Colt M1895 Navy
Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1895
Also known as: Colt Automatic Gun Mark 1, M1895 Colt-Browning, Potato Digger, Colt-Browning Machine Gun
Overview
The Colt M1895 Navy was the original US Navy variant of the Colt M1895, the first successful gas-operated machine gun to enter service. Adopted as the "Colt Automatic Gun, Mark 1" and chambered for the small-bore, high-velocity 6mm Lee Navy cartridge to share ammunition with the Navy's Lee straight-pull rifle, it was an air-cooled, belt-fed weapon designed by John Moses Browning. Its swinging gas lever beneath the barrel pivoted downward on each shot, earning the gun its enduring "Potato Digger" nickname.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 16000 g (564.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1016 mm (40.00") |
| Barrel Length | 711 mm (27.99") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 777 m/s (2549 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2152 J (1587 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 700 m (766 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 450 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 6mm Lee Navy · primary — also known as 6mm USN, .236 Navy, 6x60mmSR Lee Navy
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Fabric Belt
- Features: Gas Lever Operation, Air Cooled, Tripod Mounted, Closed Bolt, Fabric Belt Feed
Variants
- Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" — Standard
Base model
Service history
Operators
- United States Navy · adopted 1895 · as Colt Automatic Gun, Mark 1
- United States Marine Corps · adopted 1898 · as M1895
Conflicts
- Spanish-American War (1898)
- Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901)
Production
Estimated total produced: 200 · Production years: 1895-1904
Approximately 200 6mm Lee Navy 'Mark 1' guns procured by the US Navy; later production shifted to .30-40 Krag and other calibers
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John Moses Browning
Discontinued: 1904
Notes
The Navy procured roughly 200 examples in 6mm Lee Navy from 1895. Because the operating lever swung down beneath the barrel, the mount required several inches of ground clearance or the gun would 'dig' into the dirt. The obsolete 6mm chambering was abandoned after the Navy moved to .30-caliber service cartridges, and surviving 6mm guns were rebarreled or retired.
Background
When the US Navy adopted the new 6mm Lee Navy smokeless cartridge for its straight-pull rifles, it logically chambered Browning's new automatic gun in the same round. The 6mm Colt Mark 1 thus became one of the very first small-bore, smokeless-powder machine guns in any navy's service, a brief experiment that vanished when the fleet returned to heavier .30-caliber ammunition.