FN BAR Model D
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 500 mm
- Weight, empty
- 9.20 kg
- Introduced
- 1932
About
What it is, and why it matters
The FN BAR Model D is a Belgian gas-operated, magazine-fed automatic rifle and squad light machine gun built by FN Herstal as an improved derivative of John Browning's M1918 Automatic Rifle. Chambered in .30-06 Springfield and other military calibers, the Model D (Type D) added a quick-change barrel, a pistol grip, a redesigned receiver for easier maintenance, and a dual-rate fire selector for slow and fast cyclic rates. Fed from a 20-round detachable box magazine and supported on a bipod, it served Belgian forces and was exported widely from the 1930s through the post-war decades.
Where the American BAR stayed largely unchanged, FN Herstal kept refining Browning's design. The Model D's quick-change barrel let gunners sustain fire without cooking off a fixed barrel, and its dual-rate selector gave squads a slow setting for controllable bursts. FN BARs soldiered on with Belgian and export forces well into the Cold War.
The Model D (Type D) was FN Herstal's most refined BAR variant, distinguished from the American M1918 by its quick-change barrel and modular receiver. FN produced BARs in several chamberings including .30-06 Springfield, 7.92x57mm Mauser, and 7.65x53mm for various export customers.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- FN Herstal
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1932 to 1967
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 500 mm
- Overall length
- 1145 mm
- Weight, empty
- 9.20 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Trigger
- Automatic
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
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
- 860 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3595 J
- Effective range
- 550 m
- Maximum range
- 1500 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.
Quick change barrel
Pistol grip
Dual rate selector
Bipod
Carrying handle
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 | 9.20 kg | 10.50 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1145 mm | 1156 mm | Near the median |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 500 mm | 605 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 20 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the FN BAR Model D
How much does the FN BAR Model D weigh?
The FN BAR Model D weighs 9.20 kg (20.28 lb) empty.
What caliber is the FN BAR Model D?
The FN BAR Model D is chambered in .30-06 Springfield.
How many rounds does the FN BAR Model D hold?
The FN BAR Model D holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the FN BAR Model D?
The FN BAR Model D is 1145 mm (45.1 in) long overall, with a 500 mm (19.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the FN BAR Model D?
The FN BAR Model D is made by FN Herstal (Belgium). It was designed by John Browning.
When was the FN BAR Model D introduced?
The FN BAR Model D was introduced in 1932 and discontinued in 1967.
How does the FN BAR Model D operate?
The FN BAR Model D 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.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
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/fn-bar' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fn-bar", "name": "FN BAR Model D", "manufacturer": { "id": "fn-herstal", "name": "FN Herstal", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1889, "website": "https://www.fnherstal.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 03:43:43", "version": "868b12ac455d24b965edddf486bafb1892f606961311b1ab9907556e3a23b075" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1932, "barrel_length_mm": 500, "weight_empty_g": 9200, "action_type": "gas_operated"}