Joined
·
2,417 Posts
Long post but I want to get all the details in so you guys can noodle over it. 
Ever since converting my post-sample 1919 over from 8mm (it was built for 8mm) to .308 I've had feeding problems. The last club shoot I attended I had an OOB/KABOOM in 8mm (my fault: mystery ammo) that required me to replace a broken extractor (claw) and bent topcover. I converted to .308 (booster, barrel, and front cartridge guide/stop) before running it in 8mm again to test the MG in it's own native caliber (again, it was built for 8mm) (a mistake to not test it I know). In .308 I'd get two or three rounds and the gun would hang up, sometimes the topcover would even pop open. Yesterday a good friend of mine (and member here), the Browning flag-bearer of our beltfed division (he has both a 1917a1 and a 1919a4)(I consider him my mentor with respect to the Browning MG) spent the entire day troubleshooting my gun starting with linked dummy rounds working on the MG at home then taking it to the range and further work until we got it running right.
In our troubleshooting we replaced topcovers, replaced the feed pawl (two brand new Izzy feed pawls), replaced the belt holding pawl spring, replaced the feed pawl lever, replaced the topcover latch (that fixed the cover popping open), replaced extractors, replace trunion protectors, tried a completely different set of IZZY links, headspaced, cleaned, re-headspaced, re-cleaned, oiled like crazy, swapped complete topcovers between guns, the ammo I am using is 2014 Lake City M80 ball and 2014 Lake City M62 tracer ... it was a long day.
At the end of the day it appears that my 1919a4 absolutely requires that for .308 I run the links in a manner that I know to be "backwards" or "upside-down".
Is this normal?
What happens is that the belt hangs up to the extent that even if you push on the rounds from the feed side while manually charging the MG, the belt will not feed. You can watch as the feed pawl attempts to push against the upper 45-degrees of the second round in the feed area, but just slides over it. Lifting and closing the topcover, charging the MG will feed and fire for two or three rounds before hanging up again. If I flip the belt over and run it the opposite direction, it runs fine: I can pop doubles, five rounds, 6, 8, 10, or just run a belt.
While I'm fine with a "functional workaround" I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem and what may be causing it.
-- Forwards/Top? Does not run in this setup.
-- Backwards/Upside-down? Runs great in this setup.
Ever since converting my post-sample 1919 over from 8mm (it was built for 8mm) to .308 I've had feeding problems. The last club shoot I attended I had an OOB/KABOOM in 8mm (my fault: mystery ammo) that required me to replace a broken extractor (claw) and bent topcover. I converted to .308 (booster, barrel, and front cartridge guide/stop) before running it in 8mm again to test the MG in it's own native caliber (again, it was built for 8mm) (a mistake to not test it I know). In .308 I'd get two or three rounds and the gun would hang up, sometimes the topcover would even pop open. Yesterday a good friend of mine (and member here), the Browning flag-bearer of our beltfed division (he has both a 1917a1 and a 1919a4)(I consider him my mentor with respect to the Browning MG) spent the entire day troubleshooting my gun starting with linked dummy rounds working on the MG at home then taking it to the range and further work until we got it running right.
In our troubleshooting we replaced topcovers, replaced the feed pawl (two brand new Izzy feed pawls), replaced the belt holding pawl spring, replaced the feed pawl lever, replaced the topcover latch (that fixed the cover popping open), replaced extractors, replace trunion protectors, tried a completely different set of IZZY links, headspaced, cleaned, re-headspaced, re-cleaned, oiled like crazy, swapped complete topcovers between guns, the ammo I am using is 2014 Lake City M80 ball and 2014 Lake City M62 tracer ... it was a long day.
At the end of the day it appears that my 1919a4 absolutely requires that for .308 I run the links in a manner that I know to be "backwards" or "upside-down".
Is this normal?
What happens is that the belt hangs up to the extent that even if you push on the rounds from the feed side while manually charging the MG, the belt will not feed. You can watch as the feed pawl attempts to push against the upper 45-degrees of the second round in the feed area, but just slides over it. Lifting and closing the topcover, charging the MG will feed and fire for two or three rounds before hanging up again. If I flip the belt over and run it the opposite direction, it runs fine: I can pop doubles, five rounds, 6, 8, 10, or just run a belt.
While I'm fine with a "functional workaround" I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem and what may be causing it.
-- Forwards/Top? Does not run in this setup.

-- Backwards/Upside-down? Runs great in this setup.
