Browning Automatic Rifle

The Browning Automatic Rifle, or the "B.A.R.", (properly pronounced by its acronym "Bee Ay Are", not "bar") was an American Support weapon used during WWII the Korean War and the Vietnam War it was actually deployed into the battlefield on the last year of world war I.

History
The B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle) was first issued in February 1918, designed by John M. Browning and manufactured by Browning, Colt, Winchester repeating arms Co., and Marlin-Rockwell Co. This automatic weapon, which fired from a open bolt so it would stay cooler under sustained fire, allowed the individual soldier to lay down a tremendous amount of fire, provided a clear advantage in the trench warfare of World War I, and with this weapon came a tremendous amount of responsibility for its user and required specialized training to use. However, top American brass were afraid that if captured the weapon would be reverse engineered and used against American troops so it wasn't put into service until late in the war. As a result it was introduced too late to see much action. The weapon saw use between the World Wars by American gangsters who obtained these weapons from surplus, or stole them from armories and the police. The infamous Clyde Barrow, of Bonnie & Clyde, was known to use a modified version of the B.A.R. The B.A.R. was used widely during WWII and the Korean War by American forces and even saw some action during the Vietnam War. It is still regarded as one of the best weapons ever made,and will be around for many more generations to come. Although officially retired from U.S service in 1957, it is still in full use by dozens of smaller nations across the world.

The B.A.R. during World War II was issued as a squad support weapon, designed to provide suppressing fire while the assaulting teams flank the enemy, though manuals of arms of the time called for each squad to be issued one B.A.R., infantry would try to acquire an additional B.A.R. for increased firepower. The weapon fires the .30-06 caliber cartridge (the same round as the Springfield 1903 rifles, M1 Garand, Browning 30.Cal machine gun and the Johnson LMG.) loaded in twenty-round magazines. It fulfilled the role of a S.A.W. (Squad Automatic Weapon) and is very effective at providing suppressing fire for squad tactics as well as high penetration power. It was generally issued with a folding bipod but soldiers in the field usually discarded them to save weight