Weapon Name- M2 .50 Caliber Browning Machine Gun
Type- Machine Gun
Damage- 6L
Range- 1000/2000/4000
Ammunition- 115 per 27.5
Strength Level- 10 to shoot; 1 five strength person to carry; 2 four strength people; 3 three strength people; 4 two strength people
Strength Level for firing- N/A; 10
Special Consideration- Re-roll all success. +3 to Reliability.
+2 against anti-material targets
Round Type- .50 caliber BMG
Over-all length- 1,656 mm (65.2 in)
Barrel length- 1,143 mm (45.0 in)
Weight- 38 kg (83.78 lb)
58 kg (127.87 lb) with tripod and T&E
Rate of Fire- 1,200 rounds/min
Feed Mechanism- Belt Fed
Round Capacity- 50, 100+ linked
Accuracy- 2 MOA
Accessories- Picanty Rail
Quick switch firing mechanism- N/A
Scope/Sights- Picanty Rail
Muzzle Velocity- 880-920
Firing System- Short recoil-operated
Miscellaneous/electronic information- The weapon is essentially one of the fastest firing machine guns in existence, based off of the MG42 developed in WWII.
Basic Information
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.[8] The early M2 water-cooled AA guns had a cyclic rate of around 450-600 rpm.[9] 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.[10] 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.
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.
A U.S. Marine mans a .50 caliber machine gun as part of a security force during an exercise
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.[11]
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. 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 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.
