M2 Browning machine gun

This article is about the .50 caliber M2 machine gun. For the .30-06 M2 machine gun, see M1919 Browning machine gun.

Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB
300px M2HB heavy machine gun on M3 tripod.
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	M2HB from 1933–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	World War I World War II Korean War First Indochina War Suez Crisis Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Cambodian-Vietnamese War Falklands War South African Border War United States invasion of Panama Gulf War Somali Civil War Operation Medak Pocket War on Terror (Afghanistan, Iraq)
Production history
Designed	1918
Manufacturer	Current: General Dynamics, Fabrique Nationale, US Ordnance, and Manroy Engineering Former: 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
Produced	1933–present (M2HB)
Specifications
Weight	38 kg (83.78 lb), 58 kg (127.87 lb) with tripod and T&E
Length	1,650 mm (65 in)
Barrel length	1,143 mm (45.0 in)
Cartridge	.50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO)
Action	Short recoil-operated
Rate of fire	450-575 rounds/min (M2HB) 750–850 rounds/min (AN/M2) 1,200 rounds/min (AN/M3)
Muzzle velocity	2,910 feet per second (M33 Ball) (887.1 m/s)
Maximum range	1800 meters / 2200 yards
Feed system	Belt-fed (M2 or M9 links)

The M2 Machine Gun, Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, or "Ma Deuce" is a heavy machine gun designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. It is very similar in design to John Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. The M2 uses the larger and more powerful .50 BMG cartridge, which was named for the gun itself (BMG standing for Browning Machine Gun). In service the gun was nicknamed Ma Deuce by U.S. Military personnel or simply "fifty-cal." in reference to its caliber. The design has had many specific designations; the official 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 1920s to the present day. It was heavily used during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, as well as during operations in Iraq in the 1990s and 2000s. It is the primary heavy machine gun of NATO countries, and has been used by many other countries as well. With the exception of the M1911 .45 automatic pistol, the M2 has been in use longer than any other small arm in U.S. inventory.

The M2 is currently manufactured by General Dynamics and Fabrique Nationale (FN) for the United States government. FN has been the manufacturer since John Browning worked for them in the 1910s and '20s to develop the machine gun.

History

A variant without a water jacket, but with a thicker-walled, air-cooled barrel superseded the M2 (air-cooled barrels had already been used on variants for use on aircraft, but these quickly overheated in ground use). This new variant was then designated the M2 HB (HB for Heavy Barrel). The added mass and surface area of the new barrel compensated, somewhat, for the loss of water-cooling, while reducing bulk and weight (the M2 weighed 121 lb (55 kg), with water, whereas the M2 HB weighs 84 lb). Due to the long procedure for changing the barrel, an improved system was developed called QCB (quick change barrel). A lightweight version, weighing a mere 60 lb (27 kg) was also developed.

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 good stopping power.

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 upon the model. The M2HB (heavy barrel) air-cooled ground gun has a cyclic rate of 450-575 rounds per minute. The early M2 water-cooled AA guns had a cyclic rate of around 450-600 rpm. The AN/M2 aircraft gun has a cyclic rate of 750-850 rpm; this increases to 1,200 rpm or more for AN/M3 aircraft guns fitted with electric or mechanical feed boost mechanisms. 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. The M2HB's sustained rate of fire is considered to be anything less than 400 rounds per minute.

File:Twin M2HB machine gun.jpg

Twin M2HB .50 caliber machine gun during a Pre-aimed Calibration Fire (PACFIRE) exercise.

The M2 has a maximum range of 7.4 kilometers (4.55 miles), with a maximum effective range of 1.8 kilometers (1.2 miles) when fired from the M3 tripod. In its ground-portable, crew-served role as the M2HB, the gun itself weighs in at a hefty 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 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). 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.

Because the M2 was intentionally designed to be fit into 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 (3-piece set to include link stripper), then reversing the bolt switch. You 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 2 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 weapon can be battle ready and easily interchanged if the weapon is fitted with a retracting slide assembly on both sides of the weapon system to eliminate the need to have the weapon taken in to accomplish this task.

Ammunition

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" (22.2 mm) of hardened steel armor plate at a distance of 100 yards (91 m), and 0.75" (19 mm) at 547 yards (500 m). The API and APIT rounds left a flash, report, 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.

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 in (34 mm) of HHA (high hard armor, or face-hardened steel plate) at 500 meters, 0.91 in (23 mm) at 1,200 meters, and 0.75 in (19 mm) at 1,500 meters. This is achieved by using a .30 inch diameter tungsten penetrator. The SLAP-T adds a tracer charge to the base of the ammunition. This ammunition was type classified in 1993.

When firing blanks, a large blank-firing adapter (BFA) must be used to keep the gas pressure high enough to allow the action to cycle. 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.

Deployment

File:M2 on a RHIB.jpg

An M2 fired from a rigid-hulled inflatable boat.

File:M2 - 24th MEU.jpg

A U.S. Marine mans a .50 caliber machine gun as part of a security force during an exercise

The M2 .50 Browning machine gun has been used for various roles:

• A medium infantry support weapon
• As an anti-aircraft (AA) gun in some ships; up to six M2 guns could be mounted on the same turret.
• As an anti-aircraft gun on the ground. The original water-cooled version of the M2 was used on a tall AA tripod or vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft weapon on a sturdy pedestal mount. In later variants, twin and quadruple M2HB Brownings were used, such as the M45 Quadmount used on the US M16 half-track carrier. Twin or quad-mount .50 M2 guns normally used alternating left-hand and right-hand feed.
• Primary or secondary weapon on an armored fighting vehicle.
• Primary or secondary weapon on a naval patrol boat.
• Spotting for the primary weapon on some armored fighting vehicles.
• Secondary weapon for anti-boat defense on large naval vessels (corvettes, frigates, destroyers, cruisers, etc).
• Coaxial gun or independent mounting in some tanks.
• Fixed-mounted primary armament in World War II-era U.S. aircraft such as the P-47 Thunderbolt, P-51 Mustang, and the Korean-era U.S. F-86 Sabre.
• Fixed or flexible-mounted defensive armament in World War II-era bombers such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, and B-24 Liberator.
• A M2 modified to fire single shots and hold a scope was used by Carlos Hathcock as a sniper weapon during the Vietnam War, proving the .50 caliber round's usefulness as an effective anti-personnel/anti-material round. Carlos Hathcock used his modified M2 to create the record for the longest sniper kill, a record that stood until the current War in Afghanistan.

United States

At the outbreak of the Second World War the United States had versions of the M2 in service as fixed aircraft guns, anti-aircraft defensive guns (on aircraft, ships, or boats), infantry (tripod-mounted) guns, and as dual purpose anti-aircraft and anti-vehicular weapons on vehicles.

File:Browning M2HB Normandy.jpg

A U.S. soldier in Normandy stands guard with the M2HB installed on a dual-purpose mounting.

The .50 AN/M2 light-barrel aircraft Browning used in planes had a rate of fire of approximately 800 rounds per minute, and was used singly or in groups of up to eight guns for aircraft ranging from the P-47 Thunderbolt to the B-25 Mitchell bomber.

In the dual-purpose vehicle mount, the M2HB (heavy barrel) proved extremely effective in U.S. service: the Browning's .50 caliber AP and API rounds could easily penetrate the engine block or fuel tanks of a German Bf 109 fighter attacking at low altitude, or perforate the hull plates and fuel tanks of a German half-track or light armored car. While the dual-purpose mounting was undeniably useful, it did normally require the operator to stand when using the M2 in a ground role, exposing him to return fire. Units in the field often modified the mountings on their vehicles, especially tanks and tank destroyers, to provide more operator protection in the anti-vehicular and anti-personnel role. The weapon was particularly hated by the Germans, whose attacks against otherwise helpless stalled motor convoys were frequently broken up by .50 caliber machine gun fire.

Besides vehicle-mounted weapons, the heavy weapons companies in a WWII Army infantry battalion or regiment were each issued one M2 Browning with tripod (ground) mount. Mounted on a heavily-sandbagged tripod, the M2HB proved very useful in either a defensive role or to interdict or block road intersections from use by German infantry and motorized forces. The hammering of a heavy Browning could usually be relied upon to put a German infantry company face-down in the dirt. There are numerous instances of the M2 Browning being used against enemy personnel, particularly infantry assaults or for interdiction or elimination of enemy artillery observers or snipers at distances too great for ordinary infantry weapons.

A quadruple mount of four .50 M2HB guns with a single gunner situated behind an armored housing was used by U.S. AA battalions in either a towed trailer or mounted in a half-track carrier (M16 AA half-track). With 200 rounds per gun in a powered tracking mount, the guns proved very effective against low-flying aircraft. Towards the end of the war, as Luftwaffe attacks grew more infrequent, the quad .50 (nicknamed the Meat Chopper) was increasingly used in an anti-personnel role, similarly to the more powerful German 20mm Flakvierling. Snipers firing from trees were engaged by the quad gunner at trunk level - the weapon would cut down and destroy the entire tree, and the sniper with it.

File:M16 MGMC.jpg

M16 .50 AA Quad aka the 'Meat Chopper'

The M2HB was not widely used in the Pacific campaign, due to several factors, including weight, the inherent nature of infantry jungle combat, and because road intersections were usually easily outflanked. However, it was used by fast-moving motorized forces in the Philippines to destroy Japanese blocking units on the advance to Manila. The quad mount .50 was also used to destroy Japanese emplacements.

The M2HB saw service in both Korea and Vietnam. In 2003, during the Iraq War, U.S. Army SFC Paul Ray Smith used his M2HB mounted on an M113 armored personnel carrier to kill twenty to fifty enemy who were attacking a U.S. Army outpost, saving an aid station from being overrun and allowing wounded soldiers to be evacuated, SFC Smith gave his life to save his fellow soldiers and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Commonwealth forces

Commonwealth use of the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun (known as the .5 Browning in British and Commonwealth service) was limited in the Second World War, though from 1942 it was standard armament on US-built AFVs provided under lend-lease such as the M4 Sherman, M7 Priest, M8 Greyhound, or M10 Wolverine variously used by British, Canadian, Australian, South African and New Zealand units. Nevertheless, the heavy Browning's effectiveness was praised by many British and Commonwealth soldiers in infantry, armored, and ordnance branches. Many commanders thought the .50 Browning the best weapon in its class, certainly the best of the American weapons, including the M1 Garand and carbine. In North Africa, after Commonwealth units began to obtain sufficient parts, manuals, gauges, and ammunition for the new weapon, the .50 Browning was increasingly used, eventually replacing the 15 mm Besa, but in Italy was often deleted from top turret mountings because the mount exposed the operator to low branches and enemy fire. Some SAS units used the aircraft (AN/M2) version of the gun, while turret-mounted .5 Brownings were used later in the war in such aircraft as the Lancaster bomber.

After the Second World War, the .50 Browning continued to see action in Korea and other theaters, in aircraft, tripod (ground), ground AA (hip-ring), and vehicle mounts. One of its most notable actions in a ground role was in a fierce battle with a nine-man SAS team at the Battle of Mirbat in Oman in July 1972, where the heavy Browning and its API ammunition was used to help repulse an assault by 250 Yemeni Adoo guerrillas, though the more famous weapon from the battle is a 25 pounder gun.

.50 caliber Brownings were installed along with a .30 caliber in the compact one-man turrets on M113 APCs used by the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in South Vietnam.

M2 as a sniper rifle

The M2 machine gun has also been used as a long-range sniper rifle, when equipped with a telescopic sight. Soldiers during the Korean War used scoped M2s in the role of a sniper rifle, but the practice was most notably used by US Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War. Using an Unertl telescopic sight and a mounting bracket of his own design, Hathcock could quickly convert the M2 into a sniper rifle, using the traversing-and-elevating (T & E) mechanism attached to the tripod to assist in aiming at stationary targets. When firing semi-automatically, Hathcock accurately hit man-size targets beyond 2000 yards—twice the range of a standard-caliber sniper rifle of the time (a .30-06 Winchester Model 70). In fact, Hathcock set the record for the longest confirmed kill at 2,250 m (2,460 yd), a record which stood until 2002.

Variants and derivatives

M2 variants

File:Cal50 Browning 2REI 2.jpg.JPG

An M2HB in the French Foreign Legion's 2nd Infantry Regiment during an exercise.

The basic M2 was deployed in US service in a number of subvariants, all with separate complete designations as per the US Army system. The basic designation as mentioned in the introduction is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, with others as described below.

The development of the M1921 water-cooled machine gun which led to the M2, meant that the initial M2s were in fact water-cooled. These weapons were designated Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, Water-Cooled, Flexible. There was no fixed water-cooled version.

Improved air-cooled heavy barrel versions came in three subtypes. The basic infantry model, Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible, a fixed developed for use on the M6 Heavy Tank designated Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Fixed, and a "turret type" whereby "Flexible" M2s were modified slightly for use in tank turrets. The subvariant designation Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Turret was only used for manufacturing, supply, and administration identification and separation from flexible M2s.

A number of additional subvariants were developed after the end of the Second World War. The Caliber .50 Machine Gun, Browning, M2, Heavy Barrel, M48 Turret Type was developed for the commander's cupola on the M48 Patton tank. The cupola mount on the M48-A3 was thoroughly disliked by most tankers, as it proved unreliable in service. A cupola-mounted M2 was later adopted for the commander's position on the M1 Abrams tanks. Three subvariants were also developed for use by the US Navy on a variety of ships and watercraft. These included the Caliber .50 Machine Gun, Browning, M2, Heavy Barrel, Soft Mount (Navy) and the Caliber .50 Machine Gun, Browning, M2, Heavy Barrel, Fixed Type (Navy). The fixed types fire from a solenoid trigger and come in left or right hand feed variants for use on the Mk 56 Mod 0 dual mount and other mounts.

M2 E-50 (M2E50)

File:PEO M2E2-QCB HMG.jpg

The new M2E2 modification with quick-change barrel.

A long overdue upgrade program for existing infantry M2HBs and other M2s currently in U.S. Army service, the E50 provides a: Quick Change Barrel (QCB) capability, a rail accessory mount, an improved flash hider and a manual safety.

The E50 designation initially appeared to be within the bounds of the normal U.S. Army designation system. However, it later turned out that the term was in fact a developmental project that stands for Enhanced 50, as in enhanced .50 caliber machine gun. Developed primarily as a conversion kit for existing weapons, it is likely that new production machine guns will be built to this standard. In later U.S. Army briefings, this variant has been referenced as the M2E2 or M2A1.

Aircraft guns

AN/M2 and AN/M3

File:Browning M2HB USMC.jpg

U.S. Marines man pintle-mounted M2HB machine guns

The M2 machine gun was widely used during World War II and in later postwar conflicts as a remote or flexible aircraft gun. For fixed (offensive) or flexible (defensive) guns used in aircraft, a dedicated M2 version was developed called the .50 Browning AN/M2. The AN/M2 had a cyclic rate of 750–850 rounds per minute, with the ability to be fired from a electrically-operated remote-mount solenoid trigger when installed as a fixed gun. Cooled by the aircraft's slip-stream, the air-cooled AN/M2 was fitted with a substantially lighter barrel, which also had the effect of increasing the rate of fire. The official designation for this weapon was Browning Machine Gun, Aircraft, Cal. .50, AN/M2 (Fixed) or (Flexible). During World War II, a faster-firing .50-inch aircraft Browning was developed, the AN/M3, using a mechanical or electrically-boosted feed mechanism to increase the rate of fire to around 1,200 rounds per minute. The AN/M3 was widely used in Korea on such planes as the F-86 Sabre and in Vietnam in the XM14/SUU-12/A gun pod, and currently in the Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano.

The XM296/M296 is a further development of the AN/M2 machine gun for remote firing applications, and is currently only used in an armament system for the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter. The M296 differs from previous remote firing variants in that it has adjustable maximum firing rate (500–850 rpm), while lacking a bolt latch (allowing single-shot operation). As an air-cooled aircraft gun used aboard a relatively slow rotary-wing aircraft, the M296 has a burst restriction rate of 50 rounds per minute; combat firing which exceeds this limit mandates a ten-minute cooling period to avoid malfunctions due to overheating.

XM213/M213, XM218, GAU-15/A, GAU-16/A, and GAU-18/A

The XM213/M213 was a modernization and adaptation of existing .50 caliber AN/M2s in inventory for use as a pintle mounted door gun on helicopters using the M59 armament subsystem.

The GAU-15/A, formerly identified as the XM218, is a lightweight member of the M2/M3 family. The GAU-16/A was an improved GAU-15/A with modified grip and sight assemblies for similar applications. Both of these weapons were used as a part of the A/A49E-11 armament subsystem (also known as the Defensive Armament System).

The GAU-18/A, is a lightweight variant of the M2/M3, and is used on the USAF's MH-53 Pave Low and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters. These weapons do not use the heavy barrel, and are typically set up as left-hand feed, right-hand charging weapons, but on the HH-60 Pavehawks that use the EGMS (External Gun Mount System) all weapons are set up as right hand charge but vary between left and right hand feed depending on what side of the aircraft it is on. In this configuration the gun is fitted with a chute adapter attached to its left hand feed pawl bracket. Thus, the weapon can receive ammunition through a feed chute system connected to internally-mounted or externally-mounted ammunition cans. Originally designed to accommodate 1,700 rounds, these cans have since been modified due to space constraints, and now hold about half that amount with the external cans of the EGMS system holding 600 rounds each. However, many aerial gunners find the chute system cumbersome, and opt to install a bracket accommodating the 100-round cans instead. The GAU-18/A began to be supplanted by the GAU-21/A in 2006.

GAU-21/A and M3P

The FN produced M3 series is also in U.S. military service in two versions. The fixed remote firing version, the FN M3P, is used by the U.S. Army on the Avenger Air Defense System. The M3M flexible machine gun has been adopted by the USAF and the USN under the designation GAU-21/A for use on helicopters.

The M3P is currently being used to upgrade the US Army's OH-58D; replacing the M2 and XM296 .50 cal. machine guns for the aircraft.

Users

The M2 family has been widely used abroad, primarily in its basic infantry configuration. A brief listing of designations for M2 family weapons follows:

Country	NATO Member	Designation	Description
Argentina	No	M2HB	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Australia	No	M2HB-QCB	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Austria	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Belgium	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Benin	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Bolivia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Brazil	No	Mtr .50 M2 HB "BROWNING"	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Bulgaria	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Burkina Faso	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Burundi	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Cameroon	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Canada	Yes	FN M2HB-QCB	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Chad	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Chile	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Colombia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Template:Country data Cote d'Ivoire	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Croatia	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Democratic Republic of Congo	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Denmark	Yes	M/50 TMG	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
		?	12.7 × 99 mm FNH M3M machine gun
Djibouti	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Dominican Republic	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Ecuador	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Egypt	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
El Salvador	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Ethiopia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
France	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Gabon	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Gambia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Ghana	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Germany	Yes	M3M, MG50	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Greece	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Guatemala	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Honduras	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
India	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Indonesia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Iran	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Ireland	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Israel	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Italy	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Jamaica	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Japan	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Jordan	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Kuwait	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Lebanon	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Liberia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Luxembourg	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Madagascar	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Malaysia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Mauritania	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Mexico	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Morocco	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Myanmar	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Netherlands	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
New Zealand	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Nicaragua	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Niger	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Nigeria	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Norway	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Oman	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Pakistan	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Panama	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Paraguay	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Peru	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Philippines	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Portugal	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Qatar	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Romania	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Rwanda	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Saudi Arabia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Senegal	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Serbia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Singapore	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Somalia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
South Africa	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Spain	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Sweden	No	Tung kulspruta (tksp)	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Switzerland	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Taiwan	No	T90	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Thailand	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Togo	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Tonga	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Tunisia	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Turkey	Yes		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
United Arab Emirates	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
United Kingdom	Yes	L2A1	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
		L6, L6A1	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun; ranging gun for the L7 105 mm tank gun on the Centurion tank
		L11, L11A1	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun; ranging gun
		L21A1	12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun; ranging gun for the 120 mm tank gun on the Chieftain tank
		L111A1
United States	Yes	Browning Caliber .50 M2, M2HB	Browning Caliber .50 M2 Heavy Barrel machine gun
Uruguay	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Venezuela	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Yemen	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun
Zimbabwe	No		12.7 × 99 mm Browning M2HB machine gun

See also

• MG 131 machine gun, WWII German aircraft-mounted gun
• List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
• List of crew-served weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
• DShK, NSV & Kord 12.7 mm machine guns, Soviet/Russian equivalents.
• M45 Quadmount

References

• Dunlap, Roy F. (1948). Ordnance Went Up Front, Samworth Press, OCLC 6081851
• George, John B. (1981). Shots Fired In Anger, NRA Press, ISBN 093599842X
• Gresham, John D. (December 2001). “Weapons”. Military Heritage. Volume 3, No. 3: 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 (John Browning’s (M2) .50-caliber).
• Hogg, Ian. (2001). The American Arsenal. Ian Hogg, ed. London, UK: Greenhill Books, ISBN 9781853674709
• MCWP 3-15.1: Machine Guns and Machine Gun Gunnery USMC (requires client certificate). Alternative via scribd
• Yeide, Harry. (2004). The Tank Killers. Havertown, Penn.: Casemate, ISBN 9781932033267
• Zaloga, Steven J. (2002). M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car 1941–91. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, ISBN 9781841764689

External links

• Aircraft Gunnery_.50 cal.
• M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun at Federation of American Scientists
• Browning M2HB & M2HQCB (USA)
• M2 .50 cal. Machine Gun at Olive-Drab.com
• Quad-50 M2 .50 cal. Machine Gun at Olive-Drab.com
• Video of a CG M2 showing the inner workings as it goes through the firing cycle.
• Browning M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun at Gary's Olive Drab Page
• Browning M2 HB .50 Caliber Heavy Machine Gun, "Ambush in Mogadishu", Frontline, PBS

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Preceded by

Longest confirmed combat sniper-shot kill 1967–2002 1.42 mi (2,286 m) using .50 BMG by Carlos Hathcock

Succeeded by Canadian Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) .50

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