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The M2 Machine Gun, or Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun is a heavy machine gun designed just after World War I by John Browning. It is nicknamed Ma Deuce by US troops or simply called fifty caliber machine gun. The design has had many specific designations- the official designation for the infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Heavy Barrel, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. The Browning .50 machine gun was used extensively as a vehicle weapon and for aircraft armament by the United States from the 1920s to the present day. It was heavily used during World War II, Korean War, the Vietnam Conflict, as well as during operations in Iraq in the 1990s and 2000s. It is the primary heavy machine gun of NATO countries, and has been used by many other countries. It is still in use today. It was very similar in design to the smaller Browning Model 1919 machine gun .30-06 Springfield. Type Fully-automatic machine gun Caliber .50 in (12.7 mm) Ammunition .50 BMG Feed system Belt-fed Action Recoil-operated, short recoil Length 1,650 mm (65 in) Barrel length 1,140 mm (44 7/8 in) Weight 38 kg (58 kg w/ tripod) Rate of fire 550 round/min Muzzle velocity 3,050 ft/s (930 m/s) Effective range 2,000 m (2200 yards) (from Wikipedia)
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