The BAR History:

The BAR was developed during WW1 by John Browning but arrived too late to have any real impact on the war. After the war, many found their way into the US civilian and Police markets. This is the gun that finally killed Bonnie and Clyde and was a favorite of the infamous John Dillinger who used a sawed off version.

When WW2 started the BAR was still in the Army inventory. Although the BAR is very heavy and only used a 20 round magazine, there was nothing else available as a squad support weapon. By default the BAR became a legend.

The 1918 BAR soldiered on as a stop-gap squad support gun with the US forces and was issued in various versions throughout WW2. VFC's version would be considered an early 1918A2 version. Late war A2's were made with Black plastic butt stocks. VFC's model has full wood furniture. The real BAR was issued with a bipod and carry handle. However, VFC does not provide these parts. This is okay for me as most GI's and Marines discarded these to reduce weight. Later the BAR was used in Korea and even issued to Vietnam ARVN troops in the 1960's.