10,000 Rounds in 27 Minutes: The M2 Browning is The Mother of All Machine Gun

time starts now [Music] 10 000 rounds in 27 minutes why the m2 browning was such a beast [Applause] when one thinks back to the weapons of mass destruction that emerged in the 20th century usually the atomic bomb or poison gas comes to mind but when you tally up the deaths from the world's wars over the past hundred years the simple fact is that atomic and chemical weapons created only a handful of casualties compared to more conventional means such as disease or artillery discount these however when you take a hard look at mass casualty generation in the 20th century today the machine guns of the early 20th century still have a role though very few look like they did 100 years ago improved materials lighter designs better ammunition and other factors mean that most machine guns look like something from the distant future not the era of the model t note the word most there is in fact one machine gun that's been in continuous production and service for almost 100 years and is still as respected and feared as it was when it first was introduced it arose from the fertile mind of an american designer who became the most respected gunsmith of his age john m browning his weapon was the m250 caliber heavy barreled machine gun what made the m2 such an impressive weapon was the bullets it fired from the very beginning the 50 caliber rounds designed for the m2 were something special the term caliber in the context of small arms means the diameter of the bore measured in decimal fractions of an inch so in metric terms the m2 is designated as a 12.7 millimeter weapon initially the specifications of the m2 ball round were for a simple solid shot little different in makeup from the 30 caliber round of the m191 7a1 the basic shape of the m2 ball round is almost aerodynamically perfect ball does not mean spherical but solid that is not having a cavity into which chemicals are placed for tracer or explosive use the form of the 50 caliber round has a slight taper at the bottom which has the effect of reducing drag and maintaining stability madus first entered service with the u.s army in 1919 too late for service in world war one nevertheless the m2 became an instant hit wherever it was installed or deployed for both its amazing hitting power and range and its genuine simplicity of operation much of this derived from the simple recoil operation of the weapon a signature john browning design feature recoil operated means that it uses an ingenious arrangement of levers cams and springs to capture part of the powerful recoil energy of the fire cartridge uses it to extract and eject the spent cartridge case then to feed the next round load and fire it this cycle repeats as long as the gunner holds down the v-shaped trigger located between the two hand grips at the rear of the gun release the trigger and latch secures the mechanism in the open bolt position ready to fire again in fact when firing the m2 on full automatic there are also single shot and semi-automatic modes the sensation to the gunner is a lot like riding a classic harley-davidson hog motorcycle the power is something you feel as much as hear and see nevertheless the m2 is not always an easy weapon to possess and maintain while rugged and well-built it requires a fair amount of maintenance and cleaning especially in the adjustment of the headspace between the rear of the cartridge and the bolt in addition the weight and fairly high recoil of the m2 require a sturdy and stiff mount for effective shooting mandating either the previously mentioned heavy tripod or a secure pencil mount tied to the structure of a ship aircraft or vehicle the payoff though is a weapon that can hit targets with ease over a mile away with an accuracy that is often surprising during the vietnam war the legendary marine sniper sergeant carlos hathcock obtained many of his 93 kills at ranges up to 2500 yards with standard m2 machine guns and a special telescopic sight he carried in his gear so effective was the combination that 20 years later a tennessee gun designer named ronnie barrett would design a lightweight 50 caliber sniper rifle firing the m2 ball round that would become a standard weapon for the u.s army navy and marine corps by the start of world war ii the m2 was the standard weapon for u.s fighters and bomber aircraft tanks and scout cars and the primary anti-aircraft weapon for naval vessels as might be imagined though the needs of a two ocean war made for a voracious demand for the m2 which only grew as the conflict went on for example b-17 and b-24 heavy bombers each had a dozen m2s as their defensive armament while six of the 50 caliber weapons became standard for the f6f hellcat f4u corsair and p51 mustang fighters millions of the 50 caliber weapons were produced and used in every theater of the war by the end of the conflict the m2 had become the most produced machine gun of all time with millions in service around the world even more impressive were the myriad rounds produced for the m2 numbering into the billions by the start of world war ii the basic m2 ball round later improved into the m33 configuration had grown into an entire family of ammunition a normal mix of rounds for most applications would include two rounds of tp ball two of api and one of tracer in five round groups providing a good range of end effects the ammunition is assembled into belts with reusable spring clips called disintegrating links because they're stripped off by the gun's feeder mechanism using the ammunition shown in the sidebar the theoretical maximum range for the m2 is 4.2 miles and has actually been used for indirect fire at high angles of elevation to create a fire beaten zone on the far side of a hill the practical maximum range for aimed direct fire is about 1 mile at shorter ranges the effects are truly amazing with a rate of fire between 400 and 550 rounds a minute 50 caliber rounds from the m2 can literally shred drywall or wooden buildings or even unarmored vehicles at favorable angles and ranges it can penetrate the top side or rear plating of armored vehicles and aircraft like personnel carriers infantry fighting vehicles or attack scout helicopters this makes the m2 a very dangerous thing to have in your bag of military tricks and is why the 50 caliber has remained the love of soldiers sailors and marines in every military force that fields it as the m2 enters its ninth decade of continuous service and production one might think that it's ready for a well-deserved retirement and replacement however that assumption is wrong the basic virtues of the m2 still make it the choice of military professionals all over the world more than 80 years after its introduction to service the threat of naval terrorism has meant that every u.s naval vessel now has pentel mounts for a pair of m2s the guns are still found in heavy weapons units of every army and marine corps formation and service long after some guided missiles and nuclear weapons have gone to the boneyard modus continues to soldier on into a new century made relevant again by a new era of conventional warfare although the gun never wears out the united states continues to maintain the tooling and industrial base to produce it new production m2s are still being delivered today the current contractor for the u.s military being sacco defense its unit cost is fourteen thousand four hundred dollars cost effective considering its range lethality durability and simplicity as the m2 soldiers on the fact that the last m2 gunner has probably not been born yet this is an almost ageless weapon whose utility has gone through more wars engagements and incidents than historians could probably tally nevertheless maudus is still out there with the kind of reputation and affection usually associated with a new sports car or bass boat by the gunners who man them it's fitting that she will probably outlive them too [Applause] demonstrate [Music] you

Channel: US Military News

Views: 953,768

Keywords: m2 browning machine gun, m2 browning aircraft, m2 browning bullet, m2 browning caliber, m2 12.7 browning, m2 browning 50 cal, Machine Gun, M2 .50 Caliber, The Browning M2, Heavy machine gun, .30-06 cartridge

Id: 0aRPeoz09LM

Length: 10min 2sec (602 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 20 2020