Designation: M-98 Browning automatic rifle

I. Statistics:

• Year Introduced: 2057
• Designer: John Browning (original weapon), unknown Republican revolutionary/ies (Republican redesign)
• Manufacturer:
• Acquiring Military: Commonwealth of Artemis militias; Commonwealth of Tsukuyomi militias; New Republic
• Type: 6.5x48mm automatic rifle
• Capacity: 32 rounds per magazine
• Rate of Fire: 600 rpm full automatic; single shot
• Weight: 5.1 kg
• Length: 119.4 cm

II. Development:

During the lunar revolution, the Luna War Museum was broken into and a number of weapons on display were stolen. Given that less than two dozen weapons were actually taken, the Establishment government dismissed the incident as unrelated to the political situation, assuming that the perpetrators were nothing more than petty criminals. In reality, the theft was planned and executed by a group of Republican leaders who intended to arm the populace at large in preparation for a war of independence. The team acquired a cache of several different weapons, chiefly 20^th century semiautomatic and automatic rifles.

Among these was an example of the vintage Browning Automatic Rifle, designed in 1917. Used in the European Theater of World War II as a light squad automatic weapon, the heavy rifle was a generally reliable weapon with good firepower, if ill-placed in the SAW role. In the Pacific Theater, it achieved operational success, used in the manner later 'assault rifles' would be deployed; however, the harsh jungle climate forced users to spend significant amounts of time in maintaining the weapon. The example retrieved was of the first variant, the plain-jane M1918. Supplied with such historical information, and drawing on recorded experience with other weapons, an unknown team of engineers set to work redesigning the BAR for use in the 21^st century.

One of the main issues was the weapon's weight. At 7.24 kg, the original example proved to be heavier than most weapons in contemporaneous use; e.g. weighing 50% to 90% more than most Southern Cross particle and laser arms. Later versions of the Browning had added bipods, monopods and flash suppressors, increasing the weapon's total weight. The team's first decision was to reverse this trend, substituting ceramic composite parts for metal ones, and specifying a lighter alloy for those parts that remained metal. The gas cylinder was lined with stainless steel for the first time in the BAR's history, eliminating the possibility of the cylinder rusting shut. A bipod lug was installed on the barrel, immediately ahead of the grip, but bipods were issued separately and rarely used.

Lastly, the Browning was modified to fire the 6.5x50mm 'Republican' rifle round, a compromise between the common NATO rounds in 7.62x51mm and 5.56x45mm. The smaller round enabled the transportation of more rounds of ammunition in the same volume. A common standard for box magazines was drawn up, and the BAR could use any of three standard magazines containing 16, 32, or 45 rounds.

The Browning was first manufactured by workshops affiliated with the Commonwealth of Artemis independence movement, and delivered covertly to militia members throughout the Artemis sector colonies. Manufacture was made easier by multipurpose fabrication and molding machines developed using Robotechnology. When the Commonwealth of Tsukuyomi lost the ability to make their own weapons, stockpiled Brownings were distributed to Tsukuyomi militias. A large number of independent nations on the Southern Cross Continent (South America) purchased the M-98 BAR for their defense forces before the war with Tirol and during its early stages.

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