Burton Machine Rifle

Last updated
Winchester-Burton M1917 LMR
Type Select-fire automatic rifle
Place of originFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Production history
DesignerFrank Burton
Designedc.1916-1917 [1] [2]
Specifications
Mass4.54 kg (10.0 lb)
Length1,155.7 mm (45.50 in)
Barrel  length635 mm (25.0 in)
Cartridge .345 WSL
Action Blowback
Rate of fire 800 rpm
Muzzle velocity 564 m/s (1,850 ft/s)
Maximum firing range1,400 m (1,500 yd)
Feed system2×20-round detachable box magazines
Sights Ladder sight

The Winchester-Burton Light Machine Rifle or Burton M1917 LMR (known colloquially as the Burton) is an early automatic rifle designed by Frank F. Burton in 1917. It is thought to have been designed for destroying enemy observation balloons, [3] but the theory is unconfirmed. [4] It is one of the first true assault rifles. [5]

Contents

Design and development

In 1916, Frank F. Burton began developing the rifle, creating a single example.

The most prominent feature of the Burton LMR is the twin 20-round box magazines positioned 30° left and right from the rifle's line of sight. The magazines have two locking catches on the front, and one over-travel stop on the back, that allow one magazine to feed whilst placing the other on standby.

The only extant example (now at the Cody Firearms Museum [6] ) of the LMR has two interchangeable barrels: ground and airborne. The infantry barrel is equipped with a bayonet lug. Both barrels feature cooling fins similar to later weapons such as the Thompson 1928. [7]

The primary trigger is housed within the trigger guard, and is used to fire in semi-automatic. The LMR utilises an additional trigger located under the trigger guard as the select-fire mechanism. Squeezing the trigger causes the sear to be locked in place, allowing the bolt to return for fully-automatic fire.

It features an open bolt with a simple blowback operation to cycle new rounds and eject spent casings downward. The charging handle is also shaped like a trigger and is located on the bottom of the receiver. [7]

The Burton LMR meets the majority of requirements needed to be classified as an assault rifle; it is select-fire, magazine fed, chambered in an intermediate cartridge, and can be shoulder-fired. [3] [7] It is the only known assault rifle to use a simple blowback operation. [8]

Ammunition

The .345 Winchester Self-Loading is a straight walled rimless, centerfire intermediate cartridge created in 1917 by Frank Burton for the light machine rifle. The cartridge was created by modifying .351 Winchester Self-Loading shells and fitting an 8.8mm spitzer bullet. [9] It is speculated that the bullet is large enough to house an incendiary component, however the original ammunition cards do not specify an incendiary capability. [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ McClure, Nancy (5 February 2021). "Points West Online - Favorite Firearms, Cody Firearms Museum". Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 Hlebinsky, Ashley (13 October 2019). "Burton Light Machine Rifle". Recoil. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 Ballou, James L. (2 August 2022). "AMERICA'S FIRST ASSAULT RIFLE". Small Arms Review. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  4. ↑ Moss, Matthew (4 June 2023). "The Mysterious Burton Machine Rifle ft. Danny Michael of the Cody Firearms Museum". YouTube . Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  5. ↑ Moss, Matthew. "The Winchester-Burton Machine Rifle". Historical Firearms. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Michael 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 McCollum, Ian (4 July 2016). "America's First Assault Rifle: Burton 1917 LMR". YouTube . Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  8. ↑ The World's Assault Rifles By Gary Paul Johnston, Thomas B. Nelson. Chapter 2: Assault Rifle Operating and Locking Systems.
  9. ↑ "345 WINCHESTER MACHINE RIFLE". Cartridgecollector.net. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Battlefield 1 Shock Operations Update Notes". Electronic Arts. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2024.

Sources

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