BAR M1918 Serial number ?

[lweinlan]

Hello, one of my friend recently acquired a WWII (or WWI?) BAR with serial number 22305, Colt manufacturer.
He would like to know what is the year of manufacturing?
Thank you.

[Mosko]

I don't think you'll be able to simply look up the date on a serial number for this one.

You'll probably have to calculate the mfg date, It looks from the pics like a M1919 or maybe even an m1924, it hard to see the front end from the picture.

Colt didn't build many "American" BAR's, as a matter af fact at that time they were designated BMR (Browning Machine Rifle), and mostly built by Winchester due to other contractual commitments by Colt.

After WWI most of colts manufacture were for other countries such as Belgium, Brazil, Sweden and a few others.

The BAR has gone through so many changes and rebuilds over the years they are very difficult to tell "what all" models they have been, or gone through.

Without my reference books, from memory, I can recall M1918, M1919, M1922
M1924, M1937, M1918A1, M1918A2, and I think the later models went as far as an A6.

Some were select fire, some ejected out the top and some the side, some had no pod or bi-pod, adjustible stock support, carry handle, fiberglass furniture, variable cylic rate, various locking mechanisms, you name it.

I think everyone in the workd today was rebuilt from something else.

So to sumarize all that, the receiver may be 1918 - 1924, or 1939 thru 1943, while the parts could have manufactured throught a 50 year period by several manufacturers.

The barrel is the only thing likely to have a verifiable or marked date.

[lweinlan]

this exemplar was found in a French village a few days ago. It has not been altered, modified, rebuild since WW2. This is a certainty. This exemplar was definitively used by a US Army unit during WW2. It was picked up on the battlefield. Thank you for your help. Do you think that the book "Rock in a Hard Place: The Browning Automatic Rifle" by James Ballou would give me more info about this weapon?
Also, you mention that Colt did not build any BMR after WW1 ? Is that so?
I am going to have my friend check the barrel.

[rugerwheels]

I believe Colt stopped production of the M1918 in 1919, but
commenced production of the M1918A2 in 1939. Here is a pertinent article on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1918_Browning_Automatic_Rifle

Excerpts from the article:

"On 16 July 1917, 12,000 BARs were duly ordered from Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company who had secured an exclusive concession to manufacture the BAR under Browning's patents (Browning's U.S. Patent 1,293,022 was owned by Colt)."

"The initial contract with Winchester called for 25,000 BARs. They were in full production by June 1918, delivering 4,000 guns and in July were turning out 9,000 units a month."

"Colt and Marlin-Rockwell Corp. also began production shortly after Winchester got into full production."

"Colt only produced 9,000 BARs at the time of the armistice due to the heavy demands of previous orders."

"Between 1918–1919, 102,125 BARs had been manufactured jointly by Colt (16,000 weapons), Winchester (47,123) and Marlin-Rockwell (39,002 units)."

"In 1920, the Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale (FN) acquired sales and production rights to the BAR series of firearms in Europe from Colt’s."

And from this website:

http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg36-e.htm

"In 1939, the final American version of the BAR appeared, under the designation of M1918A2. This version, manufactured by Colt, Marlin-Rockwell, and Winchester, served in the Squad Automatic Weapon role with US troops during the 2nd World War and latter Korea War. "

[lweinlan]

here is a picture of the markings...does it helps in identifying the year of manufacturing? The barrel is proof marked with what seems to be an eagle head, and a " -4 ".
One thing is sure. This is a WWII or pre-WWII BAR due the location where it was found.

[Mosko]

A reference book would help. As I mentioned before you'll probably have to estimate the manufacture date. By the picture it looks to be one of the WWI era Colt mfg'd piece as far as the receiver goes.

Keep in mind, that this rifle was basicly "too late" for WWI, while many pieces were made. Therefore prior to WWII, there would have been many "new" surplus rifles that would been modified to the A2 configuration.

From a reference book, you can determine when the modifications would have been during or before WWI, such as the flash hider, bi-pod, stock jack, carry handle, etc...

The bottom line is, with BAR's, there is no manufacture date. You may date the receiver, barrel, some or all modifications, but a manufacture date for the whole weapon i'd say is just as impossible as finding one with all original matching parts.

[lweinlan]

I have a clearer idea now. thank you for your help.