In the coming decades, it is likely that one of the biggest challenges facing small arms ammunition designers will be solving the problem of how to deal with advanced body armors. The problem is already percolating to the surface, as Level IV body armor – which is [Read More…]
B.E. Meyers has announced a new optic mount for M2, M2A1, and M3 series of .50 caliber heavy machine gun platforms. The BOARS-M2 is a two part low profile QD optic mount. A base is installed onto the receiver and then the mount is attached. This replaces the older TVS-5 [Read More…]
It is generally accepted that the first serious attempts at using the .50BMG (or 12.7x99mm, if you’re into metrics) round for long-range sniping dates to the Vietnam War era, first using actual, scope-fitted Browning M2HB machine guns, and at a later stage some [Read More…]
John Moses Browning gifted upon the world a large variety of firearms gifts. From the still-in-service 1911 handgun, to the BAR, and the venerable M2 or “Ma-Duece” machine gun, his designs have persisted and even thrived over the last century. Calibers he [Read More…]
Marine Corps Systems Command has finally pushed .50 Caliber M2A1 Browning Heavy Machine Guns out to the Fleet and to Training Command throughout the Marine Corps. 3,600 M2A1s are within this fielding, primarily going to Infantry battalions in the Fleet and Reserves, Training Command, and [Read More…]
One of General Dynamics’ subsidiaries in collaboration with U.S. Ordnance has been awarded a $221 Million contract to provide .50 Cal M2 and M2A1 heavy machine guns to the U.S. Army over the next six years. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has a long [Read More…]
WWII warbirds have always interested me since I was a kid, I used to build model kits of P-51 Mustangs, Mitsubishi Zeros, Spitfires etc. A while back I posted a pretty cool video of the Twilight Tear, a P-51 Mustang test firing her six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine [Read More…]
Maybe it’s more common in the USA for the County/Municipal District to dedicate time and money to develop a range, but up in Canada most local governments will throw up as many obstacles as possible for new places to shoot. That’s not the case for one [Read More…]
D.I Optical is a South Korean company that has dealt mainly in optics mounts to heavy machine guns such as the .50 BMG M2, and automatic grenade launchers such as the 40x46mm High Velocity Mk.19. Recently at SHOT the company unveiled their new DILAD02, a laser aiming [Read More…]
Will Heckler & Koch’s HK416 rifle become the most successful assault rifle model of the early 21st Century? It’s starting to look that way. After the French adoption of the HK416F as their standard issue weapon to replace the FAMAS, and a likely [Read More…]
Firearms product placement within Hollywood movies always provides a fascinating look into how firearms are portrayed on the big screen. In this case, we have two firsts when it comes to product placement, that of the H&K M27 IAR, and the Radius from SilencerCo. Man [Read More…]
I know very little about belt-fed machine guns and the feed chute systems available to guide the ammunition reliably. So when the TMIL Systems PRIME belt-fed manpack and ammunition system popped up on my Twitter feed, my first thought was that it might qualify as [Read More…]
“Caliber”. It can mean a lot of different things, but when we use it, what does it really mean, and what’s its significance? Title image: From left to right are the 7.65 Parabellum, 7.63 Mauser, .300 Blackout, 7.62×45 Czech, .30 Remington, 7.62 [Read More…]
The US Army has begun a program to create a lightweight .50 caliber machine gun to replace the venerable M2 Browning. The program will, like the M240L machine gun, use titanium to reduce weight by 20-30 percent. Scout.com and NationalInterest.org both have stories on [Read More…]
This post was written as a companion to an upcoming Gun Guy Radio podcast, hosted by Ryan Michad. The discussion below will be expanded upon in the show when it’s released later this month, but for now, read on to learn more about the past, present, and future of [Read More…]
The Barrett .50 caliber anti-material rifles are truly icons in the firearm world. These man portable cannon allow an individual to have 10 rounds of earth-shattering .50 BMG ammunition on tap to destroy enemy equipment, vehicles, and so on. With too many movie and video game appearances to count, [Read More…]
Poland is seeking to adopt a new sniper rifle as part of its modernization program. The new rifle, the tender for which was released earlier this week, will fire .338 Lapua Magnum and, with a conversion kit, 7.6x51mm NATO. Jane’s reports: Poland has begun a tender [Read More…]
Remember our past post about the P-51 Mustang test firing it’s six 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns? I stumbled upon a few pretty cool videos showing some Curtiss P-40 Warhawks test firing their .50 caliber machine guns as well, this time with blanks. The P-40 [Read More…]
Ongoing demand for machine guns has resulted in the US Army taking bids for production of M240 machine guns. Most recently, FN America has won a contract to produce the weapons: FN AMERICA WINS CONTRACT TO BUILD M240 MACHINE GUNS AND SPARE RECEIVERS FOR THE U.S. ARMY [Read More…]
Source: China Defense.com Rumor Control: .50 caliber Sniper Rifle in Syria IS NOT an AS50 , it’s Chinese M99 The media is awash with “news” of how the Syrian rebels now have the AS50 Accuracy International .50 caliber sniper rifle…but they don’t. Many Western media [Read More…]
The improved, “Enhanced 50″, version of the M2 Browning has been named one of the Army’s greatest inventions of 2011. Army.mil reports … The M2A1 is an enhancement to the .50-calliber M2, including a modified barrel, barrel extension, barrel [Read More…]
The Army has decided to cut the XM806 Lightweight .50 Caliber Machine Gun program. The XM806 was a scaled down version of the 25mm XM307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon, which was also cut before it went into production. The XM806 was originally going to be deployed this [Read More…]
Serbu Firearms, maker of the Super Shorty 6.5″ barreled shotgun and the BFG-50 and -50A .50 BMG rifles, has published several videos and photos of their current project, the Typhon 20. It is a single shot, bolt action, very similar to the BFG-50, albeit a [Read More…]
I was very skeptical when I first heard that Leupold was selected to supply the USMC with their Mark 8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS scope for use on .50 BMG M2 and 40mm Mk19. machine guns. The CQBSS is an impressive scope but was designed for sniper or DM rifles, not heavy machine [Read More…]
In June the US Army began upgrading their .50 cal M2 heavy machine guns to the slightly improved M2A1 variant. The M2A1 allows the operator to replace the barrel without have adjust headspace and timing. Army.mil reports … Bonner said this is the first major [Read More…]
Christian Lowe reports that the XM806 aka. the “Lightweight .50″ is on track for deployment in 2012 … Talk about taking a diet – the XM806 with its specially-designed tripod weighs a little over 60 lbs. That’s compared to the current M2 Heavy [Read More…]
The Army was recently demoing the upgraded, and long-overdued, version of the M2 Browning machine gun. Army.mil reports … The M2 A1 is an upgrade to the M2 machine gun. It provides a quick-change barrel and fixed head space and timing to reduce Soldier errors and [Read More…]
Gunbroker is running an auction for a ’85 HUMVEE with twin mounted M2 .50 BMG machine guns and 10,000 rounds of surplus ammo. The “Buy Now” is $120,000. 85 truck with 12,000+ actual miles, up-armored, two Ramo M2 .50 cal. machineguns on Form 4’s [Read More…]
[ This article was written by Sven Ortmann of Personal Defence Weapons Central, an excellent small arms resource. ] by Sven Ortmann, lastdingo@gmx.de, 2008-01-05 There are too many misleading anecdotes and rumors about military rifle calibers floating in the air (and in [Read More…]
The .50-Caliber Rifle Construction Manual written by Bill Holmes was published in 2002. The Amazon customer reviews have criticized the book for its poor drawings and complex construction techniques. A guy names “mxwelch” on YouTube has build a working .50 [Read More…]
Your Privacy Choices