Hunting Handbook

has any one here ever built a browning 1919?

I've been seeing lots of the kits for sale. You need to buy a side plate to build one semi auto. Just out of curiosity, has anyone done it. How complicated was it. What was the hardest part of the build. Would you do it over again. They aren't very practical for anything, but they would draw some attention at the range. I know this has nothing to do with hunting, but the hunting section seems to be a catch all for firearms questions. I have no intentions of ever building one, just curious.

Public Comments

1. For someone with the correct skill set, not too hard. If you don't have the correct machine tools, you can have the work done on the internals by one of several people for a reasonable cost. The process of building up one of these is to remove the remains of the original full auto side plate and then rivet the semi auto plate in place. Again if you are reasonably competent it is straight forward. As to using the gun, it is probably one of the most accurate guns you will ever shoot. If you are deer hunting from a fixed location, take the gun and tripod to that point and set up. Were I hunting one of the local canyons I would set up on one of the ridges with a good overlook a couple of weeks before the hunt. I would set up the blind area, and then using the gun range to a bunch of stakes. Having then made up a table, you can quickly come onto any target. The very heavy barrel in these guns is great. Just remember to use 5 round belts. You are right in saying that they get looks on the range. I have been known to sucker some fool with a fancy gun / scope combo in one of the newfangled cartridges, telling them that I can beat their 300 yard group with my old WW2 semi auto gun. The look when you drop down the pod and lay the gun on point is priceless. As a final thought, you do realize that these guns are a very good investment? You could have purchased a complete gun for about $950 two years ago. These are now selling for around $1500, or in other words a return on investment of 33% a year.
2. I have done it. The hardest part is riveting. The kits have had the right side plate cut in at least 3 pieces (the right side plate is the firearm per ATF for a Browning Machine Gun). You have to remove the remnants of the orignal side plate by drilling out the original rivets. Then you need a new Semi-Auto sideplate and you have to rivet it together. Then you simply install the new semi auto fire control group and have at it. I did one while working for an SOT that was full auto and it was even easier. Just machine the side plate, rivet, and assemble.