M2 50 cal (TC 3-22.50)

Characteristics

Air cooled, recoil operated, belt fed, crew served, heavy machine gun, can be fired in single shot or automatic, is right or left hand fed, and fires from the closed bolt position

Barrel Length

47inches

Barrel Weight

26 lbs

M3 Tripod Weight

44 lbs

Reciever Weight

58 lbs

Total System Weight

128 lbs

Total System Length

67 inches

Mk 93 Cradle

30.2 lbs

Max Range

7,400 yards or 6767 meters

Max Effective Range Area

2,000 yards or 1,830 meters

Max Effective Range Point

1,500 meters

Tracer Burnout

900 meters

Grazing Fire

700 meters

Sustained Rate of Fire

40 or less rpm, 6 - 9 round burst, 10 - 15 pause, barrel change every firing session

Rapid Rate of Fire

40 or more rpm, 6 - 9 round burst, 5 - 10 pause, barrel change every hour

Cyclic Rate of Fire

450 - 600 rpm, long continuous burst, barrel change every 30 minutes

Condition 4

Cover closed, no round on feed way, no round in chamber, bolt forward, weapon on safe and single shot

Condition 3

Cover Closed, rounds on feed way, 1st round held by belt holding pawl, no round in chamber, bolt forward, weapon on safe

Condition 2

Cover closed, round on feed way, 1st round against the cartridge stop grasped by extractor assembly, no round in chamber, bolt forward, weapon on safe, half load

Condition 1

Cover closed, rounds on feed way, round in chamber, bolt forward, weapon on safe, full load

Rifling

1 uniform right hand twist every 15", 8 lands and grooves

Muzzle Velocity

3,050 fps

Muzzle Velocity Slap Round

4,000 fps

4 ways to determine Hot or Cold Barrel

Fired 150 rounds in less than 2 minutes,
VC determined hot barrel,
Fired long continuous burst,
Deemed hot barrel in the last 15 minutes