The Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun is better known as the 'Ma Duce' to those who have had the pleasure of firing this heavy barrel machine gun. In 1919 John M. Browning developed the M2 .50 cal as an anti-aircraft weapon. The M2 was first introduced into the United States Military in 1933 and is used by many militaries through out the world today. Since 1933 there have been little changes made to this weapon system. The BMG (Browning Machine Gun) is a crew served, belt fed, air-cooled, recoil operated machine gun capable of firing in single shot or fully automatic.
Today the M2 is used for more than just anti-aircraft. Since very little changes have been made to this remarkable weapon system, military researchers have been able to maximize the capabilities and uses on the battle field. This weapon is used both in the offense and defense and can be used effectively to engage light armored vehicles, low flying aircraft, boats, and personnel. The M2 can either be ground or vehicle mounted giving our military unlimited uses of this weapon. This weapon system has been mounted on numerous light armored vehicles, air craft, water craft, as well as tanks.
The M2 .50 caliber machine gun is a crew served, belt fed, air-cooled, recoil operated machine gun capable of firing in single shot or fully automatic.
weight of total gun with tripod 128lb
weight of receiver 60lb
weight of barrel 24lb
weight of tripod 44lb
length of gun 65in
length of barrel 45in
muzzle velocity 3050fps~888m/s
bore diameter .50cal~12.7mm
maximum effective range 2000m
maximum range 6800m~4.2miles
There are over 20 different types of ammunition that have been made for the M2, each with it's own individual characteristics, color coding and uses. The primary round discussed on this web page is the M2 .50 caliber ball cartridge. The M2 ball round is one of the few rounds that does not have any color coding. This round consists primarily of the casing, primer, powder, and projectile. The projectile is 58.7mm long, 12.7mm in diameter and has a weight of 42.9grams. The projectile is a soft lead core incased in a full metal jacket. Most ammunition for the M2 comes linked in 100 round belts as shown below.
There are some basic methods of firing that must be defined before discussing defilade fire. The first of these is line of sight. Line of sight is defined as the path from the gunner's eye to the target.
In today’s world, the use of airplanes in wars or in everyday life has become a part of how we live as human beings. Removing the air forces of the world is like taking a step back in time when wars were only fought on land or sea. WWI began only eleven short years after the Wright brothers achieved powered flight in 19031 and yet aircrafts were being used for surveillance and eventually combat purposes. It is understood that these aircrafts were primitive, but they laid down the foundation for what we know today as fighter jets. The Fokker Eindecker “revolutionized air combat by successfully employing a synchronized forward -firing machine gun mounted on the engine cowling”2. Because this airplane became the first to successfully use a synchronized machine gun, it allowed its pilots to become the first aerial combat tactitions3.
and similar rounds such as .223 and 7.62 x 39mm, as well as soft nosed expanding rifle
In Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Iraqi forces fired 93 Scud missiles at coalition forces in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. (Rostker) Air Defense Artillery (ADA) played an immensely significant role in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm with units from 11th Brigade Air Defense Artillery and the 32d Air Defense Command rapidly deploying into theater. The effectiveness of the units and their roles in fighting this war proved that Air Defense Artillery was critical to the success of the campaign. Although Patriot Batteries placed strategically throughout Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel played a tremendous tactical role in these wars, High-Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) was not the only type of surface to air missile system in place to protect ground forces and valuable military assets. Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) units also deployed with the air defense units. These weapon systems, integrated with ground forces, provided air defense to dominate against aircraft and Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBM) on the front lines.
The amount of ammunition that is allowed by law to be loaded into a firearm criminalize many popular handguns, even those used by the military like the Beretta m9 9mm, which is the standard issue side arm of the United States military that has an ammo capacity of a whopping 15 bullets. 16 bullets if one is locked in the chamber. According to this new law only seven are allowed to be loaded at any given time except when in a competition on a range.
2nd Raider battalion was one of the first U.S. military units to use the newly issued M-1 Garand in combat. This special privilege allowed the Raiders to experiment with a variety of new innovations and weaponry, resulting in a unique, yet deliberately selected armory. With an emphasis on mobility, the Raiders opted for lighter weapons with higher rates of fire. For example the Raiders utilized the .30-caliber air-cooled Browning machine gun instead of its .50 caliber brother, issued to standard infantry units. The Raiders tested a plethora of innovative equipment including, individual, man portable stoves, collapsible bicycles, and eight foot toggle ropes which had a loop at one end and a peg at the other, useful for scaling cliffs. Certain items in the Raider arsenal became unique to the raiders such as the “Raider Stiletto,” a dagger issued to Raider units modeled after the British commandos Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, and the “Gung Ho” knife and jacket, the later being a large heavy Bowie style knife and the jacket being a hunting jacket with large pockets replacing the need for a pack. One of the most unique weapons in the Raider arsenal was the British Boys anti-tank
Prior to the invention of the Minié ball it was necessary for the bullet to be the same diameter as the barrel in order for it to engage the rifling. This made it difficult and time consuming to load because the bullet would have to be rammed down the barrel with some force. Due to this fact, muzzle loading rifles had not seen any previous use in combat. The Minié ball, however, changed this. The Minié bullet was slightly smaller in diameter than the rifle barrel, was conical in shape, and contained an iron plug in its hollow base. When fired the force of the expanding charge would force the iron plug into the base of the bullet, thus causing the base to expand slightly and engage the rifling. The Minié bullet, fired from a rifled musket, had an effective range of up to 250 yards, which was a vast improvement over earlier muskets and ammunition. The rifled musket firing the Minié ball became the most common firearm used by both sides during the Civil War, and the Springfield armory in Massachusetts produce nearly two million for the Union Army. (History.com, 2010)
Well it's quite simple actually. Spudguns use some of the same principles as internal combustion engines. Just as burning gas forces a piston out of a cylinder it can also force out a potato. A spudgun is a device that uses some form of propellant to project a potato across the sky. Usually these devices are made of ABS plastic sewer pipe. There are several major parts of the spud gun that these pages will refer to. These parts are the firing chamber, the igniter, and the barrel.
size. The muzzle velocity is at 2,800ft/sec (853m/sec) with also a rate of fire 725 rounds per
The Lemat revolver, pictured above, was a popular pistol among southerners and confederates during the Civil War (Lemat revolver. (2014, January 27). Retrieved from wikipedia). ‘’This gun has a nine round magazine and has a barrel that holds a 20ga round birdshot’’ (Lemat revolver. (2014, January 27). Retrieved from wikipedia). Many of the famous generals used it, which made it more popular. ‘’They only made about 2,900 Lemat pistols’’ (Lemat revolver. (2014, January 27). Retrieved from wikipedia). ‘’This gun was used through 1861-65 and was made from 1856 to 1865’’ (Lemat revolver. (2014, January 27). Retrieved from wikipedia). After the war, they stopped production of this weapon.
The primary long gun of the Union Army was the M-1861 Springfield Rifle. The 1861 Springfield was a .58 Caliber, muzzle loading, single-shot rifle. The 1861 Springfield rifle used the 500 grain .58 caliber bullet and 60 grains of powder. It had a muzzle velocity of 950 Fps and was accurate up to 300 yards with a maximum range of 500 yards. The 1861 Spring...
Pike, John. A. The "Mosin-Nagant M1891/1930. " www.globalsecurity.org - www.globalsecurity.org.
4 What is the sustained rate of fire of the M249? 85 rounds per minute
Initially designed as an anti-aircraft system, Patriot became operational in 1985. (Patriot, 2013) Patriot fires a missile from its launching station to engage an aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle, cruise missile or a tactical ballistic missile. In 1991, Operation Desert Storm had kicked off and Patriot added missile-interception. Patriot anti-tactical ballistic missile capability phase 2 (PAC-2) had the first wartime engagement of a tactical rocket by an anti-tactical ballistic missile in history. Patriot upgraded to the PAC-3 missile that utilizes hit-to-kill technology making it over ninety percent success rate on engagements. Patriot is constantly undergoing improvements and remains one of the most sophisticated air defense technologies in the world today. (Kraus, 2000; Patriot,
These kinds of weapons were impractical for military use, but attracted many people to the arms race for weapons that could sweep the battlefield. “They had limitations in practice, among them slow re...
M253 Cannon (barrel): The M253 cannon consists of the barrel, sealed at the lower end with a removable breech plug that houses a removable firing pin. At the muzzle end is a cone-shaped Blast Attenuator Device (BAD) that is fitted to reduce noise.