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Chapter 5 Weapons
95
.50-caliber Air-Cooled Machine Gun
(M2-HB)
Operation
Selective fire (fully or semiautomatic),
air-cooled
Caliber
.50 (12.7 mm)
Muzzle velocity
893 mps (2,930 fps)
Capacity
110-round belt
Weight
57.6 kg (128 lbs) with tripod
Overall length
165.4 cm (65.1 in.)
Rate of fire
450 to 550 rounds per minute
Range
1,800 m (1,970 yds)
The predecessors of the .50-caliber machine gun
were German 12.7- and 13.2-mm antitank rifles
used in World War I. Early tanks had thin armor
that was easily pierced by such rounds. The U.S.
Ordnance Department turned to John Browning to
design a machine gun that would use a high-velocity
.50-caliber cartridge, and Browning delivered a
prototype gun the day after the Armistice was
signed. While the vast majority of U.S. .50-caliber
machine guns (both air- and water-cooled) were used
in aircraft or mounted on vehicles (tanks, halftracks,
jeeps, and trucks), the M2-HB air-cooled model was
issued to infantry units. Weighing nearly 130 pounds
(with tripod), the M2-HB was used mainly as a
defensive weapon.