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Army Builds New Lightweight .50-Cal Machine Gun
Scout.com ^ | January 2, 2016 | Kris Osborne

Posted on 01/03/2017 11:12:22 AM PST by C19fan

The Army is creating a new, lightweight version of its iconic .50-cal machine gun designed to better enable Soldiers to destroy enemies, protect convoys, mount weapons on vehicles, attack targets on the move and transport between missions. The new weapon, engineered to be 20-to-30 percent lighter than the existing M2, will be made of durable, but lighter weight titanium, Army officials said.

(Excerpt) Read more at scout.com ...


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: army; banglist; guns
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To: ExSES
anyone who has humped the MF around will say HURRAY for any reduction in the weight!!!

You know what they'll do ... They'll shave 20 pounds off the weight of the gun, and then hang 20 pounds of electronic sighting gizmos on it.

21 posted on 01/03/2017 11:49:19 AM PST by NorthMountain (Northmountain)
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To: C19fan

Obama must regret that he won’t have time to get a few of these to ISIS.


22 posted on 01/03/2017 11:49:49 AM PST by keat
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To: C19fan

If you have actually fired one you’d understand why the weight is not such a bad thing. It’s designed for defensive fire and mounting on vehicles. The recoil of the .50 is extremely stout, to say the least. I’m not sure I would want to fire a lightened version.


23 posted on 01/03/2017 11:50:38 AM PST by Seruzawa (All those memories will, be lost, like tears in rain.)
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To: C19fan

When will the civilian version be available?


24 posted on 01/03/2017 11:55:28 AM PST by Obadiah
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To: Seruzawa
Agreed, the heavier the rifle, the more accurate the result.

I learned that in college when I was on the rifle team, smallbore 22's. IIRC, the weight of the rifle was 17 pounds, which presented a challenge in the standing/offhand position.

The M16 felt like a feather at 8 pounds.

25 posted on 01/03/2017 12:01:16 PM PST by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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To: NorthMountain
They'll shave 20 pounds off the weight of the gun, and then hang 20 pounds of electronic sighting gizmos on it.

I hope not, make it light enough for a female soldier to hump it for a few miles. lol

26 posted on 01/03/2017 12:02:45 PM PST by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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To: Obadiah

I HAVE A TITANIUM 500M DIVE WATCH, BIG AND CHUNKY BUT VERY LIGHT, AND IT WON’T RUST. THIS MAY MEAN TRIPOD USE IN INFANTRY SINCE I AM SURE IT BREAKS DOWN SO 2 SOLDIERS CAN CARRY IT ALONG.

I CAN SEE DRONES BENEFITTING FROM THE WEIGHT SAVINGS.


27 posted on 01/03/2017 12:04:19 PM PST by Zenjitsuman (Y)
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To: Obadiah

I HAVE A TITANIUM 500M DIVE WATCH, BIG AND CHUNKY BUT VERY LIGHT, AND IT WON’T RUST. THIS MAY MEAN TRIPOD USE IN INFANTRY SINCE I AM SURE IT BREAKS DOWN SO 2 SOLDIERS CAN CARRY IT ALONG.

I CAN SEE DRONES BENEFITTING FROM THE WEIGHT SAVINGS.


28 posted on 01/03/2017 12:04:41 PM PST by Zenjitsuman (Y)
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To: Snickering Hound

In this case, improve it.

carry two barrels anyway, but with Titanium alloys it will take more rounds to overheat.


29 posted on 01/03/2017 12:06:59 PM PST by MrEdd (MrEdd)
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To: mbynack
"I think I would rather have three of the old M2s than one new titanium version."

Old soldiers don't die. They just get senile. The same kind of sentiments were expressed about their faithful M1903 Springfield when the M1 Garand was introduced.

30 posted on 01/03/2017 12:08:25 PM PST by Buffalo Head (Illegitimi non carborundum)
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To: C19fan

Exactly. An arms manufacturer is grinning very wide.


31 posted on 01/03/2017 12:12:20 PM PST by Organic Panic (Rich White Man Evicts Poor Black Family From Public Housing - MSNBCPBSCNNNYTABC)
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To: C19fan

By cutting the weight of the gun, the infantry robot can be lighter, the robot landing ships can be lighter, and the landing ship transports can be lighter. There’s a cascading, geometric element to the engineering.


32 posted on 01/03/2017 12:13:13 PM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: ExSES

Ma deuce is a moose for sure.


33 posted on 01/03/2017 12:14:52 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: C19fan

The last one they tried sucked.


34 posted on 01/03/2017 12:16:25 PM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: yarddog

How cool would it be to be able to test a machine gun of your own design in your pasture in Hartford, Connecticut today? Let me rephrase that: how many years would you get in the pokey?


35 posted on 01/03/2017 12:18:38 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Seruzawa

Titanium isn’t just lighter.

I can handle much higher temperatures.
And browning .50 calibers get hot.


36 posted on 01/03/2017 12:21:33 PM PST by MrEdd (MrEdd)
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To: C19fan

Women in the Combat Arms.


37 posted on 01/03/2017 12:27:20 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: ExSES

It is a heavy sucker but I never thought of it as a squad weapon. The M60 got to be too much, hence the M249 SAW (a cautionary tale in itself in the development of a new weapon system).

The weight of the .50 ammo itself is daunting. Carrying enough to be useful is a job for several troops. All things considered it is something to be carried or mounted on a tactical vehicle, not on a soldier’s back. Even the titanium version.


38 posted on 01/03/2017 12:29:36 PM PST by SargeK
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To: Seruzawa

Yep. The thing can practically cause a nosebleed from the pressure wave. No way it’ll ever be anything more portable than a crew-served bipod/tripod weapon.

And titanium might be harder than steel, but it’s far more brittle too. Not sure they can make it GI-proof. An accidental drop here and there and you might end up with an expensive paperweight just when you need its firepower.


39 posted on 01/03/2017 12:31:36 PM PST by afsnco
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To: C19fan
The new weapon, engineered to be 20-to-30 percent lighter than the existing M2, will be made of durable, but lighter weight and much more costly titanium, Army officials said.
40 posted on 01/03/2017 12:32:31 PM PST by JimRed (Is it 1776 yet? TERM LIMITS, now and forever! Build the Wall, NOW!)
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