Browning Automatic Rifle
The Browning automatic rifle is one of the rifles that saw service from World War I until the Vietnam conflict. Undergoing a high number of modifications from its inception until its decommission, the Browning automatic rifle has a strong history, making it a gun highly sought after by collectors.
The original line of Browning automatic rifles saw limited use during World War I, due to the fear that the weapon would be captured and used by the enemy. However, by the end of the war, eight five thousand of the guns were manufactured. After the start of World War II, the use of the Browning automatic rifle further evolved as it filled the role of portable light machine gun. However, the use of the Browning automatic rifle in this role was mixed at best, as the rifle had a non replaceable barrel and small magazine capacity. On the field, it suffered from damage by moisture and corrosion. This issue would either render the gun completely useless, or incapable of firing in automatic mode.
During the evolution of World War II, the Browning automatic rifle eventually returned to its niche as a shoulder fired, portable rifle. It was most frequently used in patrols or infantry columns to provide heavy firepower to the point or tail of the group.
For civilian use, the Browning automatic rifle proved highly popular until the 1930s, when the use and owning of these rifles were greatly limited. This change in the law rendered many Browning models illegal to own, although there are a few models that can still be acquired by non registered collectors today.
The Browning automatic rifle, while less common than other models of guns, has replicas created for use with Airsoft. The target audience for these replicas are for those running World War II scenarios, where the guns saw the most use. However, replica models are available for those who play World War I or Vietnam scenarios and situations. Unlike the original models, the Airsoft replica Browning automatic rifle does not suffer from the maintenance issues that could render them useless or at limited capacity.
If you are interested in owning an original Browning automatic rifle, you will need to do a model search to find which ones can be owned by civilians without special permits. The guns that can be owned are dependent on region, so it is important that you confirm if your Browning automatic rifle can be owned in the region you are keeping or transporting it.