#M2

The Mauser M2 is one of those strange firearms that managed to slip through the cracks in the early 2000’s. In this episode, Patrick takes a look at the strange striker fired gun that never seemed to take off. The M2 has some interesting and odd features like a striker deactivation lever, a rotating barrel, and even a rear mounted safety. Patrick discovers rather quickly exactly why a pistol with a world famous name flopped so badly.

Finally, we have reached the 12th and final day of the TFB Christmas series. As I stated from day one, very few of the the guns and gear listed over the last week and a half were new or previously unseen. My goals were simple: lay out presents that are fun to both give and receive. Hopefully there was something for everyone. In many cases, like mine, it’s fun just to dream.

Griffin Armament has been making quite a splash moving through the market outside their well-regarded suppressors. Previously, they released AR furniture and in October, released their HEDP ( High Endurance, Dual Purpose) series of barrels. Now, they’ve set their sights on… sights! Griffin Armament has announced their latest offering, the Micro Modular Sights(TM), referred to as the M2 sights.

The M1 Carbine is a lightweight, handy weapon that is well-liked by many. One of its weakest points for many people, however, is its cartridge: The .30 Carbine caliber is regarded by some as being too weak to be a true intermediate caliber round fully capable of effective 300m fire. Still, the .30 Carbine is short, so maybe there is another caliber out there that could fit into an M1 Carbine’s action while giving it a little more punch… It turns out that during the late 1940s and early 1950s, at least one Spanish small arms designer felt the same way, and invented the gun in the Forgotten Weapons video below:

While the current record for the longest “confirmed” sniper kill is over 2,700 yards (just over 1.5) miles, with a .338 Lapua Magnum round, for nearly 35 years the record stood not with a traditional centerfire rifle, but with a modified M2 Browning Heavy Machine Gun, affectionately known as the “Ma Duece”

What’s the coolest firearm you’ve ever shot? A fine, antique shotgun? An old war horse oozing with history? A rapid-firing machine gun?

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 the subject. The following is from Scout.com:

Well, sort-of-not-really, although it makes for a pretty great title. The Bendix-Hyde Carbine was in fact one of the nine prototypes initially submitted to the Light Rifle program (not to be confused with the Lightweight Rifle program  that is the subject of my ongoing serie s), and it’s in many ways the most interesting one to me. First, though, a brief overview of George J. Hyde, the brilliant designer who invented it:

The M1 Carbine is a weapon that, although popular with shooters and soldiers alike, has been unfairly dismissed in the broader context of the development of the modern assault rifle. Although initially fielded without select-fire capability, the lightweight and handy M1 Carbine was a surprisingly capable weapon, able to perform the combat roles of both the full-size infantry rifle and to a more limited extent the submachine gun, out to short distances. Its development would foreshadow the post-war assault rifle, and both it and its cartridge would become a model for several post-war intermediate caliber assault rifle projects in France, Belgium and elsewhere.

David sent us a photo of his semi-automatic Dragon M-50 made by Ed Haywood of Central Wisconsin Armory (CWA). He has it mounted on a M62 mount that he restored and painted tan.

(Gawking) Now that my jaw has been picked up from the floor, I cannot help but appreciate the photos of a cut-away M2 .50 Machine Gun. Photographed by RangeHot.com, the M2 in question is a factory spliced receiver used to train armorers of the .50 BMG.

Gregor writes …

The Browning M2 Machine Gun is the the stuff legends are made of. This gun was designed in 1918 and has been in continuous service since 1933. It is used by 100 nations and few improvements to the system have been made (new versions sport a spiffy flash hider and a QD barrel), and there is no indication that a replacement is on the horizon.

A reader emailed us a photo of his grandfather practicing with a M2 Flamethrower …

The Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot in West Point, Kentucky is a machine gun fan’s dream come true. Not only do you get to watch a good number of machine guns going off, if you’ve got the cash then you can come to the firing line and have at it. I didn’t catch the price, but this ain’t cheap!