C&R · IV · 239
Browning M1919A4
Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 89 ↗
U.S. Browning, model 1919A4 air-cooled machinegun, produced by various U.S. Government contractors prior to 1946, cal. .30.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESMade or imported as stated: “produced by various U.S. Government contractors prior to 1946”
- ATF REQUIRESMade 1945 or earlier (ATF’s dates)ATF: “prior to 1946”
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
United StatesBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- Various U.S. Government contractorsBasis: the ATF wording
- Type
- MachinegunBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- Select-fire / autoBasis: the ATF wording
- Caliber
- .30-06Basis: the ATF wording
- Made
- Before 1946Basis: outside reference ¹
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “M1919 Browning machine gun” ↗, years: M1919A4 section: 'Production blueprints of the new variant were complete in late 1936, and slow-scale production soon followed' (Rottman 2014); infobox production to 1945; the end is ATF's own limit (prior to 1946)
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passYears: 1919–1945 → 1936–1945. The M1919 article dates the A4's production blueprints to late 1936 with production soon after; 1919 is the base model's year
Historical context

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Machinegeweer Browning .30 van de andere zijde bezien (2155 047351).jpg” by Fotoafdrukken Koninklijke Landmacht, CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “M1919 Browning machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1919 saw service as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries.