Firearm Identification Help

[BumBum]

I have been asked many times what firearm is depicted in this photo:

Awkward Family Photos.jpg

This is me when I was about 6 years old or so back on a family friend's farm in Iowa (1987, give or take). A friend of mine submitted it to some online websites back in college and a few years back, Awkward Family Photos actually picked it up to put on a birthday card. I've always been curious to find out what it was, but the owner (the rotund guy sitting behind me) passed away several years ago.

Thanks for your help!

[chucker]

That be a Colt Potato Digger

[jaymz]

I have no idea what it is. Maybe you could contact "rotund guy's" family?

[mcat707]

Ralphie! You finally got your Red Ryder BB Gun!

[mikenewgun87]

Whatever it is....im jealous of that kid!!!

[intruder1_92tt]

Whatever it is, I want 3!

[scidx]

Browning 1895?

Bing says yes.

Isn't this the gun that was used by Federal troops to massacre a mining camp? Allegedly....

[BumBum]

That be a Colt Potato Digger

Browning 1895?

Bing says yes.

I think we have a winner.

M1895 Colt-Browning

Thank you much for the assistance.

[SURVIVOR619]

I sent an "awkward family photos" card to my g-pa for his birthday last month... I'll be on the lookout for this one! I'll tell him that me and the kid on that card cover are both contributors at calguns! Seriously though, so cool that's you!!!

Do you remember that outing? I'd suspect so, but...

[BumBum]

Do you remember that outing? I'd suspect so, but...

I do vaguely remember it. We went shooting a lot in my youth, so I would not be able to recall many individual trips. But not often did I get to shoot a large belt-fed gun mounted on a flatbed truck. I do recall that it was not a full-auto version. My dad was a gun dealer, and as I got older he did obtain a class 3 license to deal in automatic weapons. So I did get my full-auto fix on eventually.

Even more interesting was the guy who owned the gun. He was from Germany and drafted into the Nazi army at age 14 in WWII. He was captured by the British in battle, later immigrated to the United States, and gained citizenship after agreeing to fight in Vietnam. He was a Huey chopper pilot, was shot down and captured. Luckily, he was released after 3 days. But talk about bad POW luck in 2 wars. He was a gun dealer as well, and my dad would often teach me German obscenities to throw at him at gun shows. Good times.

[smle-man]

Its a Marlin M1917, the cleaned up version of the Colt. The tripod looks like a Bren gun tripod.