Browning M1919A4 (Israeli Conversion)

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello folks, long time no post! I’ve not recently been as active on the forum as I used to be, due mainly to a long-awaited house move finally taking place last summer. It’s taken time, but I’m finally starting to get my collection in order again, as well as having a new little purchase coming in here and there. This is one of them.

Members here, especially any Americans, should have no trouble identifying this old beast. The Browning M1919A4 medium machine gun, the workhorse of the US Army from WWII through to Vietnam, and a participant in many other wars in the hands of other nations.

In this case, the gun in question was one of many sold as surplus stock to Israel. It started life in US service, as all 1919’s did, with SG Order S-3637 dating the production run for this serial block to October 1942.
After passing into Israeli hands, extensive but aesthetically minor alterations were carried out to convert the weapon from .30-06 to 7.62x51mm NATO, a cartridge that was much more available to the IDF.
Of particular note, two metal pieces were fitted to the feed tray, narrowing it to accept the shorter 7.62 cartridge. The rear sight was re-graduated to accommodate the changed ballistic properties, and an additional metal piece was welded to the front of the sight guard.
And of course, these guns were rechambered and rebarrelled. The diameter stamped on the muzzle end, however - ‘13.5mm’ in Hebrew - indicates the change in diameter of the opening for the booster cone, allowing the gun to cycle properly with its new, shorter and slightly less powerful cartridge. ‘7.62’ markings have also been stamped in profusion in various places, along with the Israeli ‘N’ property stamp.

Other changes were made, and if anyone is interested I’d be happy to explain them to the best of my firearms knowledge!



B.B.

[Rescue190]

Very nice BB. Did this have to be deactivated or can you guys register MG's as we are able to?
John

[BrodieBartfast]

Very nice BB. Did this have to be deactivated or can you guys register MG's as we are able to?
John

Being the UK, it’s deactivated. It’s been done pretty sympathetically, but this is one Browning M1919 that’s never going to bark again.

B.B.

[Anderson]

Nice piece of hardware BB.

[BrodieBartfast]

Nice piece of hardware BB.

Thank you. Looks a bit odd without a tripod, but heavy enough even without it!

B.B.

[buellmeister]

Brodie,

Welcome back! Nice addition to your collection I must say.

Regards,

Joel

[BrodieBartfast]

Brodie,

Welcome back! Nice addition to your collection I must say.

Regards,

Joel

Thanks, it’s nice to be back.

B.B.

[reneblacky]

Thank you. Looks a bit odd without a tripod, but heavy enough even without it!

B.B.

Remember the scene in "Kelly's Heroes"? -- Hustler "give ya $50 bucks!"

nice pick up! Mates & I made rough crude wooden ones from blocks of off cut wood when I was a kid.

[BrodieBartfast]

Remember the scene in "Kelly's Heroes"? -- Hustler "give ya $50 bucks!"

nice pick up! Mates & I made rough crude wooden ones from blocks of off cut wood when I was a kid.

Fifty bucks, I wish! It’s more like five months of layaway payments these days! Worth every penny, though.

B.B.

[AZPhil]

Very nice addition BB.
Looks great.
Can you rack the charging handle back?
Semper Fi
Phil