Earlier this year I was lucky enough to sink entirely too much loose cash into one of OOW's semi clones. I'd wanted one for some time seeing as my paternal grandfather carried a BAR in the greater worldwide dustup of 1941-45 and possibly again in Korea. And, being an aficionado of the crime wave twenty years prior, I was interested in building a World War I variant.
Incidentally, a WWI rifle isn't technically incorrect for World War II, as not all examples made it through re-arsenal or received the -A2 series of upgrades before the United States waded into combat.
The 1918A3 as shipped is largely correct for late 1945 with a couple of components (like the gas regulator) that weren't around until Korea. Included in the package are a bipod, carry handle, and OD canvas sling. I wound up swapping the latter out for a leather replacement from Turner and, outside of putting it all together for grins, have no plans to reinstall the carry handle and bipod given the rifle already weighs eighteen pounds and change.
There's also a maintenance DVD I haven't watched yet and a decent facsimile of an army field manual that goes through basic operations but stays pretty light on disassembly.
Here it is fresh from the box, less the add-ons.
A major drive behind the rebuild is pretty straightforward - as an automatic rifle, the BAR excelled. As a light machine gun, it proved marginal against contemporaries such as the English Bren and the German MG34 and -42 series.
Here's the rough overview of changes:
- Furniture. In its LMG guise the BAR does not shoulder well; it's intended to be fired prone or from the hip, and the first time you try shooting offhand, it shows. The 1918 wood is somewhat trimmer in profile and lacks the heavier hinged buttplate for full-auto firing. The earlier forend is slightly larger overall but the slabsided profile and checkering aid markedly in keeping a solid grip when moving.
- Rear sight. The sight on the late BARs is the same as used on the 1919-series Browning .30-caliber machine guns. It's fine in that application, but as a rifle sight it's a lousy choice. The original rifles shipped instead with a ladder-type identical to that used on the U.S. 1917 rifles. One drawback to the improved sight picture is the lack of windage adjustment.
- Gas regulator. Ohio Ordnance ships their rifle with the most recent mark, which was fielded beginning in 1952. Notably easier to operate in the field, it's two wars too late for this build.
- Magazine ears. Early rifles had no magazine guides. Later, during the update programs of the late '30s, a set of guides came along, riveted in place during arsenal rebuilds. The last type had ears integral to the trigger group housing. Personally I didn't care for the guides - they seemed to get in the way more than help, and they also rob the BAR of its classic lines, so off to the machinist they went.
- Refinish. I'll say this - Ohio Ordnance does some killer parkerizing . But in this instance it had to go. Polish work went decently fast on this one. No surprise, given the number of flat planes on the receiver and the relative ease of polishing barrels. The absolute worst was the cast trigger group body. Polishing roughness out of cast parts is something perhaps better avoided by the sane, though it did take bluing well once cleaned up.
One last piece not yet acquired is a 1918 type flash hider to replace the factory A2. It's on the list, but as I shoot without one half the time it's not a priority.
The end result is the product of another time. Too heavy for an infantry rifle, too light for a proper machine gun...but definitely one to turn heads at the range.
I call her Felina.
...and I think tonight we're going to have to watch The Sand Pebbles.
Incidentally, a WWI rifle isn't technically incorrect for World War II, as not all examples made it through re-arsenal or received the -A2 series of upgrades before the United States waded into combat.
The 1918A3 as shipped is largely correct for late 1945 with a couple of components (like the gas regulator) that weren't around until Korea. Included in the package are a bipod, carry handle, and OD canvas sling. I wound up swapping the latter out for a leather replacement from Turner and, outside of putting it all together for grins, have no plans to reinstall the carry handle and bipod given the rifle already weighs eighteen pounds and change.
There's also a maintenance DVD I haven't watched yet and a decent facsimile of an army field manual that goes through basic operations but stays pretty light on disassembly.
Here it is fresh from the box, less the add-ons.
A major drive behind the rebuild is pretty straightforward - as an automatic rifle, the BAR excelled. As a light machine gun, it proved marginal against contemporaries such as the English Bren and the German MG34 and -42 series.
Here's the rough overview of changes:
- Furniture. In its LMG guise the BAR does not shoulder well; it's intended to be fired prone or from the hip, and the first time you try shooting offhand, it shows. The 1918 wood is somewhat trimmer in profile and lacks the heavier hinged buttplate for full-auto firing. The earlier forend is slightly larger overall but the slabsided profile and checkering aid markedly in keeping a solid grip when moving.
- Rear sight. The sight on the late BARs is the same as used on the 1919-series Browning .30-caliber machine guns. It's fine in that application, but as a rifle sight it's a lousy choice. The original rifles shipped instead with a ladder-type identical to that used on the U.S. 1917 rifles. One drawback to the improved sight picture is the lack of windage adjustment.
- Gas regulator. Ohio Ordnance ships their rifle with the most recent mark, which was fielded beginning in 1952. Notably easier to operate in the field, it's two wars too late for this build.
- Magazine ears. Early rifles had no magazine guides. Later, during the update programs of the late '30s, a set of guides came along, riveted in place during arsenal rebuilds. The last type had ears integral to the trigger group housing. Personally I didn't care for the guides - they seemed to get in the way more than help, and they also rob the BAR of its classic lines, so off to the machinist they went.
- Refinish. I'll say this - Ohio Ordnance does some killer parkerizing . But in this instance it had to go. Polish work went decently fast on this one. No surprise, given the number of flat planes on the receiver and the relative ease of polishing barrels. The absolute worst was the cast trigger group body. Polishing roughness out of cast parts is something perhaps better avoided by the sane, though it did take bluing well once cleaned up.
One last piece not yet acquired is a 1918 type flash hider to replace the factory A2. It's on the list, but as I shoot without one half the time it's not a priority.
The end result is the product of another time. Too heavy for an infantry rifle, too light for a proper machine gun...but definitely one to turn heads at the range.
I call her Felina.
...and I think tonight we're going to have to watch The Sand Pebbles.
