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by staff@1919a4.com If there's been one accessory for the 1919a4 that's been long overdue, it's a working "gatling style" hand crank. I say 'working,' because, in spite of the valiant efforts of RPB and their "Whammer Hammer," the usefulness of said "Hammer" was limited--you still had to pull up on the trigger yourself, and the rate of fire you'd get using it could also be achieved just by using a quick trigger finger alone. With the numbers of semi-auto 1919a4 owners growing each year, there would seem to be a very valid market for a hand crank that really cranked. Enter Emory's Browning Crank Fire adapter!
The Browning Crank Fire adapter attaches to the rifle's pistol grip, and unlike other 1919 hand crank units, the Crank Fire adapter accurately pulls up on the trigger, rather than out as you would on other rifles. For each turn of the crank, the rifle fires six times. As the manufacturer says, "if one can exercise sufficient self control, with respect to the crank speed, the gun should run about 470 RPM." That said, it is very easy to overrun the rifle by cranking too quickly. With a bit of practice one can do 6-8 round bursts, or long, sustainable bursts, by keeping a methodical rhythm going with the crank.
 The crank unit is very well made, is parkerized and is the same width as the 1919 receiver. When mounted on the weapon, it is handsome, and doesn't distract from the overall appearance of the rifle. Mounted on an anti-aircraft tripod, you can have as much fun as you can afford to shoot. I can't wait to take it to the next machine gun shoot!! If you wish to use the unit with an A6 buttstock, Emory has made an "extension that replaces the buffer plug, and allows the stock to be attached with the crank unit in place." Additionally, if you want to use the M6 flashider, he can "reduce them internally to the correct diameter for .308."
The unit was tested by the manufacturer on Lee Tool, Dave's 100 and Kahrma triggers. On my Rapid Fire trigger, it didn't pull the trigger up high enough to fire, so I just wrapped some duct tape around the roller and I was good to go. Emory indicated that he'd be making various size rollers to accomodate such differences in trigger functionality. Emory felt that the object of his crank project was "to produce a simple, rugged and reliable unit at the lowest possible cost, that would still look as 'right' as possble on the 1919s. This is not intended to be the ULTIMATE CRANKFIRE unit, but the best compromise of utility and cost. It is all steel--the roller, cam pins etc. are hardened and I don't think most folks can afford enought ammo to wear one out. It has no bearings,gear drives, ratchets,electronics nor laser beams since non of these would make it work any better, just cost more. The gun will run very close to the 500 RPM full auto rate, probably limited by the trigger design more than anything else." The best advice when using the Browning Crank Fire Adapter is to get your 1919 running smoothly before you try the crank out. Once your 1919 is running well, get ready to let 'er rip!!! This review was done with one of the pre-production test units, and Emory said that the production units will be "a bit nicer once everything is leveled out." Personally I'm not sure how he's going to be able to improve it--this is one serious fun-making little addition to your 1919a4. If you have a semi-auto 1919, and can't afford the current price of $10,000 that a fully transferable full-auto 1919a4 sells for, you have to get one of these! For $250, the introductory price, you will be able to have the blast of your life!
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Many of us have seen the now infamous Ruger 10/22 Gatling Gun kit, or the M1 Gatling Gun kit, and maybe even one of the older AK47 Gatling Gun kits. Before the Ruger kit came along, there was the clip on version called the "Activator" that essentially let the user turn a crank handle to achieve a rapid rate of fire from a semi-auto rifle. These were all fun in their time, but the semi-auto 1919a4 was just crying out for a well made Gatling crank, after all, it's a belt-fed rifle, and you'd be able to just keep on cranking while she put the lead down range. What could be more fun for those of us who can't afford a fully transferable, $10,000 full auto 1919a4?
In the development process he first tried a 4-lobed cam, but found that it made the operation really "jerky," so he switched to the 6-lobe cam, and hasn't looked back. As he puts it, "the cam 'floats' on the input shaft for two reasons. First it is part of the safety system. When combined with the spring loaded 'deadman' drive on the crank handle, the unit will automatically go to a trigger down position as soon as the rotation is stopped. Second, when used in multiple gun systems, it allows the guns to be phased to fire alternately and still go to a trigger down position on both guns when the crank is stopped." What's better than a 1919 with a hand crank? Two side-by-side 1919s with a hand crank!!
