[C19fan]

Titanium??? I wonder how much this version costs vs. the traditional .50 cal.

[rickomatic]

Sounds like a great idea. Any word on when we can expect to see old parts kits at Cheaper than Dirt? :)

[Snickering Hound]

If it ain't broke, don't 'improve' it.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Of course this 50 cal is for shooting Equipment Only!

[mbynack]

I think I would rather have three of the old M2s than one new titanium version.

[yarddog]

[Pontiac]

Titanium??? I wonder how much this version costs vs. the traditional .50 cal.

I have no idea but I checked the spot market on Ferro Titanium and found that Titanium prices have be on a steady decline. Price is down to $3.65/Kg from $5.00/Kg a year ago and $8.00/Kg 5 years ago.

So in my judgement this is a great idea and I would not be surprised to find that this is the coming trend. I think it would be it especially good idea for aircraft guns. Imagine the benefit of changing out the canon in the A10 with titanium barrels. You might get an extra hour loiter time.

[ThePatriotsFlag]

(I picked up and held my first Uzi over Christmas. I could not believe the WEIGHT for such a small gun, I though it would weigh half that (and this was without ammo)). I can’t imagine what a gun this size would weigh, even made from titanium.

[ExSES]

Great weapon..., but anyone who has humped the MF around will say HURRAY for any reduction in the weight!!!

[Delta 21]

26 pounds is a negligible weight consideration. Titanium construction is intriguing.

[petro45acp]

Hmmm 20-30% lighter. Some of the battlefield accuracy comes from the weight of that platform. Wonder if the “beaten zone” will get larger.

KYPD

[keat]

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

[Seruzawa]

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.

[Obadiah]

When will the civilian version be available?

[Organic Panic]

Exactly. An arms manufacturer is grinning very wide.

[Born to Conserve]

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.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

The last one they tried sucked.

[blueunicorn6]

Women in the Combat Arms.

[JimRed]

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.

[lavaroise]

Ah, if only CMP could sell this surplus back to us...

[doorgunner69]

Was reading in American Rifleman about the guns of Pearl Harbor and they mentioned the .50 variant meant for aircraft use. I believe that was what we used on our CH-46 for doorgunners. AR seemed to imply is was a different gun than the M2, while we thought it just had a lighter barrel.

You could quite easily sling it over your shoulder and walk around with it, no way could most do that with the ground version.