M1918 BAR Live Fire in full kit

Firring a Winchester M1918 BAR in full kit. I am portraying a Automatic Rifleman of the 2nd Armored Division, 41st Armored Infantry Regiment. The M1918 is furnished in modernized (early A2) furniture which were commonly done to Winchester, Colt, and Marlin BARs in the late 30s. These modified BARs were common before NESA and IBM began production of A2 BARs in the middle of WW2. Ammo is Prvi Partizan 30-06 Garand optimized using the middle gas port setting.

[@gabrielsmith-gw3hr]

the man looks like buck compton

[@seancopley499]

absolute man right here

[@drewpackman2929]

He does.

[@chrisivan_yt]

They are both so sexy 💍

[@deadlizard2002]

That was I thought 😂

[@victorcharlie1980]

Damn that's crazy, that's exactly what I saw when the video first started.

[@blue_applesauce9990]

handled that recoil very well imo

[@Type99mg]

John Browning's 100 year old buffer design is incredibly effective in absorbing the 30-06 recoil. On the shoulder it feels little more than .223 recoil. And I have a small frame. I find with a planted rear foot and a forward stance, mag dumps are manageable. But maintaining a sight picture is difficult and accuracy is poor. Small bursts are definitely needed for reasonable accuracy.

[@AudioGardenSlave123]

​@@Type99mgI'm amazed that an open bolt gun can be accurate at all. In my mind the second you pull the trigger and all that mass gets moving, while chambering the round being fired, accuracy is a luxury.

[@Victor-hg1lo]

@@AudioGardenSlave123This weapon is so heavy (for a rifle) that the mass of the bolt, compared to the total weight of the gun, is negligible. For a weapon like the sten or the grease gun, which are both lightweight with an heavy bolt, this would be an issue, but not for the BAR. That why most heavy automatic weapons can use open bolt without too much problems.

[@cjsnidlio9409]

​@Type99mg so what exactly was changed to increase the fire rate?

[@Pratt_]

​@@cjsnidlio9409nothing, this is a M1918A2 B.A.R., they have a slow (~300-400 rpm) and a rapid (~600-650 rpm) rate of fire mode. You may be more familiar with the slow setting.

[@frankgoss6574]

My uncle Phil was a b.a.r. man in Italy in WW2. He had some stories to tell. He was hit by a German mortar shell, no doubt targeting his weapon. It took him four years to learn how to walk again. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice Uncle Phil. R.I.P.

[@Toe_Merchant]

Man looks like a red blooded corn-fed Iowa boy named Buck Patton Turgidson IV

[@sid2112]

Dr. Strangelove! A gentleman of culture, I see!

[@TheIowaBoys-fj9lz]

Did someone say iowa boy? 🤠

[@andystegall7407]

Shows up, mag dumps, refuses to explain further, leaves

[@mwillblade]

Like doing a mic drop.

[@robgrey6183]

The secret to a successful life.

[@lumenpraetorius4592]

Yep that’s the way it’s done.

[@chrisazure1624]

Shoots, smokes and leaves.

[@revantii]

I've seen footage of young Marines in the Pacific shoulder firing their BARs and getting thrown around by the recoil. Though these were mostly boys that grew up with little in the way of food during the depression era. For a lot of them, joining the military was their first time they got three square meals a day! Love the impression by the way.

[@Type99mg]

Thanks, I'm only 5'6 140 so pretty average size for those times. I can often find original gear in small sizes cheaper than reproduction stuff, which is nice. All the kit here is original except the service shoes. The BAR buffer does an amazing job in this weapon. This is an early Winchester so it lacks the A2 buffer with sear trip, so it can't do slow auto like the later m1918 A2s which was common in WW2 and after. I've not shot one in slow auto but read it's a lot easier to maintain accuracy.

[@Pratt_]

Adult men on average were taller at the beginning of WWII than before the great depression, people were not starving for more than a decade when the US entered WWII. Adults suffered the almost exclusively as parents would prioritize their children when getting their hand on food. Not to mention that charities, especially for children, were quickly created to distribute food. This myth than the US was in a similar situation than 90s Somalia has absolutely no factual basis at all. The US literally supplied food to the UK way before Pearl Harbor. Food wasn't a widespread issue at all for American at the start of WWII, hadn't been for a while, and barely was in the first place.

[@tropifiori]

Dad said the depression led right up the war. A fellow recruit from Ky was amazed they had eggs for breakfast. He usually got eggs for Christmas. Dad lived in NYC during the 20 and moved to NJ in the 30s.His folks were immigrants. Grandfather was a plasterer and made 12$ a week- good money at the time.Grsndma was a seamstress. They worked hard and lived in a cold water flat up to 1930s. There was lots of poverty and hard times up into the first years of the war.Add to that rationing and shortages. Don't believe what you read

[@Pratt_]

@@tropifiori poverty was definitely important in the US post 1929, especially for first and second generation immigrants. It was a response of the "it was mostly boys who grew up with little in the way of food during the depression era" part in the initial comment, which isn't true. Sure a bunch of young men actually ate better than any time previously in their life once in the military, but there is this continuous myth (also in that initial comment) that the the average size and weight of an American soldier was somehow due to the Great Depression, which isn't true, it's just that people were shorter and thinner back in the day, and US soldiers were definitely not to in a bad spot. Just look at WWII pictures of US soldiers next to civilians, POW, even other Allied troops. 90% of the time they are around a head taller than them at least and often with broader shoulders, with the exception of the Brits which are often close to the same hight on most pictures. People were shorter because it something that will increase or decrease spanning multiple generations, and they were thinner because they hate close to not processed food, not everything was drowned in added sugar or fat, most people had waaaaay more physical jobs, and training and fighting in a World War tend to keep you lean I really didn't intended that my previous comment would be understood by you as as disregard for your family's hardship in that era, hopefully it's more clear now

[@GlidingZephyr]

My Grandfather carried one of these from Omaha beach all the way to Berlin. He was 5' 8" and weighed about 150 pounds as a young man, but one of the very few things he would disclose about the war was that he loved this weapon. Excellent demonstration!

[@Type99mg]

Thank you. Automatic Riflemen were often up front in a squad, trying to set up a base of fire to pin down the enemy while others pivoted around the flank. I'm sure your Grandfather had a good mix of skill and luck to make it from Normandy to Berlin, I'm glad to hear his BAR served him and the squad well.

[@AmericanRebel.Crusader]

My grandfather was in the Vietnam war very early on and he was issued the bar he said the bar was his favorite rifle

[@TheAKgunner]

Smart man. Better the B.A.R. than that POS M14.

[@thewhorenextdoor8268]

​@@TheAKgunnerThe M14 was a formidable rifle

[@Pratt_]

​@@TheAKgunnerthe BAR really wasn't great either (doesn't mean it couldn't have been this person's grandpa's favorite gun don't get me wrong), and they weren't even in the same category or intended purposes. If you talk about the select fire M14 well honestly it's basically the same but at least the M14 isn't has much of a pain to carry around.

[@Pratt_]

​@@thewhorenextdoor8268it wasn't that good though... There is a reason why it's the standard service rifle with the shortest service life in the US military's History (1957-1965)... I personally still love the thing, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't great at all.

[@TheAKgunner]

@@Pratt_ The M14 was totally uncontrollable on full auto!! At least not by new recruits. Only long service veterans could handle it.

[@homie8437]

I knew we were eating well when I saw it you didn't have to charge it after loading. Very nice.

[@Roddy556]

I caught that too 😂

[@tomcooper6108]

My dad landed DDay +1 in Normandy and carried a BAR thru France, Belgium, and Germany. He was a big guy at 6'2". He said he hardly fired a full clip at a time....more like 3 or 4 shots. The BAR man was the first man the Germans tried to knock out, so you would try to fire when everyone else was firing, so to not give away your exact location.

[@reynaldoflores4522]

That ammunition belt with the dozen full magazines must've weighed a ton !

[@VoenObzor_IvanSavin]

Идеально! И оружие и снаряжение, просто круто!

[@nrauhauser]

One of my uncles landed in Normandy with the 325th Glider Infantry and lugged one of those all over Europe. Very cool to see the piece and a period uniform outside of a movie.

[@Lichcrafter]

Awesome! Thank you for not firing in "full auto" 2 or 3 round bursts. Mag dumps are what we like to see.

[@MikeB128]

Because you've never had to use a full-auto weapon in combat. Go bad to cod, fucking child.

[@SledTillDead]

If he was trying to be accurate, he'd fire in 2-3 round bursts, like all machine gunners do.

[@1SilverDollar]

No kidding there was this one FG42 that fired in bursts. I get it, it's rare but it killed me internally.

[@Pratt_]

Great control of the recoil, well done !!

[@oceania2385]

It looks like a new gun ! & it works without hiccups, great demonstration

[@Willis499]

What a lovely bit of kit

[@bsmith8564]

That was fast speed. I love how the selector switch has fast, slow and safe no semi.

[@Type99mg]

This Winchester never got the A2 upgrade so it still has the semi and fast auto mode, no slow auto. As was the case with all the first run BARs in the WW1 era. This was a lend lease gun to the UK during WW2 and probably used by their home guard, so it was never modernized in the US to A2. It came back to the US as an import after the war. These non modified BARs seem to be more rare than the A2 ones. The A2 slow fire mechanism is an interesting study.

[@hughezzell10000]

I want one of those! That's the first machinegun I've ever seen that I'd like to have. 3006

[@mr_demeanor6008]

My grandfather said his godfather, who was a marine in the pacific, would undo the butt-end of the sling leaving it dangling from the barrel, and then stand on it to assist in controlling muzzle climb.

[@Type99mg]

Interesting technique, first I heard of that. Thank you for sharing that story. I am sure your Grandfather's Godfather some some heavy action in the Pacific as a Marine Automatic Rifleman. Greatest generation.

[@mr_demeanor6008]

@@Type99mg Of course. Both my Dad and Grandfather when bringing the guy up in conversation, would mention that he never got hit, which they would then say was miraculous because "while flamethrower operators had the shortest life expectancy in the pacific, BAR gunners had the second shortest." I've been corrected that he was my grandfather's friend. The guy's name was Burt Martin. Towards the end of the war, he got sent home early because he killed a Chinese sentry that kept pointing his rifle at him while pretending to shoot.

[@Owl566]

No wonder grandpa is deaf! Nice control of your weapon my good man!

[@mil-duck]

Couldn't imagine hauling those thing saround the battlefield. Those guys were something else

[@truedemoknight6784]

Now imagine carrying an M240 and body armor to boot. Our soldiers today carry more than ever before.

[@mil-duck]

@@truedemoknight6784 Role of a 240 gunner is comparable to that of a M1919 gunner. Thankfully weapon and gear today tend to be much more ergonomic

[@truedemoknight6784]

​@@mil-duck The gear today is better, but that only helps so much when you have to hump an extra 15 lbs of armor, plus batteries and other crap. It adds up fast.

[@SledTillDead]

Soldiers nowadays carry far more than their world war bretheren.

[@mil-duck]

@@truedemoknight6784 Oh yeah, I'm well aware. We're much better motorized and mechanized though. Not to mention airlift capability.

[@kwhp1507]

That’s a boss level weapon system

[@rusty-sb1jy]

This is also the weapon used by Clyde Barrow.

[@Type99mg]

And Bonnie would use BARs too. They would steal them from national guard armories. Clyde cut a few short, on the barrel just ahead of the regulator and a on one a bit off the stock to flush it with the buffer tube. Clyde called it a "scatter gun" because when he started shooting the cut down BAR people scattered. Apparently he did not remount the front sight on the cut down barrels either

[@WildmanEli]

Everyone is talking about your awesome kit, but nobody is talking about how you had no ear protection on!

[@Type99mg]

Foam in ear plugs were present and concealed by the helmet. I did try a few shots without plugs, this was my first time shooting with a M1 helmet. I was curious if the geometry of the helmet did anything to guard the ears. There was some noise reduction but nothing substantial. I can see why many combat vets suffered from hearing loss.

[@Spruce-Bug]

That is so freakin awesome bro

[@kayzgamez]

Very accurate, holding, stance, everything as far as I’m seeing, I love this and want to see more

[@user-hb7ww8bd9s]

hey Nate, just checked out your channel, great gear all looks good, my dad was WW2 Pacific theater vet. keep up the good work there man, I am really jealous your doing some of the things with the history i always wanted to do but never was able. I dont live near anyone that does reenact or restore historical stuff. looks great and keep it up man.

[@Type99mg]

Thanks, I'm very fortunate to have had some unique opportunities to pursue my WW2 passion. With young kids that passion has taken a back seat to being a dad lately but the oldest (9 year old) is getting interested in military history so that might open a new chapter. Have you studied your father's military service and posts? I bet he did not talk talk about it often, as seems to be so common in the Greatest Generation.

[@supremongkatipunan7293]

damn! he can managed the recoil

[@johnclark5114]

Full auto 30:06 must be tough to command. You did great.

[@glengrandstaff9695]

Beautiful power !

[@RicktheCrofter]

Whenever I fire my M-1, I think: I don’t want to be on the other end of this. I can only imagine how much worse it would be being on the other end of a BAR.

[@ojsilva1975]

Bull Randleman. 💪🏽

[@bigearedmouse17]

" Git Some " !

[@puebespuebes8589]

I saw 6 pack of 2x20 round mag. Meaning he is carying 240 round of ammo.

[@sitcorocket]

Brilliant gun....woeful mag capacity

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Nice

[@davidreyna7712]

Amazing!

[@The_SmorgMan]

Sick!

[@ziphy_6471]

dayumn

[@ANukeWithLegs]

Man handles recoil as if it was a Airgun

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

BAR BRRRRT.

[@br2266]

Ok ok I believe you now!

[@LunarTikOfficial]

*You seem to have forgotten something, soldier.. Where is your belt worn hip fire cup?*

[@charlessaint7926]

Kraut pokes his head out, "You missed!"

[@dukeofburgundy4229]

Awesome kit! How many magazines would a BAR gunner usually carry?

[@Type99mg]

The belt can hold 12 total. 3 cells on each side which hold 2 mags each. But the gunner often carried spare parts in a leather case that occupied one cell. Such a case is in one of the rear pouches shown in this video. The assistant gunner would typically carry another belt with additional mags.

[@e.a.corral4713]

Watch THE SAND PEBBLES? STEVE MCQUEEN handled the weapon and what a bunch of scenes with this weapon?

[@Type99mg]

Yes, That is correct. The early m1918 furniture was slightly different than what's shown in this video however. Someday I hope to find the time to do a video showing the differences in the BAR as it evolved over the years.

[@jimhitchcock2383]

The "belt" is wrong. The actual BAR gunner's belt had one less mag. pouch and two .45 mag pouches, This was because the gunners back up was a .45 This was probably the Ass't gunners belt. I have seen one claim that the A gunners belt had pouches for a couple of M-1 clips.

[@Type99mg]

This belt was made by Charles F Clark Inc in 1942. All WW2 belts were the 6 cell type as shown in the video. The others are all from the late teens/ WW1 era. For those early belts the gunner belt had 4 cells for BAR mags, the hip cup for walking fire, and 2 1911 mag pouches. First assistant belt had two cells for 1911 mags and 5 cells for BAR mags, second assistant had 4 cells for m1903 clips and 4 for BAR mags. I'm sure some of those WW1 belts made it to the 40s like the 3 cell left and right over the shoulder BAR bandoleers. Period pictures of those early belts are very rare. I have heard about breaking a WW2 belt apart between the two sections and marrying the other half to a m1923 (Garand) belt for WW2 era assistant gunners. The most rare BAR belt is 3 cells left side, one right side rear with the front two areas being blank canvas. This post WW1 commercial belt was intended for the R80 Colt Monitor according to James Ballou's BAR book Rock in a Hard Place. I would highly recommend the book if you are interested in the BAR, it's definitely the best book on the subject.

[@joshualandry3160]

That poor sling. Hanging there ready to help and completely ignored.

[@nedmorales1313]

I could never understand why they only made 20 round box magazines. Maybe the weight of the bullets and the caliber that it’s chambered was too heavy? Or maybe they didn’t see a need for more than 20 rounds in a magazine. Either way I think the PAR is one of the most iconic combat rifles ever made. In my opinion it would’ve served the platform better with 30 to 40 round magazines maybe even 60 round magazines. Just my opinion.

[@richardlee9685]

Hell on Wheels! 👍

[@Type99mg]

Good catch, my impression is 2nd Armored 41st Armored Infantry

[@gregflores8959]

Mad respect!🇺🇸

[@pauliedweasel]

I think he’s got a Chesty Puller vibe going about him.

[@RedClover1987]

The rate of fire seems faster than stock.

[@Gepedrglass]

almost makes you forget those are full on rifle rounds

[@paulhunt4690]

No smoking sir!

[@billbaba6994]

Based

[@TheShortOne518]

Very cool! Verrry cool!

[@peaceraybob]

Okay, I think we can work out why he had to carry so much ammo - and have an assistant carrying even more.

[@versace6609]

Buck is that you ??

[@Mr.Doodlebob]

Personally I love the ww2 uniform of the US ARMY

[@christianlibrul]

No GI wore "kit." They wore web gear. Paratroopers wore "a harness."

[@axelblack7950]

Ardennes impression?

[@Type99mg]

Good eye, my impression is 2nd Armored Division, 41st armored infantry regiment, late 44. Lined tanker hood under helmet, M43 over wool sweater, kersey lined trousers over field trousers, rubber overshoes over service shoes. Everything original except the service shoes.

[@axelblack7950]

@@Type99mgvery great impression woh Can you do a other video when you reload the bar with the mag pouch to see if it’s particical? I assume it isn’t In reenactment I only used MG42, PPSH, Mp40, stg44 and Kar98k so I don’t very know for the bar I’m curious

[@Type99mg]

@@axelblack7950 I don't get this stuff out much unfortunately. Young kids and a busy career get in the way. This event was a live shoot commemorating the Battle of Chosin, CMP rifle match for score at 100 yards (with 200 yard reduced format targets). A bunch of participants wear kit for it. After the match I went over to the next range and did a few dumps. It will probably be a while until I get all that stuff out again. Are you looking for detail on how the mags are filled with loose rounds or how they go in and out of the pouch? The ergonomics of pouch to gun is shown in this video. As far as the belt, there is not a lot to show, each pouch holds two mags, and orientation doesn't matter. There are 3 pouches on each side of the belt. One pouch often holds the leather spare parts case, which fits perfectly in one pouch and is set up so on my belt left rear cell. The belt is adjustable in between the left and right sides and can fit most waist sizes. For filling the mags there is a guide tool that slips over the mag top with a channel for 5 round stripper clip (1903 rifle style), using that tool is very fast to jamb rounds into the mag with 4 stripper clips. The mags are double column double feed.

[@bill3641]

Do the newer BAR's have the 3 shot burst capability ??

[@Szakterix]

ImPressive shooting skill and cool uniform - now I know why the yankees complained about the 20 rounds mag constantly - it's like 1 and a half sec and boom, gone, need to reload again asap.

[@Jumbo344]

That’s nice…. Real nice

[@richhh9000]

Badass!

[@TumbleTrashOfficial]

What year was your BAR manufactured?

[@Type99mg]

February 1919, made by Winchester

[@TumbleTrashOfficial]

@@Type99mg Oh man, that's really original then. That's awesome!

[@LazyScoutJace]

Hellooooo 2nd Armored...

[@the_sinner]

Very nice!

[@hebekid8540]

Damn!

[@Shokskaal]

Hell yeah

[@bobrocks8387]

I think this was the American way of saying, " Bugger Off ".

[@dl30wpb]

No Germans were hurt making this video.

[@Tucher97]

This may sound extremely heretical to a lot of folks, but I personally feel the BAR could have extra potential if the barrel was shorten just a bit, maybe a few inches.

[@Type99mg]

It was done, as a field mod by gangsters like Bonnie and Clyde and also officially as the Colt Monitor. Only around 125 Monitors were made, most went to the FBI.

[@god-gunsmerica9043]

Whoa mama😮😊

[@acdc3889]

Dude, are you really the actor who played Buck Compton in Band of Brothers? You are very similar!!

[@pukalo]

Is this the original M1918 with the semi/full fire control group and not the A1 or A2 with the slow/fast fcg?

[@Type99mg]

@@pukalo this is an early model Winchester with semi/full. The wood furniture is the modernized A2 type for early WW2 but the internals are all still m1918. I did the furniture swap and still have the original Winchester wood. This rifle was sent to the United Kingdom in WW2 under lend lease and likely used by their Home Guard, so it never received an arsenal A2 upgrade.

[@pukalo]

@@Type99mg Very nice, I've been trying to find online how the original semi/full fcg works but no luck so far. World of Guns has the A2 version, but that has the fast/slow fcg which I assume works very differently than the original.

[@Type99mg]

@@pukalo operation is similar. Main difference is the early buffer head face that is impinged by the rear of the bolt is solid without a key. And the fire control group has a different sear without a toe on the back and no lever stop/sear release. Part of the A2 arsenal rebuild was adding a small channel on the rear of the receiver for the tail of the A2 sear to work in, this tail being impacted by the key in buffer to actuate the slow fire bolt release with trigger withheld. Someday I plan to do a video documenting the early gun and evolution to A2 unfortunately I have little free time to do it.

[@pukalo]

@@Type99mg I would definitely watch such a video, thank you for the information, it is hard for me to visualize it without a diagram or a 3D demonstration but it is still very helpful all the same.

[@nashfeighny4757]

Alamo! Alamo!

[@user-rm8jk1nj8k]

US Solider fought In Korean War

[@usurperslayer5057]

I'm curious: How heavy is all the set?

[@Type99mg]

The rifle unloaded without the bipod is around 16 pounds. The belt with 10 loaded mags, spare parts leather pouch, full canteen and fighting knife is at least 30 pounds. Some wartime photos show automatic Riflemen wearing the belt without suspenders, that must have been miserable on the hips or waist.

[@joevicmeneses8918]

By the looks of his insignia, he's armored infantry.

[@Type99mg]

Correct, good eye. My impression is 41st Armored Infantry, 2nd Armored Division

[@Harv3st]

Video games always made me think the BAR had a really slow fire rate, I am suprised.

[@Type99mg]

The WW2 era A2 model had a slow and fast rate of fire, the slow rate is close to that of a m3 grease gun. The gun in this video is the WW1 era original model, the switch on those can only do semi or full auto mode. Full auto rate being nearly the same as the A2 fast auto.

[@Jester4460]

Bro looks historical

[@Pinker_game_ch]

cool

[@thatsmrtwattoyou]

Oh mister waaaaaabitttt

[@fjb4932]

13 of us believe the ROF is to rapid to be effective. 400 RPM is controllable . . . ☆

[@nizalmuhammad9689]

Wich variant is this?

[@Type99mg]

Winchester M1918 (dated Feb. 1919) with modernized A2 furniture, which would be correct for early to mid WW2 BARs until NESA and IBM ramped up production of the M1918A2 with pig iron (ArmaSteel) receivers

[@Stylout]

Buck?

[@blitzgr8512]

Thought the BAR is gonna have a slower fire rate

[@SledTillDead]

It has two modes. Slow and fast ROF

[@todaysgrailtomorrowsbeater]

Champ

[@markkir193]

Sweeet!🎉😃👍

[@SockGoop07]

Day of Defeat recoil be like:

[@noriokd9628]

びっくりした!!

[@rzr2ffe325]

Looks Korea-esque

[@gringoreno]

6 years reg Rmy VN Korea and belind never saw tanker with a bar 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🪖🪖✝️🗽

[@pfcjev]

There goes $40+ worth of M2 ball...

[@localfatty4364]

I have an airsoft BAR, I’ll trade!

[@Tocallo2]

And?

[@Ittou-Ogami]

Интресно они поставалялись в Советскую армию ???В ВОВ .