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M1895 Colt-Browning machine gun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Colt-Browning M1895 was one of the first 'successful' gas operated machine guns designed by John Moses Browning. It was offered to Colt by Browning in November 1890. Originally chambered for .30-40 Krag, rebarreled and rechambered versions in 30-06 Springfield were designated M1895/1914. It became the first automatic machine gun adopted by the United States and saw limited use in the Spanish-American War.
Nicknamed the 'Potato Digger' (a name still used today in some locales where models of this gun are still in use), the gun had a very heavy operating lever below the barrel which swings in a half arc. The nickname derived from the fact that under prolonged fire operating lever would dig into the ground.[1]
The M1895 was used to great effect and is credited as being a decisive element in the Boxer Rebellion where it was suppiled to the foreign legations.[1]
It was available in .30-40 Krag, 6 mm Lee Navy, 6.5 mm and 30-06 Springfield along with various other calibers used in other countries.