During the Second World War, over 30 million 250-round fabric belts were procured for the U.S. Army to feed their different .30 cal. Browning machine guns used by the infantry.

The objective of this series of three articles is to describe the evolution and the many variants observed as a function of manufacturer, starter tang design, fabrics weave and color. Part 1 will be dedicated to design development and the different manufacturers; Part 2 will be dedicated to the numerous production variants and Part 3 will be dedicated to the various packings.

A first attempt to address this vast subject was provided by the author’s contribution in Dolf Goldsmith’s book The Browning Machine Gun – Volume III – Supporting the Rifle Caliber Brownings. Since that publication, much new information based on further surviving specimens and a key official U.S. report dated October 1945 shed further light on this subject. This latter report issued by the Chief of Ordnance/Industrial Service Office/Small Arms Division and entitled Machine Guns – Development and production of metallic belt link and fabric ammunition belt contains a wealth of extremely detailed data on production figures and historical background on development process. When applicable, some parts are literally excerpted from this report in the following article.

After the First World War, much of the development work on fabric machine gun belts was done by Russell Manufacturing Co. of Middletown, CT in cooperation with the Springfield Armory. The original M1917 machine gun belt was based on the U.S. Patent No. 1,168,876 by F. Frissell, assignor to the Russell Manufacturing Co., issued on January 18, 1916. This called for two distinct layers of fabric, each including a set of warp strands interwoven with a set of weft, or filling strands. Each set of warp strands was to be crossed at regular intervals from one face of the composite fabric to the other and back again to form pockets for the cartridges. However, it was found that only about one-half the warp strands could be crossed, for more would be so crowded as to make the edge objectionably wavy. Therefore, it was found necessary to cross only about half the warp strands and stitch the others in place at the point of crossing. This weaving feature is clearly illustrated in the patent drawings. As a result, the pockets were not as strong or rugged as desired and the cartridges were not firmly gripped.

These original M1917 belts are fitted with two tapered 4.5 inch long brass starter tangs riveted at each end of the belt to facilitate the insertion into the feed block. Cartridge pockets are numbered with ink markings every 25 rounds to indicate to the gunner the number of rounds that have been expelled from the belt. The fabric also bears an ink stamp referring to the Frissell Patent date which actually is January 18 1916. However, for an unknown reason, all belts observed are consistently wrongly inked “Pat. Jan. 18 ‘15” therefore showing 1915 instead of 1916. These original 250-round M1917 belts were still standard issue for the infantry until 1941.

Really intensive sampling and development work on fabric belts by Russell Manufacturing Co. was resumed in 1928. A new and more rugged belt was developed and accepted by 1933 and patented in November 17, 1936 by J. Hendley, assignor to the Russell Manufacturing Co., under number 2,061,072. It is a modification of the 1,168,876 patent in that it allows substantially all the warp strands to be crossed from one side to the other between pockets without undesirable distortion and without making the belt unduly wide at point of crossing. This is accomplished by a change in the weave which also permits the formation of a hollow pocket between the small ends of the cartridge pockets. This affords greater flexibility than is possible when this area is woven solid and achieves better alignment of the cartridges. The new design permits herringbone weave, twill weave or almost any manner of weave desirable. This new design of belt became standard for production of new belts by Russell from the late 1930s on.

It can be noted that the features of the 2,061,072 patent were not only incorporated in .30 cal belts but also in both .22 and .50 cal. Browning belts according to the patent number also inked on the latter two types of belts.

Since the stock of the early 250-round M1917 .30 belts on hand for the infantry was sufficient, the first contracts of .30 cal. belts produced following the 2,061,072 Patent were mostly intended for the Armored Force which required 100- and 150-round belts.

In October of 1941, it became apparent that the supply on hand of .30 cal. web belts for use by ground troops amounted to only about 25% of the total needed to meet requirements for M-Day (Mobilization Day). Furthermore, the need for belts loaded prior to packing and shipment, would generate a major increase in the number of 100- and 250-round belts needed, which in turn would necessitate a dramatic increase in manufacturing facilities.

In January 1942, Russell granted the government a non-exclusive, irrevocable, non-transferable royalty free license to manufacture, or to have manufactured, machine gun belts under their Patent No. 2,061,072 – this license to continue until one year after the cessation of the national emergency.

The very first war-time productions of 250-round belts were provided by the Russell Co. and the Schlegel Manufacturing Co. of Rochester, NY. For the first productions, Russell used the marking R.M.C. and then switched to THE RUSSELL MFG CO.

By June 1942, in addition to Russell and Schlegel, five more facilities had initiated production of the 250-round .30 caliber belt. In the next few months the remaining facilities who had received contracts initiated production. By end 1942, a total of 13 different U.S. manufacturers were involved in the production of 250-round cal. 30 fabric belts.

The first productions of George C. Moore Co. of Westerly, NY, were marked G.C.M. Co and then switched to GEO. C. MOORE CO.

To these must also be added the import by the Ordnance Department of a total of 489,700 belts from the British company Thomas French & Sons of Manchester from June through December 1942.

It can also be noted the existence of belts exhibiting standard features of U.S. belts but bearing the Canadian property mark “Arrow in C” with the manufacturer’s marking S.C.C. LTD. So far, such belts dated 1942 and 1943 have only been reported to the author bearing the Canadian Property Mark.

It remains unknown whether these are specific production by a U.S. manufacturer for export to Canada or Canadian domestic production. Some Canadian collectors suspect that SCC might stand for Syracuse Cordage Company of Syracuse, NY, but no real evidence to confirm that identification has come to light so far. Another educated guess is that SCC might stand for Samson Cordage Co corresponding to the Samson Cordage Works described in the U.S. Ordnance report of 1946. Here again, no real evidence to confirm this supposition is available. Pending reliable evidence, SCC remains as “unidentified.”

The following table summarizes the 14 different manufacturers as well as their production figures as provided in the 1945 report. Details on location of these companies were found in the Official American Textile Directory of 1923. So far, specimens manufactured by the Samson Cordage Works have not been definitively identified.

It can be noted that these production figures are different from those presented in Dolf Goldsmith’s book where only production figures between June 1942 and March 1943 are displayed.

From January 1942 until May 1944 a total of 28,283,433 belts were produced with monthly production rates rising and falling as a reflection of variation of demand for the material. The production output reached its peak monthly production in July 1942 when it reached 2,368,500 units. Then the output was diminished steadily to a low mark of 264,323 in July 1943 from whence it rose to 1,324,584 in December 1943. After this, production again fell off until it was terminated in May 1944.

The manufacture of these belts was begun again in 1945 when it was indicated that stocks were reaching a low level. In January 1945 a requirement of 3,000,000 belts was received. This was increased to 7,100,000 in February and to 11,200,000 in May. Steps were taken to secure production from six facilities. In June 1945, the requirement was reduced to only 4,250,000 belts. Production orders originally set up for the International Braid Co., Murdock Webbing Co., and the Oehrle Bros. Co. were cancelled and no production was realized from these companies in 1945. The Russell Manufacturing Co. realized first production in May, followed the next month by the George C. Moore Co. The Warren Featherbone Co. manufactured only 7,451 belts by V-J Day when all production was terminated, thus making Featherbone belts dated 1945 the scarcest WW2 U.S. cal. 30 Browning belt for collectors.

For 1945, the George C. Moore Co. produced 320,832 belts and the Russell Manufacturing Co had produced 1,703,372 belts when terminated.

All together, over thirty million 250-round .30 cal. ammunition fabric belts were manufactured during the war. The Link, Metallic Belt, Caliber .30, M1 was adopted by Ordnance Committee action in August 1945 for the belting all caliber .30 ammunition. This action reclassified the fabric belt as Limited Standard. (The author is deeply indebted to Frank Hackley, Anaheim, CA for the sharing of his knowledge on U.S. Small Arms Ammunition management system and to H.E. Wanting, Bedburg-Hau, Germany for his constant help in improving the manuscript and pinpointing the smallest inaccurate detail.)

Text and Photos by Jeff W. Zimba

Imagine a Model 1919 .30 caliber Browning machine gun as the centerpiece in your den or living room. Convincing your spouse that it is “art” and deserves to be on display rather than locked in a steel gun safe would be a tough sell for most, but may be a little easier if it is one of the Tippmann models.

Tippmann Arms miniature firearms are fully functional, firing, 1/2-scale models of the famous Browning machine guns. Chambered in .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum and most recently .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, they are belt-fed just like the originals. They are identical to the original Brownings; and the detail in which they are manufactured and assembled is nothing short of amazing.

Each model is shipped in an oak chest, with a 1/2-scale tripod and a fully functional traverse and elevation mechanism. A miniature owner’s manual, two miniature ammunition cans and two belts are also included with each model. One belt holds 25 rounds and the other holds 50 rounds. Models available in .22 long rifle include the 1919A4, the 1917A1 and the 1919 M37. The M37 is a variation of the 1919A4 that utilizes a rear cocking handle. The M2 Heavy Barrel and the M2 Water Cooled variants are available in either .22 Magnum or .17HMR. All new models available for sale to individuals are manufactured in semiautomatic-only. Post 86 dealer samples are also available to government agencies, Class III Dealers and Title II Manufacturers.

Eric Graetz of Lakeside Guns personally builds each of the current Tippmann miniatures. The parts are CNC machined to exacting tolerances. The vast majority of the earlier Tippmann miniatures were built from investment cast parts. Although the new parts can be used to repair and rebuild the older models, they must be hand fitted.

A total of 123 full-automatic Model 1919’s and either 42 or 44 full-automatic .50 caliber models were manufactured prior to the 1986 machine gun ban. If you look at the serial numbers on the early guns you will notice the prefix of either “FA” or “AL”. The “FA” prefix simply stood for “Full Auto” while the “AL” prefix abbreviated “After the Law” making reference to the 1986 ban on manufacturing new machine guns for sale to individuals.

Ammunition belts were originally manufactured from an elastic fabric, similar to the fabric used in the waste band of underwear. These stretchy belts had staples between each pocket designed to hold a round of ammunition. The second generation of belt material was a plastic banding material with a slit cut to hold each round. The latest generation of belt was made from a woven fabric with intermittent stitching, designed exactly like the original, full size belt. These belts were even made on an antique weaving loom. This last generation of belt was produced in late 1984 and offered for sale in January of 1985.

These belts were purchased on 250-foot rolls. When this material could be cut into new belts (before the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994) the customer could request any length belts they desired. The most common length was a 100-round belt, which was almost a perfect yard in length. Although not common, 150-round belts, 250-round belts and even 500-round belts are known to exist. Eric currently has one belt that is 93 feet in length and holds approximately 3,100 rounds. (Please note that he did not send this belt to the author along with the test specimen. This was probably a good move on his part).

Due to the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, new belts in lengths of over 10 rounds are no longer legal to manufacture for individual ownership. Lakeside Machine currently has less than 3 rolls of cut belts in their possession. None are for sale at this time so they may be enough to be provided with each new firearm currently manufactured and sold. If the ban is allowed to sunset as it was intended in 2004, Lakeside Machine will be making new belt material in any lengths requested. If the ban does not sunset they will be marketing a belt-making machine so the consumer can make their own 10-round plastic belts.

Care and Feeding

The basic function of the Tippmann miniatures is almost exactly like that of the original, full-size Brownings. The mechanism used to feed the belt, extract a round from the belt, chamber the round and extract the empty casing is very much the same as the originals. The difference is that the miniatures do not utilize locked actions. This small mechanism requires all the energy it can get from the rimfire cartridge in order to complete the tasks listed above and a locked action would create the necessity for more energy.

The operator will notice that after firing the last round in a belt, the action will be slightly rearward and there will be an empty cartridge between the face of the bolt and the breech surface. The reason for this is that the new round being pulled from the belt slides down the face of the bolt in the “T-slot”, pushing the empty round out. When no new round is being inserted there is nothing to push the last round out of the “T-slot”. Opening the top cover, retracting the bolt and pushing the casing through the bottom of the action with your finger will clear the casing.

As with any .22 rimfire firearm, the greatest enemy of the action is powder fouling and the waxy buildup from the bullet. The best friend of the Tippmann miniature is simply a toothbrush and a good solvent. Lifting the top cover and pulling the bolt rearward allow the shooter easy access to the bolt face and breech area for simple cleaning. If the guns are kept clean and lightly oiled they will function very well. In asking Eric about the number of rounds one can expect to fire before encountering failures, he reiterated the points above, and claimed to have fired over 2,500 rounds through one of his test guns before having to scrape out the bolt face and breech area.

The .30 caliber miniatures are manufactured to feed and function correctly with subsonic ammunition. This makes the addition of a suppressor that much more desirable.

The test specimen that I had for evaluation worked perfectly. I used Blaser ammunition (lots of it) and it had a hearty appetite for it. There was never a time it was out on the firing line without causing a crowd to gather and start pointing fingers and asking questions.

The tripod and T&E mechanism function well under live-fire conditions. The gun does not jump around and is held on target for the duration of the belt. The adjustments are very smooth and gradual and everything locks up very positively.

What ARE the Tippmanns classified as?

Give this a little thought. These miniature belt-feds don’t seem to fit in any current category of firearms as defined by the ATFE. The .30 caliber Browning models of the Tippmann firearms are not classified as pistols. They were not designed to be, nor can they be, physically fired with one hand. They are not rifles as they cannot be fired from the shoulder and they have barrel lengths shorter than 16 inches. Although they don’t seem to fit in any specific category, the semiautomatic variants are sold and treated like standard Title I firearms. In the early stages of development in 1983, the BATF ruled that even though they didn’t seem to meet any of the standard criteria they could be treated just like a standard Title I firearm. The one stipulation to this ruling was that the pintle would have to be permanently riveted to the receiver; therefore the tripod would always be attached, making it “less concealable”. This ruling only pertains to the miniature .30 caliber variants, as the miniature .50 caliber models have barrels that are 18 inches and the overall length is 26.5 inches so they are treated as regular rifles. Due to these strange characteristics the Tippmann models are just placed under the category of “Title I Firearms” and are still manufactured under the current “assault weapons” ban without consequence.

Miniature Accessories

There are many accessories that have been manufactured for these miniature firearms. Lakeside Machine has manufactured 17 belt-loading machines since their acquisition of Tippmann Arms. Eleven of them are for the .22 long rifle and six are for the .22 magnum and .17HMR belts. These were designed to replicate the 1918 belt-loading machine, including a variant of the original carry crate. There were also a few loading machines manufactured by Dennis Tippmann in the 1980s. These original loading machines were a very simple design and were not manufactured to resemble any original belt-loading machine. It is believed that two loading machines were manufactured by Martin Tippmann to resemble the 1918 loading machine, complete with feed needles and an exact replicated mechanism, but the whereabouts today are not known.

A very early brochure illustrated the model 1919, serial number 22, complete with 1919A6 accessories. That was the only set of 1919A6 accessories to be manufactured for the Tippmann miniatures. BATF disallowed them as the kit changed the classification of the miniature 1919 to a Short Barreled Rifle.

A single shoulder stock for the M2HB was manufactured and sold at the SOF convention in 1985. It remains in a private collection.

Spade grips for the 1919 and 1917 models have been added to the items available as of late. Flash hiders for the M2HB models in both .22 magnum and .17HMR can be purchased from Lakeside Arms as well as miniature “US”-marked display sandbags and wooden ammo boxes for the 1917’s. Spare barrels in .17HMR can be purchased to convert the caliber of original M2HB 22 magnum guns and the 1919 A4 models now have the option of using sound suppressors. The suppressor simply replaces the muzzle nut and heat shield support.

Future Projects
As you read this there are a few new projects on the horizon for Tippmann miniature enthusiasts. Eric is currently experimenting with a right-hand feed M2. This means the possibility of twin mounts or even quad mounts. Other future projects include Tombstone drums, a correct tripod for the 1917A1 series and even a standing M63 mount for the M2 series. There may even be a miniature Maxim or Vickers in the future. We can only hope.

Lakeside Guns
N5391 County Road S
Pound, WI 54161
(920)897-4682
Sales@lakesideguns.com
www.lakesideguns.com

Tippmann Company History

In 1983 Dennis Tippmann, with assistance from his brother Martin Tippmann, started the original Tippmann Arms Company. The design for the original semiautomatic-only Tippmann was approved by BATF on June 27, 1984. Initially offering only the 1919 and the 1917 models, they added the M2HB in January of 1985.

On June 24, 1987 Tippmann Arms Company was purchased by F.J. Vollmer and Company of Plainfield, IL. The following serial numbers were purchased in this transaction: 1919A4 Models – AL116, AL120 through AL153, AL155 through AL158. Not all were completed before the transaction. 1917 Model – AL176. M2HB Models – FA67 and FA69. Many of these guns were not completed and F.J. Vollmer and Company almost immediately started to market the side plates acquired in the buyout.

On September 13, 2001 Eric Graetz of Lakeside Machine in Pound Wisconsin purchased Tippmann Arms from F.J. Vollmer and Company. Eric has been a fan of the Tippmann miniatures since one appeared on the cover of Guns & Ammo in their January 1985 issue. He purchased his first miniature in 1993 and immediately began making accessories such as ammo can holders and miniature sand bags for it. Deciding to start selling these items to other Tippmann enthusiasts, he placed an ad in the now defunct Machine Gun News magazine and soon started being contacted by several other Tippmann collectors.

After compiling a complete set of the three semiautomatic-only variants and the three fully automatic variants his interests turned toward collecting brochures and paperwork relating to the miniatures and soon found himself in contact with Dennis Tippmann. Eric’s interest and knowledge kept growing in the Tippmann Arms field and led to his eventual purchase of the company from F.J. Vollmer and Company.