Designed by John Moses Browning, the Model 1917 saw combat in the final days of World War One and was America's go-to heavy machine gun for decades. Between the water cooling of the barrel and the rugged Browning design, the 1917 could bring sustained fire with impressive vigor, and in one early demonstration a 1917 was fired for 20,000 rounds without error, immediately fired another 20,000 rounds to show off to the assembled observers, and then traded out for a second 1917 which repeated the entire stunt to demonstrate that the production weapon would be just as good as the demo model. Additionally, the Model 1917 had a legacy in the form of the Model 1919 medium machine gun and the M2 50 caliber machine gun, two of the most definitive automatic weapons of the 20th century. Fitted with a blade front sight and a ladder rear sight, the former installed on the water cooling jacket and the latter mounted to the receiver cover with full windage and elevation adjustments, as well as a fixed battle sight. The five-line Westinghouse maker's mark is present on the right side of the receiver, with smooth panels on the pistol grip. A U-shaped steel reinforcing band has been attached to the rear of the receiver; information provided by the consignor attributes this as a rarely seen arsenal modification to early Browning 1917s to accommodate a transition from the earlier 1906 pattern service ammo to the upgraded, higher velocity "M1 Ball" round. Further, the consignor states that conversation with author Dolf Goldsmith (of the five volume Browning Machine Gun book series) indicated that this modification on an original configuration 1917 is extremely rare, to the point that the author couldn't source a picture of it for his books. Included with the Browning is a green painted folding tripod with elevation and swivel-adjustable carriage, a hardwood ammo can, and a metal water can.

Fine, with 70% of the original finish, showing some fading and loss of the black paint on the water jacket with rust on the visible steel, and areas of brown patina on the receiver, with handling marks on both. The water jacket shows evidence of old soldered repairs and reinforcement at the seams, some of which have come undone. The grips are good, with some chips and scuffs. The accessories are all in fine order. Mechanically excellent. NOTE: This weapon is a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) that is classified as a "Curios or Relic" as defined in 27 CFR, 478.11. These weapons are still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 478.