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TI,e 1I,'(u,m i"" Ilellvy l'IIICI,i"e '."11""ecl"",is". l'I'IIle Ells"

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ContentsGENERAL DESCRIPTION.DATA.FIELD STRIPPINGDETAILED STRIPPING OF GROUPS.HEAD SPACE ADJUSTMENT.MECHANISM.TRIPOD MOUNTING.SIGHTSFIRINGSTOPPAGESUSEFUL NOTES

P , im e d in G r e a t B r i t a i n b yG a l e So P olden U d., iflde:rshol

1942P9"1'3

PAGE

5579131621

24262931

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- _a-,14

IS

PLATE II WaIer jacket-2 Water jacket end cap.3 Foresight protector.4 Foresight.S Barrel (mu22le end protrud-ing through muzzle gland).6 Drain plug.7 Cork plug stem and chain.8 Steam hose affixed to steamvent.9 Filler plug.10 Ammunition box.

6

I I Cover.12 Cover latch.13 Rearsight.14 Shock absorber mechanism.IS Pistol grip.16 Trigger.I? R~jver.18 Trigger pin recess hol..19 Bolt handle.20 Feedway.21 Ammunition beit.

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~~-~,-~~

~f~~ '~-~ - -.~ P.Jt.(. ~ -. ,-D

PLATE 2 Illustrations of Assembled G roups(A ) C over group.(8 ) Shock ab,orber group.(C) Bolt group.

(D ) Lock frame group.(E ) Barrel exten,ion group.(F ) C over latch.

FIELD STR IPPINGThis should be done in the following sequence:(I) Draw back cover latch, raise cover.(2) Pull back bolt handle to the rearmost position, hold inthis position by placing left wrist firm ly on top of receiver andholding bolt handle with fingers of the left hand. Insert rimof cartridge or screw-driver into the slit of the driving springrod, which will be found protruding from rear of back plate.Push driving rod in as far as it w ill go, rotate in clockwisedirection until slit is vertical; this locks the driving rod andretains driving spring fully compressed in bolt.

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(3) Push bolt handle forward a few inches.(4) Push cover latch forward with left hand. Back plate ofpistol grip may now be lifted up and out of receiver w ith righthand.(5) Pull bolt handle to rearmost position and withdraw bolthandle from bolt.(6) Grasp driving spring rod with right hand, withdraw boltand support same with left hand. Turn extractor upwards andremove.(7) W ith nose of bullet, push in trigger pin (located in hole onthe right side of receiver). Grasp lock frame spacer w ith leftthumb and pull rearwards until lower projection of barrelextension drops down behind bottom plate of receiver.(8) Grasp lock frame and push forward on tips of accelerator;this will separate lock frame from barrel extension.(9) Draw barrel extension and barrel to rear out of receiver.(IO) Unscrew barrel extension from barrel.NOTE: The above srripping I-1O is whar is nonnaIlY-'leeded u,zder fieldcandiriam far a remparary sroppage necessiraring a change af parrs, ere.(see pp. 29-3. Stappages).

DETAIL STRIPPING OF GROUPS(PLATES 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 )

COVER(I) W ith point of bullet turn cover pin spring upwards, w ith-draw pin, remove cover.(2) W ith point of bullet turn feed lever pivot pin spring out-wards, remove pivot pin, remove feed lever, remove belt feedslide.(3) Push out feed pawl pin. Remove teed pawl and feed pawlspring.(4) W ith point of bullet inserted between extractor earn andextractor spring, prise extractor spring away from extractor cam ,remove extractor spring.

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-:J8 I ~I "2,9" 26 27/2B -= 3130 - - t)

I~24 II.

22 23~~

PLATE 3 Cover Group SirippedII Cover.22 Cover eKtractor earn.23 Cover eKtractor spring.24 Belt reed slide.25 Belt reed pawl.26 Belt reed paw! pin.

27 Belt reed pawl spring.28 Cover pin and spring.29 Belt reed lever pivot pin andspring.30 Belt reed lever.3 I Belt reed lever actuating stud.

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H~~-H' '~ ~536-

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SHOCK ABSORBER GROUP(Stripping ofthis group is rarely needed except in case ofrepair)(1) Unscrew adjusting screw.(2) Remove adjusting screw plunger and the adjusting screwplunger spring.(3) Remove buffer discs (there are 16 of these), buffer plug,buffer ring and buffer plate.BOLT(1) R emove extractor.(2) W ith cocking lever in rearmost position insert point ofbullet into trigger notch of sear. Press sear downwards, releasingstriker.(3) Push out cocking lever pin.(4) Remove cocking lever.(5) W ith point of bullet push scar spring to left side of bolt.(6) Remove scar downwards. Replace sear spring in originalposition, sear spring and scar spring pin can now be removedupwards.(7) Tilt bolt upwards and striker and spring assembly willfall out.(8) To remove striker spring, push out striker spring retainingpin, taking care not to allow spring to fly out.(9) Remove driving rod and driving spring by tUrning drivingrod notch to horizontal position and withdraw ing spring androd under control. (The driving spring is long, and care shouldbe taken not to kink it. A quick withdrawal of driving rod willp reven t th is.)

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1E"~50'" ' , 5 C O >50 -

~ 51 ~-52 5i~.....

12 - 54PLATE 6 (above)

Barrel Extension GroupSO Barrd cXlension.SOd Lock frame projectiongrooves.so b T- lug extens ion.soe Barrel plunger stud.5 I Barrel lock spring.S2 B reech lock.S3 Breech lock pin.

PLATE 7 (below)Cover Latch

12 Ower latch.S4 Cover latch .pring.

1Z

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LO C K FR A M E(1) Push out trigger pin and remove trigger pin spring.(2) Remove trigger.(3) Push out accelerator pin, rem ove accelerator.(4) Push out barrel plunger head pin from slit in left side plateof lock frame. (Take care to keep spring under control whilstdoing this.) Barrel plunger and barrel plunger spring may nowbe withdrawn.B A R R EL EXTEN SIO N(1) Push out breech lock pin and remove breech lock.(2) Insert nose of bullet under forward shoulder of barrel lockspring and prise it forwards and remove it.COVER LATCHPull latch smartly to rear, removing it from its scat, removecover latch spring.

TO REASSEMBLE GROUPSEach group should be reassembled in detail in the reverseorder in which it has been stripped.

HEAD SPACE ADJUSTMENTThis must be done before reassembly. By the term" headspace" is meant the distance between the face of the bolt andthe base of the barrel. W hen correctly adjusted the face of thebolt should firm ly support the base of the cartridge in positionin the chamber when the gun is fired.TOO MUCH HEAD SPACE (i.e., adju stmen t is too loose)The base of the cartridge wiIl not be firm ly supported by thebolt face and when cartridge is discharged a separated case ora bulged case m ay result, causing difficult extraction.TO O LITTLE H EA D SPA C E (i.e., adju stmen t is too tight)(This can sometimes be detected by ear when the gun is beingfired, as the bolt on its return to its forward position wiIl givea dead sound effect.)

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Binding of certain moving parts and slow rate of fire mayresult. It may not be possible for the mechanism to go fullyhome to the firing position, when the gun cannot be fired.Breakage of the barrel extension can result from firing the gunwith head space too tight.THE CORRECTHEAD SPACE ADJUSTMENT(A ) Partly screw barrel into barrel extension.(B) Remove extractor from bolt. W ith barrel and barrelextension in a horizontal position, place the bolt in its fullforw ard home position in the barrel extension.(c) Lock bolt to barrel extension by lifting breech lock up intoits seat; hold it firm ly in this position.(D ) Continue screw ing barrel into barrel extension until resist-ance is felt (other than that of the barrel lock spring).(E) Release breech lock which should now fall of its ow n w eight,if the head space adjustment is correct.(F) Remove the bolt.(G) Note position of barrel lock spring; if this is in betweentwo barrel notches, screw barrel up to second notch. If barrellock spring is seated in a barrel notch, screw barrel up to nextnotch.It is advisable to mark barrel with this correct head spaceadjustment so that quick head space adjustment can always be'm ade on subsequent stripping and reassem bling. .'

REASSEMBLY OF GROUPS INTO GUNScrew barrel into barrel extension. Insert the barrel and thebarrel extension (head space adjustm ent having been made) intoreceiver from the rear. Slide the barrel forward carefully withthe left hand until the lower projection of the barrel extensionbutts against bottom plate of receiver. G rasp lock frame arrdplace accelerator claw s between rear face of barrel extension andforward faces of T lug extension, inserting at the same time theforw ard projections of the lock fram e into their correspondinggrooves in the barrel extension. Push forw ard on the lock fram e,which will tip back accelerator claws and will compress barrelplunger spring, thus locking lock frame to barrel extension.'(During this operation the trigger bar must pass between thetwo accelerator claws, otherwise it w ill interfere with the14

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accelerator tips and prevent them proceeding rearwards.)Ensure the lock fram e is securely locked to the barrel extension;raise and push forward into the receiver the assembled barrel,barrel extension and lock frame; push in trigger pin, when thewhole assembly can be pushed fully forward home, making sureof this by seeing trigger pin res eats itselfin its recess in the rightside of receiver. Test that everything is home by pulling on thelock frame spacer rearwards. Insert bolt, making sure extractoris in position, and that cocking l::ver is in fully forward position.Insert bolt handle. Push forward cover latch, replace pistolgrip and back plate. Pull cover latch to rear, locking backplate in position. Pull bolt handle to rearmost position and,with it so held, insert screw-driver or base of bullet into slitof driving rod, push in and turn anti-clockwise to horizontalposition, thus releasing driving spring. Allow bolt to returnto forw ard position.FINAL TEST OF HEAD SPACE ADJUSTMENTFinally, test that the head space adjustment is correct as

follow s :- Raise cover.Raise ex tracto r.

W ith mechanism in its fully forward position, take hold ofbolt handle and withdraw it to rear! inch; there should beno independent movement of bolt rearwards from base ofbarrel-i.e., barrel and bolt should move together to the rear.If there is any such movement of bolt independent of barrel,head space adjustment is too loose.To rectify, insert combination tool or point of bullet betweenright side of receiver and barrel notches, and screw up barrelone notch.To test for too tight head space adjustment, work cockingmechanism backwards and forwards by means of bolt handle.If head space is too tight moving parts w ill not work smoothly;the breech will bind as it is locked. The mechanism may notgo fully home, when the trigger cannot be pulled to releasestriker.To rectify too tight head space adjustment, insert combina-tion tool or point of bullet between left side of receiver andbarrel notches and unscrew barrel one notch.Any such head space adjustment carried out must be tested.

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~ - i: -~\J1:..~~ . Yl8i ~ ~- 't ---I . I~) Sl "30PLATE 8 IlIlemal Media l/ism il l Forward Posilio l/Bolt (32) forw ard in firing posiuon.Extractor (33) gripping succeeding round (in belt, not shown).Cocking lever (35) in rcarmost position.Breech lock (52) forced up (by breech lock earn, not shown).Breech lock pin projections (53) clear of lock frame projeCtions (43')'A ccelerator claw s (44) tipped forward.Barrel plunger and spring (46 and 47) released, having pushed home onbarrel plunger stud on T -lug of barrel eX lcnsion.

BACKWARD MOVEMENT OF MECHANISMBARRELBARREL EXTENSIONBOLTACCELERATOR MOV!'MENTSWhen a cartridge is fired, the force of the explosion drives thebolt (which is locked to the barrel by the breech lock in thebarrel extension), barrel and barrel extension to the rearapproximately t inch, when the breech lock clears the breechlock cam situated on the bottom plate of the receiver. Thebreech lock is noW free to drop, and is assisted by the projectionsof the breech lock pin striking the inclined forward surfaces ofthe lock frame projections. The bolt is thus free to continue tothe rear. The rear of the barrel extension strikes the forwardcurved surfaces of the accelerator claws, tipping them backwardsuntil the accelerator abuts the accelerator stop; the acceleratorlocks in this position, locking at the same time the barrelplunger and spring which have meanwhile been compressed bythe rearward motion of the barrel plunger stud. The barrel andbarrel extension are thus locked in this position, and cannot con-tinue further to the rear. During the tipping backwards of theaccelerator claws above described, the accelerator tips are in

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33 3S

- ~-.~1-n :,c..~d' _.I

-~~IQFI\'/ I . 'l~\.'50 !lJ 43

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Top ILLUSTRATION:SIww.bol, in fu lly fo ro;a rd po.i-rion. Govn raised to $howrllt belt f e e d a rm a trua ritlgswd) havillg bun dn" 'Uetlor h o lofr whm Io

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F EED I NG OF BELTFEED LEVERB ELT STO P PA W L O PER A TIO N SDuring the backward movement of the mechanism , the feedlever actuating stud is located in the cam groove in the top ofthe bolt; thereby its forward end engaged in the belt feed slideis driven to the left. The belt feed pawl is permitted by itsspring to ride up and over the next cartridge. The belt isprevented from being carried in the same direction by thebelt stop pawl.

The backward movement of the mechanism has thlls achievedthe following :-(A) The spent case of the fired round has been extracted fromthe chamber.(B) The succeeding round has been extracted from the feedbelt ready to be positioned into the T cut of the bolt head forfeeding into the cham ber.(c) The striker has been cocked.(D) The feed mechanism is in position ready to feed anotherround into the feed way.(E) The recoiling springs have been compressed ready to reassertthemselves to drive mechanism forward again.THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OFTHE MECHANISMThe forward movement of the mechanism (described in detailbelow) provides the following :-(A) The succeeding round is positioned into the T cut of thebolt and is fed into the chamber.(B) The ejector ejects the spent case.(c) The bolt closes and the breech is locked.(D) The trigger bar engages the sear slot ready to release strikeron trigger being pulled.(E) The next cartridge in belt is fed into position in the feedway,and is gripped by the extractor, rcady to be withdrawn frombelt on the next rearward movement of the mechanism .B O L TA C C E L E R A T O RB AR RE L E XTE NS IO NB A R R E LThe compressed driving spring reasserts itself, driving the boltforward. The succeeding round is positioned by the extractorinto the T cut of the bolt head and is carried forward intochamber.

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The bottom projections of the bolt strike the tips of theaccelerator claws, tipping them forward and unlocking the barrelplunger; the barrel plunger spring reasserts itself, driving for-ward the barrel extension and barrel. The breech lock rides upthe breech lock cam to lock bolt to barrel extension and barrel.The sear notches engage the trigger bar. The tip of the cockinglever is returned to its fully backward position. (It should benoted that, should the mechanism not go fuIly forward home,the cocking lever w ill not be right back, thus preventing thestriker from striking the cap of the cartridge.)BELT FEEDFEED LEVERFEED PAWLCARTRIDGE STOPSThe feed lever actuating stud riding in its cam groove in the boltis driven to the left, thus its forward end carries the feed slide tothe right, carrying with it the belt feed pawl, belt, and succeed-ing round until the latter abutts the front and back cartridgestops in the feed way. The succeeding round is now in positionfor the extractor to extract it.EXTRACTORDuring the first part of the bolt's travel forward the extractorfeed cam , situated on the left plate of receiver, strikes theextractor plunger and guides the extractor downwards, finallypositioning the base of the succeeding round in T cut of bolt,and nose of buIlet into chamber.The ejector (at the bottom of the extractor) strikes the spentcase (if it has not already faIlen out), which has been withdrawnfrom the chamber (the rim of spent case being in T cut of bolthead), and ejeCtS the spent case through the ejector' port openingin the base of the receiver.When the bolt has nearly closed, the extractor is forced upby a steeply inclined cam on the left plate of receiver, thusreleasing its grip of the cartridge, which has been fed weIlinto the chamber. The extractor rides upwards and overthe base of the next cartridge in the belt in the feed way. Theextractor spring in the cover forces the extractor down andon to this cartridge, thus gripping it securely ready to withdrawit on the next rearward movement of the mechanism .20

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59

I

PLATE 10 Tripod M ounting, M odel 19r855 Front leg,.56 Front leg jamm ing handles. 57 Trail leg jamming handles.58 Trnilleg.

THE TRIPOD MOUNTING (MODEL 1918)The illustration above clearly shows the various parts.To mount gun, turn elevating and trunnion pin handles to. vertical position and withdraw. Place gun on tripod so that itsmounting holes coincide with the trunnion bracket holes andelevating bracket holes. Push in trunnion pin, and turntrunnion pin to lock; reinsert elevating pin and turn to lock.Loosen pinde lock handle, and adjust traversing dial to ahorizontal position. Tighten pinde lock handle, making certainthe teeth on the locking plunger are in firm engagement withthe toothed sector. Place ammunition box in bracket situatedon left side of tripod.

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72

696867

PLATE IIS9 Front leg dutch plates.60 Pintle locking handle.61 Traversing mechanism damp.62 Slow-motion traversing wheel.63 Slow-motion traversing dial.64 Slow-motion traversing dial

zero adjusunc:nt lock nut.6S Traversing dial.6sa Pintle.

22

66

Tripod Head, Model 191866 Elevating clamp.67 Slow-motion elevating handwheel.68 Slow-motion elevation dial.69 Slow-motion elevation dialpointer.70 Elevating pin.71 Trunnion pin.72 Ammunition box braekel.

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ELEVATING MECHANISMA slow-motion elevating hand wheel is provided with a milclicking device. Turned in a forward direction (i.e., forwardsaw ay from gunner) raises gun, and turned in the reverse directionlowers gun. Each click represents I m il alteration.Larger alteration in angles of elevation than that provided bythe slow-motion elevating hand wheel may be accomplished byloosening elevating clamp and raising or lowering gun.

TRAVERSING MECHANISMA slow-motion mil clicking traversing gear is provided. W iththe traversing gear clamp screwed up so that the teeth of thetraversing gear are engaged, the traversing handle when rotatedin a clockwise direction traverses gun to left, and whcn rotatcd inan anti-clockwise direction traverses gun to right. Each clickrepresents I m il traverse.W ith the traversing gear clamp unscrewed so that thetraversing gear teeth are disengaged, the gun is free to betraversed by hand.Small angles of traverse can be read off from the small dialon the traversing hand wheel. Zero setting can be establishedby loosening dial lock nut and tightening at desired setting.Larger alterations in angles of traverse than that provided bythe slow-motion traversing wheel may be accomplished byloosening traversing clamp and traversing gun by hand. Anglesof traverse may be read off from traversing dial which is pro-vided with an adjustable zero setting that can be turned byhand.

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n777\

78 7..76

,PLATE 12 Bllcksight73 Graduated lcar.74 A djustable backsight slide.75 Adjustable backsight slide

catch.76 Fixed open backsight.77 A djustable open backsight.

78 Six-hole adjustable apertureeye-piece.79 W indage adjustm ent screw .80 Elevating fine adjustmentscrew.

SIGHTSFORESIGHTA blade foresight is fitted at the top of end cap of water jacket,being dovetailed into the sight block, and is thereby adjustablelaterally. It is provided with a tubular foresight protector.

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BACKSIGHTIn Plate 12 is illustrated the backsight described in detail below .It is to be noted that guns may be fitted with different types ofbacksights to the one described. The description that followsshould enable other types of backsights to be easily understoodand used. It consists of a leaf. In its lowered position an openU backsight is in position, which is sighted for 500 metres. Whenleaf is raised graduations on the leaf are used by which the slideis set to the range required. For large variations in elevation thecatch on the right side of the slide is depressed and the slideraised or lowered to range selected. For small and fine adjust-m ents of elevation the elevating notched wheel at the top of theslide is used. The slide carries an adjustable plate containingfive different sized apertures so as to enable the gunner to selectthe one m ost suitable to the shooting conditions.To set for the aperture required, push in with the tip of afinger on the serrated circle on the aperture plate and turn untilthe aperture required is at the bottom . M ake sure aperture plateis correcrly fixed by seeing that the corresponding notch onthe periphery of the sight plate is engaged with the key at thetop of the slide.The aperture is set to the range marked on the leaf thatcoincides with the bottom face of the w indow (e.g., illustrationshows aperture sight set for 1,500 metres). In addition to theaperture there is an open U backsight at the top of the slide.This open sight is set to the range marked on the leaf thatcoincides w ith the top edges of the shoulders of this sight (e.g.,illu stration shows open ad ju stab le backsight set fo r 1 ,950 me tres).It w ill be noticed from the illustration that the grooves in theleaf in which the slide moves up and down incline to the left,so that as the slide is raised the aperture is autom atically m ovedto the left. This movement is made to counteract the drift ofthe bullet.The leaf sight is mounted on a base which is adjustable forwindage; this adjustment is accomplished by means of themilled-headed screw situated to the left of the sight base. Thiswindage adjustment screw, when rotated backwards towardsgunner, moves sight to left to counteract for w ind blow ingfrom left to right, and when rotated forward (i.e., aw ay fromgunner) the sight is moved to the right to counteract wind blow-ing from the right.

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PLATE 13 The Firillg Positioll (G rm moull/ed all 1918 Tripod)BEFORE FIRINGPREREQUISITES(I) AmmuniLion loaded into belts.(2) Ammunition boxes.(3) W ater condenser filled with water.(4) Combination tool.(5) Cleaning rod.(6) Separated case extractor.(7) Spare parts.NOTE:4 , S t 6 and 7 aTt essemial o r p e m b le 'sroppaJfe~.(A) All mechanism must be clean, free from dust, dirt andfluff, and thoroughly oiled.(D) When assembled, rear barrel packing should provide asmooth waterLight fit in trunnion block; copious oiling orgreasing remedies slight water leak here.26

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(c) Muzzle gland should provide a smooth water-tight fit w ithbarrel. The barrel should be well oiled or greased where itslides through muzzle gland.(D) Test head space adjustment.(E ) F ill waterjacket.NOTE: Correct carrying out of (B) and (c) should be testedby operating mechanism with bolt handle. The mechanismshould work smoothly; no undue force should be required towithdraw barrel and mechanism to the rear, and with the bolthandle released from its rearmost position mechanism shouldreturn to its fully forward position and the bolt should lockproperly home against base of cartridge in chamber.(F) Attach steam hose to steam vent in water jacket, w ith itsfree end inserted into water condenser.(G) Check ammunition belts; they should be clean, dry anduniform ly and correctly loaded.(H) Tripod must be firm ly seated on ground, spade feet of legsstamped in, all jamming handles tight.

FIRING POSITIONThe firing position described below is shown in Frontispieceand Plate 13.Place two ammunition boxes on their sides. one on either sideof the trail leg, to form a seat for gunner. .Gunner should be seated on the ammunition boxes w ith oneleg on either side of trail leg of tripod, knees drawn up in acomfortable position of rest so that gun may be freely traversedin either direction. Left hand should grasp the pistol grip,index finger round trigger. Right hand on traversing or elevatingwheel. The tripod should be so adjusted that the gunner's lineof sight is along the sight base of gun, gunner sitting naturallyw ithout any straining of the head.In the absence of two ammunition boxes to form a seat forgunner, an alternative position can be taken up. The gunner isseated on ground to right of trail leg. This is quite a satisfactoryfiring position providing extreme angles of traverse to the leftare not required, in which event it is best for gunner to soposition gun on tripod so that he is seated in a line with gunmidway between maximum anticipated traversing angles rightor left that may be required.

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FIRINGSet sights to range required.Release elevating and traversing mechanism clamps; alignsights on target.See that elevating hand wheel and traversing dial and slow-

motion traversing dials are at zero.Tighten elevating and traversing clam ps.Check alignment of sights on target by elevating wheel andslow -motion traversing wheel.Insert loaded ammunition belt in feed w ay, ammunition boxhaving been placed in its bracket on tripod (illustrationpage 18).Cock gun by withdraw ing bolt handle to rear and allowingit to fly forward. Repeat once.Push safety catch to right; this locks trigger at safe position.

TO FIRERelease safety catch by pushing it to left, confirm aim , presstrigger, and keep trigger pressed for required number of roundsdesired to be fired in burst. Release trigger. Repeat for subse-quent bursts of fire, relaying aim between bursts.IM PORTANT:Gunner should allow gun to vibrate normallyon tripod. No attempt should be made to hold the gun firm lywith either hand to counteract vibration. No weight shouldbe placed on tripod, either by gunner sitting on trail leg or byriding front tripod legs w ith his feet.

DURING FIRINGGun should be watched for water leaks, sluggish action, andexcessive vibration on tripod.Slight water leaks may be rem edied as previously describedin paras (n) and (c) pp. 26-27. Serious water leaks w ill neces-sitate adjustm ent of packing glands.If sluggish action is apparent, the follow ing rem edies shouldbe tried, and the gun fired as each is carried out until sluggish-ness is remedied :-(I) Test head space adjustment.(2) Oil m uzzle gland.28

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(3) Clean chamber (if dirt, dust or grit particles are presentevidence of such will be given by longitudinal scratches o~e jected cases).(4) O il m echanism plentifully.(5) Tighten buffer recoil m echanism .STOPPAGES REMEDIED BY IMMEDIATE ACTION(I) G U N FA ILS TO FIR EGunner takes hold of ammunition belt protruding to the rightof gun from feedway and gives it a sharp jerk to the right.Cock gun. Relay aim . Continue firing.(2) G U N STILL FA ILS TO FIR EGunner raises cover. Pull bolt handle to rear, meanwhile lefthand is placed under ejection port at bottom of receiver tocatch ejected round.If a separated case is cause of stoppage, either a live round willbe ejected with the front portion of a separated case adheringto it or the separated case w ill be left in the chamber. In thisevent, call for clearing plug (of the cartridge type) which isplaced in feedway against the cartridge stops and gripped bythe extractor, holding down on the extractor, load the clearingplug slowly and smoothly into the chamber so that it w ill notstrike and so burr the edge of the chamber. Strike forward onthe bolt handle to ensure that the clearing plug is seated inruptured case. Pull bolt handle to rear when clearing plugand separated case w ill be ejected. The separated case shouldbe removed from the clearing plug so that it is ready forfurther use.Tighten head space adjustment one click.Cock gun. Relay aim . Continue firing.If live round is ejected, inspect cap; if struck, reject round.Continue firin~ .If cap has not been struck by striker-Replace bolt w ith spare completely assem bled bolt.A djust head space.Continue firing.

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If no round is ejected-Inspect chamber. If round in chamber-Remove it by passing cleaning rod through barrel frommuzzle end and pushing it out of chamber. (Too much forceshould not be exercised as base of round may be driven forcibly

against T cut in bolt, thereby iniuring T cut, or base of roundmay become jammed in T cut.)If no round is ejected and there is no round in chamber-Raise extractor and inspect for round in T cut of bolt. Ifthere is a round in T cut and there is room to insert end of com-bination tool through bolt handle slot and beneath round,prise round upwards out of T cut. O therw ise tap round downthrough T cut until it drops through ejection port.If no round is ejected, no round in chamber or in T cut-Inspect first round; if a short round (i.e., a round whichhas had the bullet pushed back into case) discard it and continuefiring.If the first round has a definite nick in the rim where theextractor has struck it, the belt feed lever should be replaced,as this indicates the belt feed lever actuating stud is worn.If gun still fails to fire-Raise cover.Inspect feed mechanism , belt feed lever, belt feed and stoppawls, extractor cover spring and replace defective parts.

RUNAWAY GUNIf gun still continues to fire when trigger is released, raisecover immediately; this will stop feed mechanism fromfunctioning. Remove belt. This fault is caused by the triggerbar being bent down at its forward end. To rectify removetrigger bar and bend front end upwards slightly.ASSISTANT GUNNERNOTE: During immediate action assistant gunner shou}d carry

out the follow ing :-Whenever cover is raised, remove first round from beltand hold ready for inspection; reposition belt in feedway.Have handy all spare parts, cleaning rod, separated caseextractor and combination tool.Hand to gunner any spare part or tool called for by him .Carry out any instructions gunner directs.

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YA.RDSINTO METRES3,000 yards = 2,700 m etres2,500 = 2,25

",000 1,800 ",500 ), 1,350 ",000 900 ))750 " 675500 " 45250 225200 180ISO"

135100"

9050 " 45 "

AFTER FIRINGStrip gun.Clean barrel as fer rifle. [Note the hot water in jacket can beused for cleaning bore of barrel as follows: Make a plug witha piece of flannelette round a cartridge case of a size to fit intomuzzle gland tightly. Tilt muzzle towards ground. As gunnerw ithdraws barrcI, assistant gunner plugs muzzle gland. Thebarrel w ithdrawn from m echanism , can now be inserted, muzzlefirst, into and in front of muzzle gland (first w ithdrawing plug)and the hot water from jacket allowed to flow through barreL]Drain water jacket; thoroughly grease outside of barrel aswell as the bore.C lean and oil thoroughly all parts.It is advisable to remove driving spring and rod to clean andoil, as during damp weather there is a likcIihood of thesebecoming rusty unseen in the bolt.Exam ine mechanism for any wear or burred parts; replacethose necessa ry .R eassemble gun.Check spare parts and accessories.Thoroughly clean tripod and oil working parts and threads.

USEFUL NOTESA change of I mil adjustment on slow-motion elevating mechanism orslow-motion traversing mechanism alters strike of bullet approx. 3.5inches per 100 yards of range. For practical purposes I mil may betaken to be equivalent to 31 minutes. The fixed open sight (illustratedin Plate 12) which is in position with the rcarsight leaf lowered is sightedto hit the point of aim at 500 metres.For guns equipped with rearsight leaf graduated in metres the followingtable will be useful.CONVERSION TABLE

METRES tNTO YARDS2,800 m etres = 3,080 yards2,500 = 2,7502~OOO 2,2001,500 t,6501,000 1,10075" 825500" 55250" 275200" 220IS 165100 IIO5 55

31

8/14/2019 Browning 1917

30/30

CALIBRATION OF REARSIGHT LEAFOriginally the rearsight leaf was calibrated for. 300 '06 ammunitionand graduated up to 2,600 yards. Later issues were calibrated for.300 MI ammunition and were graduated up to 3,300 yards.The trajectories of .300 '06 ammunition and .300 MI ammunitiondiffer so slightly up to 800 yards that for practical purposes the sights

graduated for '06 ammunition can be used up [0 800 yards when firingM .I ammunition. A t greater ranges, however, the setting of thesesights must be corrected to compensate for the different trajectory ofthe M I ammunition. The table below shows the correct setting.Range in Yards Sights calibrated for '06 ammunitioll (i.e., sightsgraduated to 2,600 yards only) should be set to figuresbelow when firing MI ammUllition.7258259501,0751,3001,575

7008009001)000

1)2001,400

CONSERVATION OF WATERIn action when parts of internal mechanism of gun break, a completelyassembled group containing that !'art is exchanged for the group in guncontaining the broken part, e.g., If striker in bolt is faulty, a completelyassembled bolt is exchanged for the one which is in the gun. Thisexchange of assembled groups often calls for the withdrawal of the barrel.If there is time to drain the water jacket this is done by removing fillerplug (to allow air to enter, thus accelerating flow of water) removing

drain plug and allowing water to flow into water can.If it is required to reduce time to a minimum at the same time, con-servation of water being necessary, this may be effected by the followingprocedure.Assistant gunner prepares a plug of a size that w ill effectively sealthe muzzle gland. A suitable plug may be made with flannelettewrapped round an empty cartridge case or round steam cork plug.When gunner is ready for barrel to be withdrawn, he inclines muzzle ofgun at a steep angle towards the ground. Assistant gunner places plug tobutt against muzzle end of barrel, pushing plug into muzzle gland at sametime pushing barrel to rear which is then withdrawn by gunner. (Notea rush of water should not be allowed to flow through muzzle gland atany time as this may disarrange packing, causing wate: leak herenecessitating renewal, thus causing delay.)When replacing barrel, plug muzzle with a piece of flannelette, insertbarrel and push out plug in gland with muzzle. A patch should be runthrough bore on cleaning rod to ensure no water or obstruction has beenleft. During these operations assistant gunner should take care that hotwater does not reach his hands as it may be quite hot enough to causenasty scalds.