M1917A1 water cooled Browning machine gun

[MG34]

If you want to learn more about these Brownings get the five volume set "The Browning Machine Gun" authored by my friend Dolf Goldsmith. Both BMG Parts (BMGParts.com / Home Page - BMG Parts & Accessories) and Long Mountain Outfitters (Your Home for Machine Gun-Related Parts, Books and Apparel - Long Mountain Outfitters) have them in stock.

[m3bobby]

These are on my shopping list for a birthday or christmas pressie. They are available in the UK from Tenniswoods, I had a good look through the book and it is full of Browning trivia which is just how I like it. The Collector Grade books are the best on the market in my opinion, unfortunatly they are expensive but well worth the money.

[AmericanKraut]

Wow great mgs nice to see the second one got restored

[Berlinvet70]

weel, how about Sylvis & O'Donnel'I have more books on weapons...Attachment 455199

[Callous Disregard]

Hi,
I'm new to your forums but I was wondering exactly how the water cooling worked and what was used as coolant.

[Walkwolf]

Water keeps the barrel from becoming too hot and burning out.
It is poured into the sleeve or jacket which surrounds the
barrel, hence the term 'water-cooled'.........

[MG34]

Hi,
I'm new to your forums but I was wondering exactly how the water cooling worked and what was used as coolant.

The water jacket is threaded into and soldered onto the front cap and trunnion. The barrel is slid from the trunnion, through the water jacket, and comes out through the front cap. The rear of the barrel has a grooved ring machined in it which holds packing material. In my case, a high temperature silicon O-ring is used for the packing material. When the barrel is in place, the O-ring forms a water proof seal at the trunnion end. At the muzzle end, another O-ring is first slid over the barrel. A threaded muzzle gland is now also slid over the barrel and screwed into the front cap. This pushes the front O-ring into a space reserved for it within the front cap. When the muzzle gland is tightened, the O-ring is compressed and forms another water proof seal. Water is pored into the water jacket through a filler hole located at the top rear of the water jacket. What we now have is a barrel running from trunnion to muzzle which is surrounded by water. It is the water itself that directly acts as the cooling medium and heat sink for the barrel.

There's a little bit more to it, but that's the gist it.

[Callous Disregard]

Thank you.
What about the hose connected to the jacket running to the can ? Is that a condensate drip sort of system or does that can feed fresh water to the jacket ?

[Adrian Stevenson]

The hose allowed steam to pass down into the can and condensate as water, which could then be poured back into the gun. Water supply is always an issue on the battlefield.

Cheers, Ade.

[m3bobby]

I think some people add a soluble oil now purely to help anti corrosion. The British used asbestos string to pack the glands originally but it's not going to be very nice stuff to use now.