FN BAR Chilien
About 1928, the FN transforms the US BAR model 1918 (who was in the spirit of JM Browning a rifle of attack) by adding to it a pistol handle, a heavy barrel provided with cooling ribs and a bipod, modifying hand-shield and regulator (Model .30 BAR) to make a genuine rifle machine gunner of it.
Some of these weapons FN were the subject of contracts of export towards the Latin America (Chile) generally calibre 7 mm and China caliber 7,92mm of them.
I think that it is indeed a Belgian FN BAR of the Chilean contract in 7 mm having preserved markings of the US patents - astonishing that he does not appear any there logo, punch or Belgian marking (in any case not apparent on the photographs).
Phil (Belgium)
Rifle machine gunner Browning MOD. 30
The Fabrique Nationale, before Second World War, produced the BAR for Belgium, Chile, China and still of other countries.
The majority of these weapons were alternatives of the MOD. 30 and with much of analogies with American BAR MOD. 18A1. Of this last, the MOD. 30 differs for the charger and the lid from the window from expulsion, for the handle pistol, the barrel with wings (BAR MOD 22 product with the E.U has also wings, but of this last they manufactured only a few hundreds of specimens for the cavalry, stock foldable on the left), by the shape of the handle former and for the gas adjustment to small cupola.
No MOD. 30 was manufactured in way of being able to change the barrel quickly. All could be installed on a special tripod produced by the F.N.
The weapon was produced in the following calibre: 7 mm, 7.65 mm, 7.92 mm.
Colt' S Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company produced various models of BAR for foreign countries, among which Chile.
(There is also the MOD. T34 of the 1949, caliber .30 Nato, the last BAR of the E.U.)
After the Second World War the F.N produced the MOD. D, a sophisticated model of the BAR, but it is about another history.
Alberto (Italie)
