This thread is the only reason I now know of the latter, and I am a little annoyed Browning used the same term for a wholly different weapon than that they made half a century ago. Apparently, there is a redundantly named "Browning BAR," referred to as such because of its auto-LOADING feature. As you can see from the below link to Brownings site, it looks nothing like the old BAR, which stands to reason since it has none of the same parts. It is ONLY semi-auto; again, I have seen nothing to suggest it can be converted to full auto, and instead seen several categorical statements it CANNOT, by any means.

That also stands to reason though, because it was designed as a civilian hunting rifle, never at any time intended for fully automatic fire. I am no gunsmith but, again, it is only logical a fully automatic weapon converted to semi-automatic could easily be converted BACK to fully automatic through removing/replacing/modifying some parts. I would expect it to be more difficult to accomplish that goal with one that was always semi-automatic and never fully automatic.


How much US/NATO military issue was designed as fully automatic from the outset and merely retooled as semi-auto in its commercial form (where such forms exist)? I have heard it said that "what can be done can be undone."


People buying into the lobbyists ass-hattery should concern you though, particularly when it prejudices your goals, and (further) popularizing the idea any semi-automatic can be easily converted to full auto with a file in a minute or two is not, I believe, in your best interest (or mine.)

Again, it is not something I have researched much (read: At all,) but every discussion I saw last night of filing down firing pins to make an AR-15 fully automatic consisted of variations on "only idiots believe that, because it will almost certainly 'convert' the gun to an expensive club; ACTUALLY converting an AR-15 to fully automatic fire requires replacing several parts with their M-16 equivalents." The few people who respond seriously to filed firing pin arguments note that:

1) It will probably render the gun inoperable, because the pin is too short and/or narrow to reach the primer with sufficient force for detonation.

2) Whether or not it works, anyone caught trying is head to Club Fed without the need to wait for them to commit further crimes (yea, gun control! )

3) If, by sheer luck, it DOES work it will not produce a true automatic, but one that fires continuously until it empties the magazine or overheats and explodes in the wielders face, most likely the latter.

So, yeah, if someone turns their AR-15 back into an M-16 it will be fully automatic, but it takes more than filing a firing pin, which will not do the job, and that does not apply to weapons never designed for fully automatic fire.