m1917 BAR Magazine Question or two

[kywoodwrkr]

Have a couple of magazines which upon looking at are of different time frames I think.
First one is marked SLY 5564076 and second one SEY C5564076-12.
SEY I think is Seymour and -12 denotes a modification level.
Not familiar with SLY magazine.
Anyone have any information available on the SLY magazine? Time frame etc.
Thanks.

[Scharfschuetze]

While I've shot the 1918 BAR several times, I never paid any attention to the magazines. I'm sure the ones we had in the arms room were pretty much a hodge-podge of makes. They were all reliable though. Reliable even when the Rangers with us stuffed 7.62 NATO into 'em and fired several hundred rounds (without a jam) before I noticed it and got 'em squared away on what type of ammo properly feeds a 1918 BAR.

[Larry Gibson]

Reliable even when the Rangers with us stuffed 7.62 NATO into 'em and fired several hundred rounds (without a jam) before I noticed it and got 'em squared away on what type of ammo properly feeds a 1918 BAR.

The fun part was when we tried to turn that brass back in to the Fort Lewis ASP..........

The magazines we had were all "Shelby Corp" magazines which came new in the white cloth covered foil packaging. That might be what the SLY means but the mags we had had "Shelby Corp" on the bottom.

If I recall correctly we had 9 brand new (possibly arsenal refinished) M1917 BARs in our arms room. The bipod assembly and mags were all new and still packaged. We didn't break them open until we hooked up with 1st SFGA who had the ammo and then we forecast our own the following years.

Larry Gibson

[Multigunner]

If I recall correctly we had 9 brand new (possibly arsenal refinished) M1917 BARs in our arms room.
Is "M1917" a typo?
The BAR was adopted in 1917 but designated M1918 (possibly to avoid confusion with the M1917 belt fed MG and M1917 rifles).
I ask because I'd been told of a WW2 veteran who insisted he carried an M1917 BAR. I'd wondered at the time if some of the early production receivers might have been marked 1917.
The M1918 saw some use in WW2 and some M1918 models were refurbished and converted to M1918A2 configuration.

[kywoodwrkr]

Is "M1917" a typo?

Yup
M1918 is correct.(and all I had to do was look at the shoulder pouch! :-|)
The BAR was adopted in 1917 but designated M1918 (possibly to avoid confusion with the M1917 belt fed MG and M1917 rifles).
I ask because I'd been told of a WW2 veteran who insisted he carried an M1917 BAR. I'd wondered at the time if some of the early production receivers might have been marked 1917.
The M1918 saw some use in WW2 and some M1918 models were refurbished and converted to M1918A2 configuration.
And there are various variations.
Some chambered for 7,65x53 and some for 6,5x55.
Remember many years back saw an ad for 6,5x55 BARs. Somewhere on west coast. Those were probably Swedish models.

[Multigunner]

And there are various variations.
Some chambered for 7,65x53 and some for 6,5x55.
Remember many years back saw an ad for 6,5x55 BARs. Somewhere on west coast. Those were probably Swedish models.
The basic design was chambered in 7mm, 7.65X53, 6.5X55, and 7.92X57 (possibly other as well). A prototype in .303 was tested but cordite burned out the barrel quickly, the British then obtained the standard U S .30-06 models for the homeguard and other uses.
I've seen conversion kits for the Swedish version to adapt it to 7.92 and 7.62 NATO.
The Swedish quick change barrel version with extra barrels in several other chamberings would be very handy.
A couple of Belt fed versions were developed.
Quite a versatile weapon.

[Larry Gibson]

Generic typo. However, the BAR was developed by Browning in 1917. It was adopted as the M1918 by the US, to be followed by the M1918A1 and the M1918A2 which went through several variations. Many who used it in days of yesteryear did, in fact, refer to it as a M1917. The exact nomenclature was one of the "trick" questions we had in the SF weapons course. The ones Scharfschuetzer and I are referring to were the last variation of the M1918A2.

More precisely;

89236

Larry Gibson