M1919 models that suffered competition from newer medium machineguns.