Marlin M1917
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 10.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1917
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Marlin M1917 is an American gas-operated, belt-fed machine gun chambered in .30-06 Springfield. It was a redesign of the Colt M1895 'potato digger', replacing the original down-swinging gas lever with a conventional linear gas piston running parallel to and below the barrel. Manufactured by the Marlin Rockwell Corporation, it served as a tank and aircraft machine gun during World War I, where its synchronized aircraft variant became one of the most widely produced American aviation guns of the conflict.
The Marlin M1917 traced its lineage to John Browning's Colt M1895, the original gas-operated machine gun nicknamed the 'potato digger' for the way its swinging operating lever flailed beneath the gun; designer Carl Swebilius reworked that mechanism into a flat linear piston so the weapon could be mounted inside tanks and on aircraft.
The aircraft version (often designated M1918) was fitted with an aluminum radiator jacket and was compatible with propeller synchronization gear, making it the principal U.S. fighter-mounted machine gun of late WWI.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Marlin Firearms
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1917 to 1918
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Overall length
- 1016 mm
- Weight, empty
- 10.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Capacity
- 250
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 850 m/s
- Effective range
- 900 m
- Maximum range
- 3200 m
- Rate of fire
- 600 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Linear gas piston
Aluminum radiator jacket- Synchronization gear compatible
Cloth belt feed
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 10.40 kg | 10.50 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1016 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 711 mm | 605 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 250 | 50 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Marlin M1917
How much does the Marlin M1917 weigh?
The Marlin M1917 weighs 10.40 kg (22.93 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Marlin M1917?
The Marlin M1917 is chambered in .30-06 Springfield.
How many rounds does the Marlin M1917 hold?
The Marlin M1917 holds 250 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the Marlin M1917?
The Marlin M1917 is 1016 mm (40.0 in) long overall, with a 711 mm (28.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Marlin M1917?
The Marlin M1917 is made by Marlin Firearms (United States). It was designed by Carl Gustave Swebilius.
When was the Marlin M1917 introduced?
The Marlin M1917 was introduced in 1917 and discontinued in 1918.
How does the Marlin M1917 operate?
The Marlin M1917 uses a gas operated action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Army
- 1917
- United States Army Air Service
- 1918
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/colt-marlin-1917' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "colt-marlin-1917", "name": "Marlin M1917", "manufacturer": { "id": "marlin", "name": "Marlin Firearms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1870, "website": "https://www.marlinfirearms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "08b9da27118c263f9c36f65336e51854a1570768f3f677491f8144ee945b8d1f" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1917, "barrel_length_mm": 711, "weight_empty_g": 10400, "action_type": "gas_operated"}