Anyone on this forum ever fire a .50 cal MG?

I had the chance recently, to go fire one at a range in San Antonio. I felt as if I was going to lose my teeth.

 

I have had the opportunity to fire the M-2 Browning from a ground mount (tripod), a ring mount (on a 2 1/2 ton truck) and from the cupola position on the M-1 tank. Also have fired the M-85 .50 MG from the cupola of the M-60 tank (hence, my nom de guerre). I much prefer the M-2 Browning to the M-85, which is a "piece of crap" and probably why the Army went back to the M-2 on the Abrams series of tanks. A great feeling, isn't it?

Ed Bohne

[This message has been edited by M60A1 (edited 03 January 2001).]

 

I fired the m2 version also. I have fired it from the cupola of an armored vehicle as well as from a tripod, also fired in night and daytime, using tracers at night. we set the fields on fire with our tracers...mighty cool. main problem was cocking the gun, it took quite some strength.I have also fired the 25mm rapid fire canon, mounted in a turret on an armored vehicle YPR (bradley) and many many more guns (LAW, Carl Gustav 82mm AT grenade launcher, MAG machinegun, fn para, m60, m249, HKMP5, M16, Diemaco c7, FAL(including rifle grenade), AK47, m1 Garand, m1 Carbine, Uzi, browning 9mm, magnum .357 revolver, glock 17, Steyr Mannlicher sniper Rifle, several types of handgrenades and a few more.... handy, being a 1st Sergeant in the infantry

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*** We shall not retreat, nor shall we surrender. If we cannot stay here alive, we shall stay here dead***

 

Thanks for your responses. It sure was a feeling of ultimate power, to have a .50 cal between the legs. I dont know how old the .50 cal was, but I tell you, I would sure hate to be on the recieving end.

 

I have, and I know cleaning them could be a B***h.

 

Its a goog thing I only had to pay $20.00 to fire the .50. I would hate to clean the thing.

 

How old do you have to be before you can fire a machinegun? I want to go somewhere and shoot one.

 

Where di you guys get to fire these things?

 

I can't speak for the others, but in my case, it was over a period of 20 years in the US Army.

 

I know of someone who lives in San Antonio, Texas, who owned a Machinegun. On that day, I fired his MG, and paid $20.00 to fire a belt of rounds off. It was an experiance.

 

I went to a shooting range about a year ago and they had machine guns you could rent. It was $50 an hour and you got 2000 rounds. well if you used it on full auto you were done in about two minutes. I didn't shoot it but a guy a few isles down did and it was smoking not the figure of speach. Your ears were ringing for a half hour it was so loud. WOW!

 

The closest i ever came to firing machine guns was shooting an MP-3. My dad is an FBI agent and has along with his pistol an MP-3 to use when he feels it is necessary for it. The thing is very fun to fire...very accurate...and very light. Also a cool thing is at how little recoil there is for such a light gun. The peep sight takes alittle getting used to but that is ok too. On automatic thats when the recoil gets you..it doesn't really hurt...but after 4 shots you are so off from where you originally aimed that it probably pays to re-aim and only fire in bursts of 3. It is a german made gun and is a machine gun pistol (MP) shoots pistol rounds but it looks very intimidating!...but it's very enjoyable to plink cans with and shoot a targets lol

 

Of all the machine guns of World War II, the most intimidating, long range variety had to be the M.2 50. calibre. John Browning built a gun that set the standard in heavy machineguns that, to this day has been copied, but not been improved upon. The aircooled weapons served, both on land, and in the air. The watercooled versions served on navy ships in the early days of the war. Virtually all American aircraft were armed with the 50.calibre machine gun. They were often mounted on half-tracks as a quad mount of guns used in an anti-aircraft and anti-personel role and continued to serve as such in Korea. Their concentrated gunfire often brought to a halt massed North Korean/Chinese assaults on American positions. In the late 1970's tests on captured Russian armored personel carriers showed that the 50. calibre round could still pierce the side armor of these vehicles and production of these guns was resumed for the benefit of the expanding US. armed forces. It continues to soldier on into the 21st century and shows no sign of being "long in the tooth". Your ideas, Gentlemen?

 

A friend of mine who just went into the army, is a .50 cal gunner in an armored unit deploying overseas after Christmas.

He loves his new "toy".

Another good friend of mine who used to be with the HQ Company as a Platoon Sergeant in an armored regiment told me a few funny ones about his units training with the .50.

One time, ther were deployed on manovers with a German unit somewhere in Germany. He said one of his favorite reasons why he liked being on manovers with the Germans is that they always set up the beer tent first.

On this occasion, his Company set up their .50's. They had all ready for combat use that time. Well, apparently, my friend the Platoon Sergeant, was invited by some of the Germans to have some beer with them and of course he went and got smashes.

When he finally got back to his unit, he went to check on the .50s, heard a noise in the woods and fired a long burst from the .50. (Remember he was blind-stinking-drunk)

He then passed out. Next thing he remembered after he was arrested and was sent to the nearest MP facility, was that one of the MPs, had told him what had happened--it turns out that the noise in the woods had been a deer. They had found what was left of one the next morning.

My friends "punishment" was to be sent to the HQ Companies Medical Detachment. He didnt cars as that was his first specialty upon entering the Army.