US Army looking for lighter .50 machine gun

The U.S. Army and Special Operations Command are stepping up efforts to procure a lighter, modernized .50-caliber machine gun more easily transported than the standard 85-pound M2.

180Px-M2 - 24Th Meu

The goal is not to replace the M2, a combat fixture for 70 years, but to augment the inventory with a .50-caliber weapon that brings the same firepower at less than half the weight, Army officials said here at the Feb. 27-29 winter convention of the Association of the U.S. Army. Early models of the Light Weight .50-caliber (LW50) are expected to be delivered this year.

More info at Murdoc Online

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Steve Mar 3rd 2008 machine guns, military Tags: , , , , , , 8 Comments

8 Responses to “US Army looking for lighter .50 machine gun”

  1. Daverinoon 07 Mar 2008 at 2:47 pm link comment

    Sounds like the XM312 would be good fit. If they haven’t canceled the program that is.

  2. Steveon 07 Mar 2008 at 2:51 pm link comment

    I read that the problem with the XM312 was the slow rate of fire (260 rounds/min), half the rate of the M2.

  3. Tigeron 15 Jul 2008 at 8:21 am link comment

    Instead of reinventing the wheel, why not change the material? Instead of a new gun, build a M2 out of Titanium or Scandium with a Carbon fiber barrel?

  4. Jcameloon 23 Oct 2008 at 3:11 pm link comment

    Sounds like what they need is an XM312 .50 cal.

    they are way lighter and more portable.

  5. Vitoron 06 Jan 2009 at 5:39 am link comment

    Making a lighter gun than the M2 is no rocket science. The russians and chinese already did that decades ago. Why? Cause the M2 is was designed almost 90 years ago!! Although a very a good design, it baffles me that american companies have a hard time to surpass something made 90 years ago.

  6. RJon 22 Jan 2009 at 8:13 am link comment

    I know Vitor, it boggles my mind too. Stealth Technology? No problem. Lasers in space? No problem. Predicting the outcome of nuclear explosions with mathematics and supercomputers? Yawn.

    But a new rifle or machine-gun invented 100+ years ago?

    IMPOSSIBLE. TOO COMPLEX.

  7. Benon 02 May 2009 at 6:42 am link comment

    Vitor: clearly you’ve never spoken to someone who owns a 1911 then :D Thats Brownings designs for you.

    Tiger: the cost of a weapon made out of titanium would be pretty phonomenal. Some fabrication companies I’ve worked with in the past won’t deal with the stuff as its just too expensive to replace if a machinist makes a mistake.

  8. AK™on 05 May 2009 at 2:48 pm link comment

    Funny stuff.
    personally I would feel safer lugging around the M2 than a light version of the M2.

    The Army thought we didn’t need the M14/M21 anymore..too heavy or whatever..

    What we need are stronger soldiers to heft the guns around ;)

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