M1921 Browning machine gun: Difference between revisions
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'''The M1921 Browning machine gun''' was a [[water-cooled]] [[.50 BMG|.50-caliber (12.7 mm)]] [[machine gun]], designed by [[John Moses Browning]], which entered production in 1929. |
'''The M1921 Browning machine gun''' was a [[water-cooled]] [[.50 BMG|.50-caliber (12.7 mm)]] [[machine gun]], designed by [[John Moses Browning]], which entered production in 1929. |
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From 1917 to 1918, he developed the prototype Browning Winchester Cal.50 caliber heavy machine gun. It was developed from a water-cooled .30 caliber M1917 Browning machine gun. |
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== History == |
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Machine guns were heavily used in World War I, and weapons of larger than rifle caliber began appearing on both sides of the conflict. The larger rounds were needed to defeat the armor that was being introduced to the battlefield, both on the ground and in the air. During World War I, the Germans introduced a heavily armored airplane, the [[Junkers J.I]]. The armor made aircraft machine guns using conventional rifle ammunition (such as the [[.30-06]]) ineffective.<ref name="Chinn 1951 333">{{Harvnb|Chinn|1951|p=333}}, stating "The Germans put a heavily armored plane into service during the closing days of World War I. This act made obsolete for all time the rifle-caliber machine gun for aerial use. Some countries were slower to accept the fact than others but nevertheless, it cannot be disputed. The United States was among the first to come to this realization.<!-- The dramatic incident that caused it was the shooting down by such an aircraft of the young pilot, [[Quentin Roosevelt]]. -->"</ref> |
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Consequently, the [[American Expeditionary Force]]'s commander General [[John J. Pershing]] asked for a larger caliber machine gun.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chinn|1951|pp=181–182}}</ref> Pershing asked the Army Ordnance Department to develop a machine gun with a caliber of at least {{convert|0.50|in|mm|sigfig=3}} and a muzzle velocity of at least {{convert|2700|ft/s|m/s}}.<ref name="Chinn 1951 333"/> U.S. Col. [[John Henry Parker (general)|John Henry Parker]], commanding a machine gun school in France, observed the effectiveness of a French {{convert|11|mm|in|abbr=on|adj=on}} incendiary armor-piercing round. The Army Ordnance Department ordered eight experimental Colt machine guns rechambered for the French 11 mm cartridge.<ref name="Chinn182">{{Harvnb|Chinn|1951|p=182}}</ref> The French 11 mm round was found to be unsuitable because its velocity was too low. Pershing wanted a bullet of at least {{convert|670|gr|g|abbr=on}} and a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2700|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}. Development with the French round was dropped.<ref name="Chinn182"/> |
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Around July 1917, John M. Browning started redesigning his .30-06 [[M1917 Browning machine gun|M1917]] machine gun for a larger and more powerful round. Winchester worked on the cartridge, which was a scaled-up version of the .30-06. Winchester initially added a rim to the cartridge because the company wanted to use the cartridge in an anti-tank rifle, but Pershing insisted the cartridge be rimless.<ref name="Chinn182"/> The first .50 caliber machine gun underwent trials on 15 October 1918. It fired at less than 500 rounds per minute, and the muzzle velocity was only {{convert|2300|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}. Cartridge improvements were promised.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chinn|1951|p=183}}</ref> The gun was heavy, difficult to control, fired too slowly for the anti-personnel role, and was not powerful enough against armor.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chinn|1951|p=184}}</ref> |
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While the .50 caliber was being developed, some [[Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr|German T Gewehr 1918]] anti-tank rifles and ammunition were seized. The [[13.2mm TuF|German rounds]] had a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2700|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}, an {{convert|800|gr|g|abbr=on}} bullet, and could penetrate armor {{convert|1|inch|mm|abbr=on}} thick at a range of {{convert|250|yard|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chinn|1951|p=184}}. Chinn states that the German round was 12.7-mm anti-tank, but it may have been the [[13.2mm TuF]] round. The Germans were working on their [[MG 18 TuF]] heavy machine gun.</ref> Winchester improved the .50 caliber round to have similar performance. Ultimately, the muzzle velocity was {{convert|2750|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chinn|1951|p=186}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | A slightly improved version, the M1921A1, was introduced in 1930 with all of the M1921s being upgraded. The gun weighed {{convert|79|lb|abbr=on}} without water, was {{convert|56|in|m|abbr=on}} long, and had a {{convert|36|in|m|adj=on}} long barrel. The gun was mounted on a pedestal mount with three horizontal legs. It had a 500-650 rounds per minute rate of fire. |
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Development continued and the M1921A1 was replaced by the air-cooled .50-caliber [[M2 Browning]] in 1933. Ground and aircraft air-cooled versions of the M2 were also adopted at the same time. |
Development continued and the M1921A1 was replaced by the air-cooled .50-caliber [[M2 Browning]] in 1933. Ground and aircraft air-cooled versions of the M2 were also adopted at the same time. |
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{{main|M2_Browning}} |
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Both the [[United States Army|US Army]] and the [[United States Navy|US Navy]] adopted the M1921 after World War I, using it mostly as a static anti-aircraft weapon due to its {{convert|121| lb|abbr=on}} weight.<ref>{{cite book |title=Weapons of Patton's Armies |last=Green |first=Michael |year=2000 |publisher=Zenith Imprint |isbn=0-7603-0821-7 |pages=31–33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8jk6165Q08C&pg=PA31&dq=%22M1921%22+Browning+machine+gun&lr=#PPA31,M1 }}</ref> |
Both the [[United States Army|US Army]] and the [[United States Navy|US Navy]] adopted the M1921 after World War I, using it mostly as a static anti-aircraft weapon due to its {{convert|121| lb|abbr=on}} weight.<ref>{{cite book |title=Weapons of Patton's Armies |last=Green |first=Michael |year=2000 |publisher=Zenith Imprint |isbn=0-7603-0821-7 |pages=31–33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8jk6165Q08C&pg=PA31&dq=%22M1921%22+Browning+machine+gun&lr=#PPA31,M1 }}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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=== General bibliography === |
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* {{Citation |author-link=George M. Chinn |last=Chinn |first=George M. |title=The Machine Gun: History, Evolution and Development of Manually Operated, Full Automatic, and Power Driven Aircraft Machine Guns |year=1951 |volume=1|publisher=Department of the Navy, Bureau of Ordnance}} |
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==See also== |
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* [[List of crew-served weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces]] |
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* [[List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces]] |
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* [[List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation]] |
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* [[M2_Browning]] |
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* [[.50_BMG]] |
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* [[MG 18 TuF]] |
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[[Category:.50 BMG machine guns]] |
[[Category:.50 BMG machine guns]] |
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Revision as of 05:33, 14 May 2021
The M1921 Browning machine gun was a water-cooled .50-caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun, designed by John Moses Browning, which entered production in 1929.
From 1917 to 1918, he developed the prototype Browning Winchester Cal.50 caliber heavy machine gun. It was developed from a water-cooled .30 caliber M1917 Browning machine gun.
History
Machine guns were heavily used in World War I, and weapons of larger than rifle caliber began appearing on both sides of the conflict. The larger rounds were needed to defeat the armor that was being introduced to the battlefield, both on the ground and in the air. During World War I, the Germans introduced a heavily armored airplane, the Junkers J.I. The armor made aircraft machine guns using conventional rifle ammunition (such as the .30-06) ineffective.[1]
Consequently, the American Expeditionary Force's commander General John J. Pershing asked for a larger caliber machine gun.[2] Pershing asked the Army Ordnance Department to develop a machine gun with a caliber of at least 0.50 inches (12.7 mm) and a muzzle velocity of at least 2,700 feet per second (820 m/s).[1] U.S. Col. John Henry Parker, commanding a machine gun school in France, observed the effectiveness of a French 11 mm (0.43 in) incendiary armor-piercing round. The Army Ordnance Department ordered eight experimental Colt machine guns rechambered for the French 11 mm cartridge.[3] The French 11 mm round was found to be unsuitable because its velocity was too low. Pershing wanted a bullet of at least 670 gr (43 g) and a muzzle velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s). Development with the French round was dropped.[3]
Around July 1917, John M. Browning started redesigning his .30-06 M1917 machine gun for a larger and more powerful round. Winchester worked on the cartridge, which was a scaled-up version of the .30-06. Winchester initially added a rim to the cartridge because the company wanted to use the cartridge in an anti-tank rifle, but Pershing insisted the cartridge be rimless.[3] The first .50 caliber machine gun underwent trials on 15 October 1918. It fired at less than 500 rounds per minute, and the muzzle velocity was only 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s). Cartridge improvements were promised.[4] The gun was heavy, difficult to control, fired too slowly for the anti-personnel role, and was not powerful enough against armor.[5]
While the .50 caliber was being developed, some German T Gewehr 1918 anti-tank rifles and ammunition were seized. The German rounds had a muzzle velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s), an 800 gr (52 g) bullet, and could penetrate armor 1 in (25 mm) thick at a range of 250 yd (230 m).[6] Winchester improved the .50 caliber round to have similar performance. Ultimately, the muzzle velocity was 2,750 ft/s (840 m/s).[7]
A slightly improved version, the M1921A1, was introduced in 1930 with all of the M1921s being upgraded. The gun weighed 79 lb (36 kg) without water, was 56 in (1.4 m) long, and had a 36-inch (0.91 m) long barrel. The gun was mounted on a pedestal mount with three horizontal legs. It had a 500-650 rounds per minute rate of fire.
Development continued and the M1921A1 was replaced by the air-cooled .50-caliber M2 Browning in 1933. Ground and aircraft air-cooled versions of the M2 were also adopted at the same time.
Both the US Army and the US Navy adopted the M1921 after World War I, using it mostly as a static anti-aircraft weapon due to its 121 lb (55 kg) weight.[8]
References
- ^ a b Chinn 1951, p. 333, stating "The Germans put a heavily armored plane into service during the closing days of World War I. This act made obsolete for all time the rifle-caliber machine gun for aerial use. Some countries were slower to accept the fact than others but nevertheless, it cannot be disputed. The United States was among the first to come to this realization."
- ^ Chinn 1951, pp. 181–182
- ^ a b c Chinn 1951, p. 182
- ^ Chinn 1951, p. 183
- ^ Chinn 1951, p. 184
- ^ Chinn 1951, p. 184. Chinn states that the German round was 12.7-mm anti-tank, but it may have been the 13.2mm TuF round. The Germans were working on their MG 18 TuF heavy machine gun.
- ^ Chinn 1951, p. 186
- ^ Green, Michael (2000). Weapons of Patton's Armies. Zenith Imprint. pp. 31–33. ISBN 0-7603-0821-7.
General bibliography
- Chinn, George M. (1951), The Machine Gun: History, Evolution and Development of Manually Operated, Full Automatic, and Power Driven Aircraft Machine Guns, vol. 1, Department of the Navy, Bureau of Ordnance