Colt M1895 "Potato Digger"
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 16.00 kg
- Introduced
- 1895
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Colt M1895, nicknamed the "Potato Digger", was the first successful gas-operated machine gun to enter service. Designed by John Moses Browning and his brother Matthew, it used a swinging gas-operated lever beneath the barrel that pivoted downward on each shot. Air-cooled and belt-fed, it was adopted by the US Navy and Marine Corps and saw action in the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and the First World War.
The Potato Digger was the first machine gun John Browning ever designed, inspired by watching reeds bend in the muzzle blast of a rifle at a Utah shooting match. He sold the patents to Colt for a flat fee, never imagining how much firepower the simple swinging lever would unleash.
The gun required clearance beneath the barrel because the operating lever swung down in a digging motion; mounted too low it would literally dig into the ground, earning its nickname. Chamberings spanned 6mm Lee Navy, .30-40 Krag, 7x57mm Mauser and later .30-06 Springfield.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1895 to 1920
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Overall length
- 1016 mm
- Weight, empty
- 16.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated long stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 610 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2650 J
- Effective range
- 700 m
- Maximum range
- 2000 m
- Rate of fire
- 450 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.
Gas lever operation
Air cooled
Tripod mounted
Closed bolt
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 | 16.00 kg | 10.50 kg | Heavier than about 70% |
| 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% |
Answers
Questions about the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger"
How much does the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" weigh?
The Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" weighs 16.00 kg (35.27 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger"?
The Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" is chambered in .30-40 Krag and 6mm Lee Navy.
How long is the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger"?
The Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" is 1016 mm (40.0 in) long overall, with a 711 mm (28.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger"?
The Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" is made by Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (United States). It was designed by John Moses Browning.
When was the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" introduced?
The Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" was introduced in 1895 and discontinued in 1920.
How does the Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" operate?
The Colt M1895 "Potato Digger" uses a gas operated long stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
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 Navy
- 1895
- United States Marine Corps
- 1898
- Canadian Expeditionary Force
- 1914
- Russian Empire
- 1914
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-potato-digger' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "colt-potato-digger", "name": "Colt M1895 \"Potato Digger\"", "manufacturer": { "id": "colt", "name": "Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1855, "website": "https://www.colt.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "American firearms manufacturer headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1855 and now a subsidiary of Colt CZ Group, continuing production of iconic firearms including the 1911 pistol.", "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:38", "version": "7143c7ff3f7e156063a240f2df7b4746ee1c0394d7cd5f592d05bac43233d637" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1895, "barrel_length_mm": 711, "weight_empty_g": 16000, "action_type": "gas_operated_long_stroke"}