John Moses Browning’s .50 caliber machinegun first roared to life in the closing month of World War One. Astonishingly, it is still in first line U.S. service and with many other armies worldwide today, nearly eighty years later. Although heavy, a bit cantankerous, and really fussy about headspace, the M2 Heavy Barrel Machine Gun is rightly considered by many to be the best in its class. “Ma Deuce” as she has been affectionately known by generations of American military men, is still an indispensable member of the modern small arms family and will remain so well into the new millennium.

Introduction to Part 2

Last month in Part One we explored the developmental history of John M. Browning’s famous .50 caliber M2HB machine gun and its ground, sea and air combat use from WWII through Vietnam. Now, we continue our in-depth study of Browning’s masterpiece, visiting a unit of today’s US Marines as they introduce some of their newest officers to the oldest and longest serving infantry weapon in the American arsenal. Quantico, Virginia is the center of the Universe for the United States Marine Corps and home of its Officer Basic School where newly commissioned Marine lieutenants go for a tough and uncompromising introduction to the most fundamental missions of the Corps. Among the many rich and varied experiences that these young officers will have during their stay at Basic is the opportunity for some hands-on live fire with the family of Marine Corps small arms. Captain George Schreffler, Range 7 OIC for the day, has kindly consented to allowing close in photographs during the day’s training and firing. Wisely, he places me with Sergeant Mayc-o McKeever and his men from Weapons Platoon, CI Company. McKeever, a no-nonsense guy as you might well expect, makes sure I get the opportunity for the full experience by thoughtfully providing a ten pound kevlar flak vest and helmet. This is a real treat and immediately makes me feel just like one of the boys; sweating like a pig on a typically hot and humid southern summer day with the nearest shade some 25 meters behind the firing line. Are we having fun yet?

Role Reversal

One of the day’s unexpected delights for this old retired Army sergeant was the opportunity to see some real Marine NCOs in firm control of some nearly real Marine lieutenants. This seems to be one of those fascinating and little known traditions of the Corps that when young officers are in student mode — which they definitely are at Basic School — the staff is in charge. And there was no doubt that day at the .50 caliber station on Range 7 that Sergeant Mayc-o McKeever, Sergeant Grisson Gamba, and Corporal Tom Senter were clearly in charge. The lieutenants had already spent several days in classroom instruction on tactical theory of crew served weapons and practical mechanical training with stripping, cleaning, assembling and adjusting both the Mark 19 grenade machine gun and the M2 fifty cal. After yet another opportunity that morning to break ‘em down and put ‘em back together, several groups of about twenty made their way in round-robin fashion from live fire stations on these two guns as well as an AT4 subcaliber launcher.

Ammo Point

Their first stop along the way to visiting Grandma Deuce was the ammunition shed, where each Marine was issued a short belt of cartridges — and I mean a SHORT belt. Given the pitiful state of today’s pathetically shrunken military budget and grossly accelerated operational tempo, the Corps can’t afford to give their soon-to-be-real lieutenants more than twenty rounds apiece without dangerously shortchanging forward-deployed Marines! Meanwhile, Clinton seems to think it is fine to give billions to Boris Yeltsin’s Russian kleptocracy and congress seems to consider funding day care centers for unwed military mothers and other politically correct bullshit to be a higher priority. May God help us in any coming wars….(Editor’s note: At this point, the author goes off on a political rant that we decided to spare the readers, who will probably agree with Robert, but we HAD to keep his admonition regarding training ammunition budgets intact- Dan ) Everybody got some pretty spectacular 1991 production Lake City stuff. Each belt featured a regular series of four rounds of M8 API (armor piercing incendiary) plus one M20 APIT (armor piercing incendiary tracer) strung out on M9 metallic links. The M8 is a real crowd pleaser because it produces a very bright flash on impact, giving the gun crew unmistakable evidence of where the rounds are hitting. It also does a particularly nasty bit of work on lightly armored enemy vehicles such as the Soviet BMP and the troops inside.

Listen Up, Sir!

A short walk down the hill brought them to the .50 cal. station, where they gathered in front of Sergeant McKeever who gave them a quick set of do’s and don’t’s. You know the drill: “Welcome to the M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun station where you will have the opportunity to engage targets at extreme range,” McKeever began with well-practiced professionalism. His five minute refresher course succinctly covered the process of using the rear sight to “dial in” estimated range, then firing short bursts to observe the strike of cartridges in the beaten zone. “Remember your WERM formula exercises (Width Equals Range times Mils),” McKeever sagely offered, helpfully adding that each click of the “T&E” (traversing and elevating mechanism) only moves the gun’s aimpoint one mil (roughly one meter up/down/left/right for each thousand meters of range). Initial manipulation of the T&E, he coached, was best done in increments of five or more clicks with the loader/observer for each two man team specifying how many clicks to the gunner. Noting that the ammunition they had been given consisted of strings of four incendiary rounds followed by a tracer, McKeever took pains to caution them that they should not rely on the apparent path taken by tracers as this gets deceptive at relatively long range. “Watch the dust and flash from your burst,” he cautioned, “that’s where most of the steel is hitting.” Sergeant McKeever concluded his rapid fire refresher with two time-honored and obligatory phrases: “DON’T DO ANYTHING until you are told to. Any questions?” He broke the group down into pairs and put the first set on the ground behind six guns ready on the firing line, then led them step by step through loading drill. The most amusing aspect of this came at the point when feed covers were slammed down to lock and it became necessary to retract the bolt. This is a man’s job, requiring a hefty jerk of the retracting slide handle to not only overcome tension of the gun’s beefy recoil spring, but also to pull the first round out of its snug metal link. Amusingly, more than one lieutenant (probably headed for staff duty) wasn’t able to do this without a struggle. Finally, satisfied that everybody was ready, Sergeant McKeever gave the order to commence firing.

Despite McKeever’s broad hint that it might be far more efficient to first lift the very precise leaf rear sight and adjust range before firing, many of the gunners seemed content to use only the battlesight aperture, with its fixed range at about 500 yards. The guns boomed to life in fits and starts as each two man crew got their first fifty cal. experience, immediately drawing appreciative comments from those behind who were awaiting their turn. Ma Deuce is a two-fisted handful of machine gun and her noise, dust, range and hitting power combine for an awesome experience. Even those who had just come from the 40mm grenade machine gun station were impressed by the M2’s earplug-packing blast and the graceful flight of tracers followed by eruptions of flash, dust and smoke near the derelict tanks and other vehicle targets set on a ridgeline some 1000 meters away. Trying hard to remember which way to turn the T&E handwheels for the desired correction (the elevating handwheel is turned counterclockwise to raise the muzzle and putting the left thumb on the traversing handwheel and pushing it over the top moves the muzzle to the right), each crew did its best to adjust their gun so that successive bursts would walk closer and closer to the target. It doesn’t take long for each to go through his pitiful 20 rounds, and I don’t doubt that many would have pulled out their wallets to buy more M2 time if an ammo dealer had been there. (I hope I haven’t just given SecDef Cohen any ideas) Loader/observers and gunners switched places and went through the same exercise with essentially the same results. After the second set of Marine officers had their turn I was treated to an amazing sight as they all bent over and started to police up their own brass and links! Is it rude to speculate that this will probably be the only time in the rest of their service with the Corps when this will happen?

Combat Arms Track

To be fair, the Basic School curriculum is not designed to turn out fully trained Marine infantry officers, but in this case to give new lieutenants who will be going to any specialty of the Corps — including supply, administration, medical and even legal assignments — a brief introduction to combat weaponry from pistols to antitank rocket launchers. You had best believe that there is a lot more hands on time with all of the Corps’ small arms and other weaponry in store for those officers and enlisted Marines who will be assigned to the infantry and other direct combat specialties.

As tough and capable as the M2HB was and is, it can also be quite cantankerous and very picky about its mechanism. This is no weapon for those who are indifferent to maintenance or unskilled in mechanical principles. Not even John Browning could make her “idiot proof” and woe unto those who stupidly neglect to keep her clean and oiled, and who don’t regularly attend to the twin bogeymen known as headspace and timing. So, Browning made these fully adjustable in order that barrels, receivers and their working parts from many different sources could be made to work safely and efficiently. To help make sure these adjustments are precisely made anytime and anywhere, Uncle Sam provides a handy and indispensable tool with every gun. Not surprisingly, this is called the Headspace and Timing Gauge and it’s the key to avoiding a world of hurt.

Failure to properly set headspace and timing can lead to severe damage to the gun as recoiling parts batter against one another or lead to blown and separated cases with catastrophic results including having the gun literally explode in your face! Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the following series of photos demonstrating just exactly how these adjustments are correctly done.

Field Stripping

The M2 must, of course, be taken apart for a thorough cleaning after firing. This is no big deal since the major groups are big and easy to grab hold of and John Browning made sure that you would be able to do this with no special tools. Two very important considerations before stripping begins are to clear the gun and to make sure the bolt is fully forward. The reason for the first should be obvious, but the second ensures that the powerful driving spring rod assembly is decompressed and won’t fly out and drill a hole in your skull when removing the backplate. Don’t let your widow say I didn’t warn you.

While we take Ma Deuce apart for mandatory maintenance, let’s also examine her vital organs and marvel at the mechanical genius of John Browning.

A: The first step is always to unload and clear the gun. Raise the feed cover, retract the bolt, ensure the chamber is clear then allow the bolt to run fully forward.

B: Unscrewing the barrel requires that the barrel locking spring lug be aligned with the 3/8 in. hole in right sideplate. This is usually accomplished by placing a small link loop between the trunnion and the front of the barrel extension. However, with this particular gun, it was necessary to use the large loop. Go figure….

C: The barrel can now be unscrewed either by hand or with the help of the handy built-in wrench in the barrel carrier assembly. Notice how the barrel flares out larger just forward of the chamber providing more metal mass as a heat sink for sustained firing.

D: A side view of the backplate shows the sheet metal clip around the buffer tube sleeve that serves as the bolt latch release lock. This can be rotated up to hold the bolt latch release (center trigger between wings of the “butterfly” main trigger.

E & F: MAKE SURE THE BOLT IS FULLY FORWARD before removing the backplate. This relaxes the very powerful driving spring rod assembly so that it won’t punch a hole in you when unseated. Unlatch the backplate and lift it up and out.

G: Remove the driving spring rod by pushing in and to left, then pull the whole driving spring assembly out the rear of the receiver. This powerful mechanism drives the bolt and other recoiling parts forward to lock and fire.

H, I & J: Begin removing the bolt by first yanking the retracting slide handle rearward to free the bolt from the barrel extension. Continue pulling rearward until the bolt stud lines up with the hole on right of sideplate, allowing it to be pulled out.

K: The trigger bar is in the way of the bolt and must be pushed up as the bolt is slid rearward and out of the receiver.

L: Take care to grasp the extractor so it won’t become unseated as the bolt clears the receiver wall. Place the bolt down on its right side with the extractor up.

M & N: Begin to remove the barrel buffer and barrel extension groups by pushing a suitable small tool thru the hole in the lower rear corner of the right sideplate to unlock barrel buffer body. There’s a drift pin on the combo tool just for this purpose, but the screw end of a cleaning rod or point of a bullet works just fine. At same time, use one hand in the receiver to push the barrel extension/buffer group to the rear and remove. Keep in mind that in operation, this assembly plus the bolt and barrel are locked together on firing then recoil a short distance before unlocking. There is a lot of steel there for recoil forces of each exploding round to move.

O & P: Unlock and separate the groups by pushing the tips of the accelerator.

Q: Layout of major parts and assemblies after field stripping (top to bottom, left to right): receiver group with pintle and T&E attached, backplate, driving spring rod assembly, bolt stud, bolt, dummy cartridge, barrel buffer, barrel extension, and barrel assembly.

All Clear!

Making sure the M2 is clear after a firing session can be a bit tricky as well, particularly with a very hot gun and rounds remaining in the belt. This can lead to “cookoff” which can occur when a chambered round in an overheated barrel spontaneously detonates. It is wise to point the gun in a safe direction and allow it to thoroughly cool before attempting to unload, or use the bolt latch release lock to capture the bolt in its rear position for free circulation of air through the barrel. The first step is to unlock the feed cover and lift the belt out of the feedway. Since the gun will fire with the feed cover up it is important to keep away from the trigger butterfly until the bolt can be retracted. The gunner then pulls the bolt fully to the rear which should extract the chambered round and cause it to drop harmlessly onto the ground. The bolt can be locked rearward with the bolt latch, allowing examination of the chamber to ensure it is clear.

Part One: Developmental History and Combat Use from WWII to Vietnam

Affectionately known to generations of American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines as “Ma Deuce,” John Moses Browning’s .50 caliber machine gun entered U.S. service in 1921 and is still going strong. Although too heavy for most bootbourne infantry operations, the big, bad M2’s devastating firepower, extreme range and legendary reliability under the worst conditions make it a favorite for ground defensive positions, vehicle, aircraft, and antiaircraft mountings. Now, at the ripe old age of 78, “Grandma Deuce” is still kicking butt worldwide and is likely to remain in first line American military service well into the 21st century. Go Granny, Go!

Introduction

In this, the first of two installments, we will examine the circumstances leading to John Browning’s development of his extraordinary .50 caliber heavy machine gun during World War One. Then, we will follow its refinement and evolution into a versatile and highly capable system including the watercooled and aircooled versions that played a key role in winning World War Two. Part one concludes with a brief look at “Ma Deuce” in Korea and Vietnam.

The Great War

Browning’s big fifty was developed in urgent response to some remarkable technological advances during World War One. “The Great War,” as it was known at the time, began in 1914 and soon mired down into parallel trench lines stretching hundreds of miles across Western Europe. In the four unimaginably horrible years following, increasingly sophisticated bomber and fighter aircraft of both sides flew high above the miserable and filthy infantry. Well beyond the range of rifle caliber machineguns and poorly aimed AA cannon fire, these airborne raiders rained havoc on the trenches and on support and supply activities in rear areas. Early on, the clever and industrious Germans adapted their Zeppelin dirigible airships into floating fortresses and began nightly bombing attacks on the allied capital cities of Paris and London. These torpedo shaped armored dreadnoughts of the sky were so heavily equipped with machine guns that allied pursuit fighters had virtually no chance of shooting them down. Many valiant French and British fighter pilots whose own rifle caliber guns with ordinary bullets proved no match for concentrated firepower from the “beastly Hun”, spiraled down thousands of feet in flaming coffins.

Observation balloons, actually an innovation of the American Civil War of the 1860’s, were also used by both sides. Tethered a couple of miles behind the front lines, they lifted artillery forward observers to vantage points high above the battlefield, giving them the ability to direct murderous barrages with pinpoint accuracy. Out of range of most ground based guns and always well protected by large numbers of antiaircraft machineguns and cannon, these stationary gasbags taunted their victims while remaining largely immune to retaliation.

But the German’s had an achilles heel in both their Zeppelins and observation balloons. Highly flammable hydrogen gas was the lifting agent and once ignited by even the smallest spark, they would be almost instantly engulfed in flames. But, how to deliver that fatal spark at a great and comparatively safe distance?

The French were the first with a partial remedy, hastily fielded in early 1917. Made with practical expediency by beefing up the 8mm Mle 1914 Hotchkiss guns to handle an 11mm incendiary cartridge of somewhat increased range, it soon became known as the “Balloon Gun.” The British immediately followed suit by adapting their highly efficient Vickers gun — mounted in pairs on fighter planes and synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller —to fire this acceptably effective incendiary cartridge. The tables were turned and now German Zeppelin crews and balloon observers were the ones plunging to a fiery death.

Despite its immediate success, the 11mm “balloon gun” round was still not sufficiently powerful for really effective long range antiaircraft work. But, while allied experimentation continued, it was the Germans who were now most anxious to have a bigger bullet and a way to fire lots of them as fast as possible. This anxiety quickly turned to near panic when the allies gave them yet another nasty surprise.

“Tank und Flieger”

The first large scale battle use of allied tanks in World War One came in April 1917 when ten groups of French tanks spearheaded General Nivelle’s Asine Offensive, reportedly catching the Germans completely unprepared. Although slow and awkward, these lightly armored tractors flattened thickets of barbed wire and lumbered right over shell holes and trenches. Their on board machine guns and small caliber cannon wrecked havoc on well dug in German infantry whose 8mm Maxim gun fire bounced harmlessly off the enemy’s tanks.

Adding to German impotence, supporting artillery was unable to provide effective responsive fire against the creeping pillboxes. Already decimated by years of trench warfare and demoralized by the arrival of fresh American troops, the Kaiser’s army was in danger of total collapse unless a way could be found to deal decisively with this grave new threat.

German ingenuity quickly asserted itself in a formidable 13mm (actually 12.7mm or .50 caliber) cartridge made by the Polte firm. With an amazing muzzle velocity of some 2,700 feet per second, its 800 grain armor piercing bullet could slam right through a full inch of steel plate at 50 yards. An early combat test unmistakably proved its capabilities when a single shot pierced both sides of an unlucky English tank!

The Germans had two plans for launching this big and hot new round with the first being a crash program to design and build the “TuF.” Short for “Tank und Flieger” (tank and aircraft), the TuF was essentially a standard MG08 Maxim gun bulked up double in size. It was intended to deal not only with swarms of allied tanks, but also serve as an aircraft and antiaircraft gun capable of reaching out to great distances to deliver deadly doses of lead poisoning. Since it must have been obvious to all concerned that this complicated gun could not be built soon enough, the tried and true 8mm bolt action Mauser 98 rifle was given similar treatment with steel steroids as a quick fix.

By the spring of 1918 the already miserable lives of Allied tank crews inside their hot, stinking and clumsy machines got immeasurably worse when quantities of the 38 pound 13mm Model 1918 “Tankgewehr” (tank rifle) began to be employed. Despite the new rifle’s deadly close range efficiency, it was not enough to turn the tide of war and Germany surrendered on 11 November 1918, months before the first TuF Maxims could be fielded.

.50 Caliber Cartridge

German development of this powerful rifle and cartridge combo had not gone unnoticed by the allies who soon captured quantities of both. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the small arms race had been ratcheted up considerably and that French wonder cartridge — the 11mm Hotchkiss “balloon gun” incendiary round — was way behind the power curve.

As luck would have it, none other than John M. Browning himself had already been at work on a “TuF” of his own since July of 1917. Starting with his .30 caliber M1917 machine gun that had just been adopted by the US Army and Marines, Browning settled back in at the Colt factory and began adapting his short recoil, water cooled bullet hose to handle Winchester’s secret new .50 caliber cartridges.

The Ordnance Department had given Winchester what they probably thought was a straightforward contract that summer to scale up the standard .30-06 caliber rifle and machinegun cartridge to .50 caliber. Specifications called for a projectile weight of 800 grains, muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps, and ability to penetrate a minimum of 1.25 inches of armor plate at 25 yards. Colt had their hands full with a contract to build a gun that would weigh no more than 50 pounds yet reliably and accurately shoot this energetic cartridge at 500 to 600 rpm.

Unfortunately for allied forces in Europe both on the ground and in the air, Browning’s work on the bigger gun was hobbled by problems caused when Winchester engineers took unauthorized liberties with their cartridge contract. Not only did they gave it a prominent rim like that of the French “balloon gun” round, its bullet weight and muzzle velocity were inferior to specifications. Worse yet, they were far inferior to test data on the newly captured German Tankgewehr round. General “Black Jack” Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe, was not amused; he had seen first hand what the big bolt action Mauser Model 1918 rifle could do to his thin skinned tanks and was not about to accept being outgunned.

A Star is Born

For about a year while all of this was going on Browning’s work went steadily forward. The first firing of a freshly assembled preproduction prototype gun took place on 15 October 1918. John Moses himself personally fired nearly 900 of the rimmed and comparatively puny Winchester .50 caliber cartridges including bursts of up to 150 rounds. This date marks, for all practical purposes, the birthday of “Ma Deuce.”

Although demonstrating mechanical success, these water cooled prototype guns were reportedly quite difficult to control despite weighing a hefty 160 pounds including a particularly robust tripod. These problems were compounded when Winchester finally got back on the right ammo track by not only dropping the old fashioned rimmed case, but by putting into production an almost direct copy of the powerful 13mm Tankgewehr/Tuf round.

In turn, Browning’s immediate efforts went into redesigning the boltface and ammo feed system — back to that of his original M1917 gun which quite handily ingested and fired rimmed .30-06 ammo. The second and certainly most vexing challenge was in reducing the overall weight of his gun while efficiently handling the hot 12.7mm German/ American cartridge with its much greater chamber pressure and recoil impulse.

Although the urgency of fielding this big new machinegun evaporated when Germany surrendered, Browning continued work on his “Fifty.” One obvious external change was tossing out the little M1917 style pistol grip in favor of a two fisted pair of spade grip handles. While this helped with aiming during full auto fire, most of the controllability problems were conquered by his design of a clever oil filled buffer. This served essentially as a hydraulic shock absorber, smoothing out the sharply recoiling bolt.

The oil buffer allowed Browning to significantly reduce the overall weight of both the tripod mount and the receiver — though not anywhere near the Ordnance Department’s physics-defying specification of a fifty pound gun. It also provided the useful option of allowing the gunner to regulate firing speed of the gun to deal with a wide range of tactical situations. This last characteristic would soon prove to be an essential attribute as the basic gun was adapted to many applications on ground, vehicles, boats and planes.

Model 1921

Apparently satisfied with his efforts, Browning returned to his home in Ogden, Utah while Colt’s engineers continued development. Two versions were type classified by the Army as the M1921 Caliber .50; the first a water cooled ground mount gun, and the second with an air cooled barrel for aircraft mounting. Small quantity delivery began in 1925 and, due to postwar “downsizing” of the military and its budget, less than 1000 guns of both types were purchased over the next ten years.

Apparently fascinated by the performance of its powerful new Browning heavy machine guns, the Army undertook a protracted series of experiments and demonstrations with both types of guns in an endless variety of ground and air roles. According to contemporary accounts, this had the practical effect of not only proving the .50 cal’s deadly effectiveness, it also convinced key officers in all branches that many more of these hard-hitting bullet hoses would be needed in the next inevitable war.

Weapon System

The time between wars was also put to good use in continuing refinement of the “Fifty.” While we now take for granted the economy and efficiency of a systems approach to weaponry, many parts for the big gun’s air and ground versions were not readily interchangeable. Under the able direction of former Army Colonel and then Ordnance Dept. engineer S.G. Green, the guns were reworked for common dimensions and adaptability to a standard catalog of various barrels and other components.

One particularly clever innovation was Green’s system for quick conversion to left or right hand feed, facilitating installation in aircraft and multiple gun mounts. Another was beefing up critical parts and reinforcing stress points on the receiver to ensure reliable and continued functioning even under the most abusive sustained combat conditions. Improved ground guns were designated M1921A1 and the aircraft version as M1921E2.

“Ma Deuce”

While water cooling gave the ground gun an amazing capability for sustained fire, its excessive weight and need for expert attention were serious handicaps in infantry and cavalry operations. This was remedied by abandoning the water jacket and fitting a much heavier air cooled barrel that would still allow a volume of fire to meet most combat requirements. After experiments with various diameters and even cooling fins, Colt’s new air cooled ground gun was standardized in 1933 as the Browning Machine Gun, cal. 50 Heavy Barrel, M2, characterized by a gracefully tapered smooth surface 36 inch barrel.

Because the Army’s budget had been devastated by the Great Depression, there was little money to support procurement of the new and improved M2 HB and other .50 cal ground and air models utilizing the same basic M2 receiver. Fortunately the Navy had some money and they stepped in to keep alive further development of the system including refinement of engineering drawings and standardization of manufacturing procedures. By 1940 when it was obvious that America would be compelled to enter what was to become WWII, the whole family of Browning .50 cal guns was ready for mass production by a variety of contractors.

Another World War

The Navy’s paltry $150,000 initial investment paid off big between 1940 and ’45. According to Terry Gander in his indispensable new book BROWNING M2, the mind boggling figure of nearly two million .50 cal Brownings poured out of government arsenals, traditional gunmaking firms, and even hastily converted former automobile parts factories! With very few exceptions, we are told, all of their parts proved fully interchangeable among all M2 series guns regardless of where they were made. This, by itself, is an astonishing accomplishment.

Air cooled M2 “Fifties” in single and multiple mounts served the Navy on its PT boats and in carrier based aircraft, while water cooled M2 guns in dual and quad mounts protected warships from attacking enemy planes. The Army Air Corps used astronomical quantities of the air cooled M2 guns to arm its massive fleets of bombers and fighters. With special lubricants and knowledgeable maintenance, these guns earned an enviable reputation for reliability and effectiveness even in the subzero temperatures of high level bombing runs and the equally hostile salt spray environment of surface ships.
For the land forces of the Army and Marine Corps, John Browning’s heavy machine gun proved its worth beyond a shadow of doubt under the worst imaginable conditions. From the frozen arctic to burning sandswept deserts, from the steaming jungles of the Pacific to the bottomless mud of the Italian campaign, M2 water cooled and M2 heavy barrel guns beat just about anything the enemy had — up to and arguably including 20mm. In ground, antiaircraft and vehicle mountings, Browning’s big Fifties poured a devastating stream of heavy caliber bullets to ranges far in excess of 3000 yards, decisively outperforming German and Japanese rifle caliber machine guns and other readily available weaponry.

Really Heavy Machinegun

Range and muzzle velocity performance of the .50 cal. M2HB that became the standard WWII production model was considerably improved by fitting it with a 45 inch barrel, standardized in 1938. Many of these early guns were also fitted with an T3/M3 3.25 power prismatic telescopic sight to aid with long range shooting. With its previously mentioned receiver reinforcements and this longer barrel this new M2HB tipped the scales at about 84 pounds, and its sturdy M3 tripod added about 44 lbs more. This gives an impressive total of some 128 lbs and that doesn’t count its tools and spares or even one of the heavy 105 round cans of ammunition!

Such a formidably weighty and awkward firepower package requires special tactical consideration and the Army’s standard “leg” infantry battalions grouped Fifties in a heavy weapons company. There, the gun was served by a crew of five; gun commander, gunner, assistant, and two rifleman/ammo carriers.

Even when broken down into major assemblies and distributed among the crew, the whole system presented a considerable burden to these men who were already carrying packs heavy with rations and personal gear. Not surprisingly, it is said that most of the ground mount guns’ combat action was in defensive positions, placed for a commanding view of the terrain and well dug in.

Wheels and Tracks

For many a GI and Marine in WWII the real glory of the M2 Heavy Barrel came as a flexible mount vehicle gun. When carried on everything from tiny jeeps to Sherman tanks, the considerable weight of old “Ma Deuce” was of virtually no consequence compared to her hitting power and extreme range. In ring mounts on cargo trucks, on pedestals in weapons carriers, and in groups of four on halftracks, she shot down strafing enemy fighters and killed legions of enemy infantry long before they could get close enough to bring their own small arms to bear. “Ma” could be a mean old gal to those enemies who were luckless enough to cross her long and wide path.

Korea and Vietnam

Containing the evil intentions of our Communist adversaries has been and continues to be a bloody challenge for America. Scarcely five years after WWII ended, we found ourselves at war again in Korea, this time fighting our former Chinese allies backed by our former Soviet allies. The struggle resumed in Indochina as we tried in vain to keep South Vietnam from being overrun by Communist guerrillas and North Vietnamese regulars — again backed by the Chinese and Soviets. Ma Deuce was always there, but even she couldn’t overcome the lack of political will of our gutless politicians who all but guaranteed that those Americans who fought, were wounded, captured or killed, never really had a chance of winning.

In Part 2 of this in-depth examination of John Browning’s masterpiece we will visit a fine unit of today’s US Marines as they introduce some of the Corps’ newest officers to its oldest infantry weapon. Be there next month on Quantico’s Range 7 to examine how Ma Deuce works, how she is pampered and prepared for action, and how she performs her role as the world’s best heavy machine gun. Don’t miss it!

Homework Assignment

Terry Gander, editor of Jane’s All the World’s Infantry Weapons, has recently produced a fine hardcover book on the .50 cal. The Browning M2 Heavy Machine Gun (PRC Publishing, London, 1999, now available from the Military Book Club) does an excellent job of telling Ma Deuce’s ongoing story in authoritative text and great photos. This is a welcome expansion of two classic works with extensive information on both ground and aircraft Brownings; Konrad Schreier Jr.’s Guide to US Machine Guns (Normount Technical Pubs., Wickenburg, AZ, 1971) and the grandaddy of them all, George Chinn’s The Machine Gun, Vol. 1 (Dept. of the Navy, 1951)

General Data for M2 Heavy Barrel Machine Gun on M3 Tripod

Caliber: .50 inch / 12.7 millimeter
System of Operation: Short recoil. Fully Automatic & single shot
Cooling: Air
Overall Length: 65 inches
Barrel Length: 45 inches
Feed Device: Disintegrating metallic link belt, 100 rounds
Weight: Gun 84 lbs. + Tripod 44 lbs. = 128 pounds
Muzzle Velocity: 3,050 feet per second (2,080 mph)
Maximum Effective Range: 1,800 yards
Maximum Range: 6,800 yards (3.8 miles)
Cyclic Rate of Fire: 500 rounds per minute (8.3 rps)
Sustained Rate of Fire: Up to 40 rounds per minute
Ammunition: Ball, Armor Piercing, Incendiary, Tracer, Specialized

Characteristics of M2 Ball Cartridge:

Overall length 5.45 in.,
Overall Weight 1,813 grains;
Bullet length 2.5 in., wgt. 709.5 gr.;
Powder charge 235 gr. IMR 5010
Penetration (AP M2 at 200 yards): 1 in. armor, 14 in. sand, 28 in. dry clay
Crew: Gunner, Assistant, Ammunition Carrier

About the Author

Robert Bruce is a former infantryman, tank crewman and military intelligence analyst. An internationally published magazine and book author, photo journalist, archivist and lecturer, he has been shooting, evaluating, and writing about the world’s infantry weapons for more than thirty years. Robert is perhaps best known for his book THE M1 DOES MY TALKING! an archive photo history of the famous Garand Rifle, as well as GERMAN AUTOMATIC WEAPONS OF WWII and MACHINE GUNS OF WWI. He also regularly supplied the “Archive Photo of the Month” featurette for the old Machine Gun News and now, as space permits, for Small Arms Review.