Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .

50, M2, HB

M2HB heavy machine gun

Type Heavy machine gun
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service 1933–present
Used by See Users
Wars World War II
Indonesian National Revolution
Korean War
First Indochina War [1]

Algerian War [2]

Suez Crisis
Portuguese Colonial War
Vietnam War
Six-Day War
Yom Kippur War
Western Sahara War [3]

Lebanese Civil War [4]

Colombian Internal Conflict

Cambodian Civil War
Moro conflict
Chadian–Libyan conflict [5]

Shaba II
[6]

Soviet–Afghan War
Cambodian-Vietnamese War
Iran–Iraq War
Salvadoran Civil War
Falklands War
South African Border War
Invasion of Grenada
Bougainville Civil War [7]

Invasion of Panama
Persian Gulf War
Somali Civil War
Yugoslav Wars
 Kosovo War
War in Afghanistan [8]

Iraq War
Mexican Drug War
Second Ivorian Civil War [9]

Libyan Crisis (2011–present) [10]

Syrian Civil War [11][12]

Northern Mali conflict [13]

Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) [14]

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) [15]

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in

Yemen [16]

Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir

Battle of Marawi [17]

2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict

Production history
Designer John M. Browning
Designed 1918[18]

Manufacturer Current: General Dynamics, Fabrique

Nationale (FNH / FNA / FNHUK), Ohio
Ordnance Works Inc. and U.S.
Ordnance.
Former: Manroy Engineering, Sabre
Defence Industries, Colt's Patent Fire
Arms Company, High Standard
Company, Savage Arms Corporation,
Buffalo Arms Corporation, General
Motors Corporation (Frigidaire, AC
Spark Plug, Saginaw Steering, and
Brown-Lipe-Chappin Divisions), Kelsey
Hayes Wheel Company, Springfield
Armory, Wayne Pump Company,
ERMCO, and Ramo Manufacturing,
Rock Island Arsenal
Produced 1921–present (M2HB)
No. built 3 million [19]

Specifications
Mass 38 kg (83.78 lb)
58 kg (127.87 lb) with tripodand T&E
(Traverse and Elevation Mechanism)
Length 1,654 mm (65.1 in)
Barrel length 1,143 mm (45.0 in)

Cartridge .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO)

Action Short recoil-operated
Rate of fire 450–600 rounds/min (M2HB) [20][21]

750–850 rounds/min (AN/M2)

1,200–1,300 rounds/min (AN/M3) [22]
 Muzzle velocity 2,910 ft/s (890 m/s) for M33 ball
Effective firing range 1,800 m (2,000 yd) [20]

Maximum firing range 2,500 m (2,700 yd)

Feed system Belt-fed (M2 or M9 links)

The M2 Machine Gun or Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun is a heavy machine
gun designed toward the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to
Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-
06 cartridge. The M2 uses the much larger and much more powerful .50 BMG cartridge, which
was developed alongside and takes its name from the gun itself (BMG standing for Browning
Machine Gun). It has been referred to as "Ma Deuce", in reference to its M2 nomenclature. The
[23]

design has had many specific designations; the official US military designation for the current
infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It is effective against
infantry, unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and boats, light fortifications and low-flying
aircraft.
The Browning .50 caliber machine gun has been used extensively as a vehicle weapon and for
aircraft armament by the United States from the 1930s to the present. It was heavily used
during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Soviet–Afghan
War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan in the 2000s and 2010s. It is the
prim ary heavy machine gun of NATO countries, and has been used by many other countries as
well. The M2 has been in use longer than any other firearm in U.S. inventory except the .45
ACP M1911 pistol, also designed by John Browning.
The current M2HB is manufactured in the U.S. by General Dynamics and U.S. Ordnance for
[24] [25]

use by the U.S. government, and for allies via Foreign Military Sales, as well as foreign
manufacturers such as FN Herstal.

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. [26]

Consequently, the American Expeditionary Force's commander General John J. Pershing asked
for a larger caliber machine gun. Pershing asked the Army Ordnance Department to develop a
[27]

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). U.S. Col. John Henry Parker, commanding a machine gun
[26]

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. The French 11 mm round was found to be
[28]

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. [28]

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. The first .50 machine gun underwent trials on 15 October 1918. It fired at less than 500
[28]

rounds per minute, and the muzzle velocity was only 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s). Cartridge
improvements were promised. The gun was heavy, difficult to control, fired too slowly for the
[29]

anti-personnel role, and was not powerful enough against armor. [30]

While the .50 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 pierce 1 in (25 mm) at 250 yd (230 m). Winchester
[clarification needed] [31]

improved the .50 caliber round to have similar performance. Ultimately, the muzzle velocity was
2,750 ft/s (840 m/s). [32]

Efforts by John M. Browning and Fred T. Moore resulted in the water-cooled Browning machine
gun, caliber .50, M1921. An aircraft version was termed the Browning aircraft machine gun,
caliber .50, M1921. These guns were used experimentally from 1921 until 1937. They had light-
weight barrels and the ammunition fed only from the left side. Service trials raised doubts
whether the guns would be suitable for aircraft or for anti-aircraft use. A heavy barrel M1921
was considered for ground vehicles. [33]

John M. Browning died in 1926. Between 1927 and 1932, S.H. Green studied the design
problems of the M1921 and the needs of the armed services. The result was a single receiver
design that could be turned into seven types of .50 caliber machine guns by using different
jackets, barrels, and other components. The new receiver allowed right or left side feed. In 1933,
Colt manufactured several prototype Browning machine guns (including what would be known
as the M1921A1 and M1921E2). With support from the Navy, Colt started manufacturing the
M2 in 1933. FN Herstal (Fabrique Nationale) has manufactured the M2 machine gun since the
[34]

1930s. General Dynamics, U.S. Ordnance and Ohio Ordnance Works Inc. are other current
[35]

manufacturers. [citation needed]

A variant without a water jacket, but with a thicker-walled, air-cooled barrel was designated the
M2 HB (HBfor Heavy Barrel). The added mass and surface area of the heavy barrel
compensated somewhat for the loss of water-cooling, while reducing bulk and weight: the M2
weighs 121 lb (55 kg) with a water jacket, but the M2 HB weighs 84 lb (38 kg). Due to the long
procedure for changing the barrel, an improved system was developed called QCB (quick change
barrel). The lightweight "Army/Navy" prefixed AN/M2 "light-barrel" version of the Browning
M2 weighing 60 pounds (27 kg) was also developed, and became the standard .50-caliber
aviation machine gun of the World War II-era for American military aircraft of nearly every
type, readily replacing Browning's own air-cooled .30 caliber machine gun design in nearly all
[36]

American aircraft installations.

RBP

Design details
The Browning M2 is an air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun. The M2 fires from a closed bolt,
operated on the short recoil principle. The M2 fires the .50 BMG cartridge, which offers long
range, accuracy and immense stopping power. The closed bolt firing cycle made the M2 usable
as a synchronized machine gun on aircraft before and during World War II, as on the early
versions of the Curtiss P-40 fighter.
The M2 is a scaled-up version of John Browning's M1917 .30 caliber machine gun, even using
the same timing gauges.
Features
The M2 has varying cyclic rates of fire, depending on the model. The M2HB (heavy barrel) air-
cooled ground gun has a cyclical rate of 450–575 rounds per minute. The early M2 water-
[37]

cooled AA guns had a cyclical rate of around 450–600 rpm. The AN/M2 aircraft gun has a
[38]

cyclic rate of 750–850 rpm; this increases to 1,200 rpm for AN/M3 aircraft guns. These
maximum rates of fire are generally not achieved in use, as sustained fire at that rate will wear
out the bore within a few thousand rounds, necessitating replacement. In addition to full
automatic, the M2HB can be selected to fire single-shots or at less than 40 rounds per minute, or
rapid fire for more than 40 rounds per minute. Slow and rapid firing modes use 5–7 round bursts
with different lengths of pause between bursts. [39]

A U.S. Marine mans a .50 caliber machine gun as part of a security force during a training exercise with the 24th
Marine Expeditionary Unit in November 2002.

The M2 has an effective range of 1,830 metres (2,000 yd) and a maximum effective range of
2,000 metres (2,200 yd) when fired from the M3 tripod. In its ground-portable, crew-served role
as the M2HB, the gun itself weighs 84 pounds (38 kg) and the assembled M3 tripod another 44
pounds (20 kg). In this configuration, the V-shaped "butterfly" trigger is located at the very rear
of the weapon with a "spade handle" hand-grip on either side of it and the bolt release in the
center. The spade handles are gripped and the butterfly trigger is depressed with one or both
thumbs. Recently, new rear buffer assemblies have used squeeze triggers mounted to the hand
grips, doing away with the butterfly triggers.
When the bolt release is locked down by the bolt latch release lock on the buffer tube sleeve, the
gun functions in fully automatic mode. Conversely, the bolt release can be unlocked into the up
position resulting in single-shot firing (the gunner must press the bolt latch release to send the
bolt forward). Unlike virtually all other modern machine guns, it has no safety (although a
sliding safety switch has recently been fielded to USMC armorers for installation on their
weapons and is standard-issue for the U.S. Army for all M2s). Troops in the field have been
known to add an improvised safety measure against accidental firing by slipping an expended
shell casing under the butterfly trigger. The upgraded M2A1 has a manual trigger block safety.
[40]
Twin M2HB machine gun during a Pre-aimed Calibration Fire (PACFIRE) exercise in May 2005

Because the M2 was designed to operate in many configurations, it can be adapted to feed from
the left or right side of the weapon by exchanging the belt-holding pawls, and the front and rear
cartridge stops (three-piece set to include link stripper), then reversing the bolt switch. The
operator must also convert the top-cover belt feed slide assembly from left to right hand feed as
well as the spring and plunger in the feed arm. This will take a well trained individual less than
two minutes to perform.

The charging assembly may be changed from left to right hand charge. A right hand charging
handle spring, lock wire and a little "know-how" are all that are required to accomplish this. The
M2 can be battle-ready and easily interchanged if it is preemptively fitted with a retracting slide
assembly on both sides of the weapon system. This eliminates the need to have the weapon
removed from service to accomplish this task.

At some point during World War 2 the Frankford Arsenal developed a squeeze bore version of
the M2HB which reduced the bullet size from .50 to .30 caliber. [41]

Ammunition

M2 Browning on a Samson RCWS of the Israel Defense Forces

There are several different types of ammunition used in the M2HB and AN aircraft guns.
From World War II through the Vietnam War, the big Browning was used with standard ball,
armor-piercing (AP), armor-piercing incendiary (API), and armor-piercing incendiary tracer
(APIT) rounds. All .50 ammunition designated "armor-piercing" was required to completely
perforate 0.875 inches (22.2 mm) of hardened steel armor plate at a distance of 100 yards (91 m)
and 0.75 inches (19 mm) at 547 yards (500 m). The API and APIT rounds left a flash, report,
[42]

and smoke on contact, useful in detecting strikes on enemy targets; they were primarily intended
to incapacitate thin-skinned and lightly armored vehicles and aircraft, while igniting their fuel
tanks.[43]

Current ammunition types include M33 Ball (706.7 grain) for personnel and light material
targets, M17 tracer, M8 API (622.5 grain), M20 API-T (619 grain), and M962 SLAP-T. The
latter ammunition along with the M903 SLAP (Saboted Light Armor Penetrator) round can
perforate 1.34 inches (34 mm) of FHA (face-hardened steel plate) at 500 metres (550 yd), 0.91
inches (23 mm) at 1,200 metres (1,300 yd), and 0.75 inches (19 mm) at 1,500 metres (1,600 yd).
This is achieved by using a 0.30-inch-diameter (7.6 mm) tungsten penetrator. The SLAP-T adds
a tracer charge to the base of the ammunition. This ammunition was type classified in 1993. [44][45]

When firing blanks, a large blank-firing adapter (BFA) of a special type must be used to allow
the recoil operated action to cycle. This functions on the principle of a recoil booster, to increase
the recoil force acting on the short recoil action. This is the exact antithesis of a muzzle brake.
Without this adaptor, the reduced-charge blank cartridge would develop too little recoil to cycle
the action fully. The adapter is very distinctive, attaching to the muzzle with three rods extending
back to the base. The BFA can often be seen on M2s during peacetime operations.
RBP