M2 Browning

Browning machine gun, cal. .50, M2, HB
Browning machine gun, cal. .50, M2, HB
	M2E2 with a quick change barrel and tripod
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1933–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	World War II ; Indonesian National Revolution ; Korean War ; First Indochina War ; Suez Crisis ; 1958 Lebanon crisis ; Cuban Revolution ; Portuguese Colonial War ; Rhodesian Bush War ; Vietnam War ; Laotian Civil War ; Cambodian Civil War ; Colombian Armed Conflict ; Dominican Civil War ; Ethiopian Civil War ; Lebanese Civil War ; Cambodian–Vietnamese War ; Sino-Vietnamese War ; Nicaraguan Revolution ; Falklands War ; Operation Urgent Fury ; Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present) ; Iran-Iraq War ; Operation Just Cause ; Persian Gulf War ; Rwandan Civil War ; Somali Civil War ; Yugoslav Wars ; Operation Uphold Democracy ; War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) ; Iraq War ; Syrian Civil War (2011–present) ; War in Iraq (2013–2017) ; Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) ; Russo-Ukrainian War
Production history
Designer	John M. Browning
Designed	1918
Manufacturer	Active Fabrique Nationale; General Dynamics; Ohio Ordnance Works Inc.; U.S. Ordnance; ; Former Manroy Engineering; Sabre Defence Industries; Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company; High Standard Firearms; Savage Arms Corporation; Buffalo Arms Corporation; General Motors Corporation Frigidaire; AC Spark Plug; Saginaw Steering Gear Division; Brown-Lipe-Chappin Divisions; ; Kelsey Hayes Wheel Company; Springfield Armory; Wayne Pump Company; ERMCO; Ramo Manufacturing; Rock Island Arsenal; ;
Produced	1921–present (M2HB/M2A1)
No. built	3 million
Specifications
Mass	38 kg (84 lb) ; 28 kg (62 lb) (AN/M2); 58 kg (128 lb) with tripod and traverse and elevation mechanism (T&E); 24 lb (11 kg) barrel weight;
Length	1,654 mm (65.1 in) ; 1,429 mm (56.3 in) (AN/M2)
Barrel length	1,143 mm (45.0 in) ; 910 mm (35.8 in) (AN/M2)
Cartridge	.50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO)
Action	Short recoil-operated
Rate of fire	450–600 rounds/min (M2HB); 750–850 rounds/min (AN/M2); 1,200–1,300 rounds/min (AN/M3);
Muzzle velocity	2,910 ft/s (890 m/s) (M33 ball), 78 ft (24 m) from muzzle ; 3,050 ft/s (930 m/s) in manual
Effective firing range	1,800 m (2,000 yd)
Maximum firing range	7,400 m (8,100 yd)
Feed system	Belt-fed (M2 or M9 links)

The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge, the M2 uses Browning's larger and more powerful .50 BMG (12.7 mm) cartridge. The design has had many designations; the official U.S. military designation for the infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It has been used against infantry, light armored vehicles, watercraft, light fortifications, and low-flying aircraft.

The gun has been used extensively as a vehicle weapon and for aircraft armament by the United States since the 1930s. It was heavily used during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Soviet–Afghan War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan. It is the primary heavy machine gun of NATO countries and has been used by many other countries as well. U.S. forces have used the M2 longer than any other firearm except the .45 ACP M1911 pistol, which was also designed by John Browning.

The M2HB (heavy barrel) is manufactured in the U.S. by General Dynamics, Ohio Ordnance Works, U.S. Ordnance, and FN Herstal for sale to the U.S. government and other nations via Foreign Military Sales.