Colt Automatic Rifle?

[tegemu]

I am reading a book "The U.S. Marine Corps Story," which is a well researched book, even on the list of recommended professional reading for USMC officers. There are several mentions of a Colt Automatic Rifle in use in the early 20th Century. Does anyone have any idea what the author is talking about?

 

[Dr. Dickie]

Colt made a commercial variate of the BAR back in the '20s, could that be what they are referring to?

 

[El Tejon]

Monitor.

 

[BigG]

The old BARs (and Thompsons, for that matter) are marked Colt Patent FA Mfg Co. Colt built a lot of miltree hardware under contract.

 

[iamkris]

Colt Automatic Machine Rifle

• Commercial variant made by Colt in several versions between the 1920s and the beginning of WWII, for civilian and law enforcement markets.
• One variant, the R80 Monitor, featured an 18-inch barrel, a lightweight receiver, and an ejection port cover along with a Cutts compensator.

Google is your friend...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browning_Automatic_Rifle#Colt_Automatic_Machine_Rifle

 

[Mk VII]

if it's earlier than 1918, it could refer to the Colt 'Potato Digger' machine gun

 

[El Tejon]

I would not want to fire the Potato Digger as a rifle.

No, it's the Monitor. My greatgrandfather had one. Purchased to supplement his many other guns after the Klan threatened him as he was a known Applejack (booze made from distilled apples, his farm had several orchards, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applejack) source for Terre Haute and Indianapolis during Prohibition. Dig this, we believe he bought it directly from Colt--VIA THE MAIL!!!