| Vickers .50 machine gun | |
|---|---|
 A Vickers .50 machine gun, Polish Army Museum, Warsaw | |
| Type |
Machine gun Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin |
 United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1932-? |
| Used by |
United Kingdom Ireland |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Variants | Marks I - V[1] |
| Specifications (Vickers .5 Mk V) | |
| Mass | 63 pounds (29 kg) (includes 10 pounds (4.5 kg) cooling water) |
| Length | 52.4 inches (1,330 mm) |
| Barrel length | 31 inches (790 mm) |
|
| |
| Cartridge | 12.7 x 81 mm |
| Calibre | 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) |
| Rate of fire | 500-600 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,540 feet per second (770 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range |
Altitude : 9,500 feet (2,900 m) Range: 4,265 yards (3,900 m) |
| Feed system | belt |
The Vickers .50 machine gun, also known as the 'Vickers .50' was basically the same as the .303 inches (7.70 mm) Vickers machine gun but scaled up to use a larger calibre 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) round.
Mark I[]
Mark I was the development model.
Mark II, IV and V[]
Mark II entered service in 1933 and was mounted in some British tanks. Marks IV and V were improved versions and were also used mounted on trucks in the North Africa Campaign. It was superseded for use in armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) during World War II by the 15 mm (0.59 in) Besa.[2]
Mark III[]
Mark III was a naval version used as an anti-aircraft weapon, mostly by the Royal Navy and allied navies in World War II, typically in mountings of 4 guns. It proved insufficiently powerful in the short-range anti-aircraft role against modern all-metal aircraft and was superseded during World War II by the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The naval quad mount featured a 200 round magazine per barrel, with a maximum rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute, per gun.[3] The four-barrel mounting had its guns adjusted to provide a spread of fire, amounting to 60 feet wide and 50 feet high at 1,000 yards (15–18 m at 915 m).[2] The belts were wrapped around large drums which carried 200 rounds per gun. Vickers claimed that it could fire all 800 rounds in 20 seconds and could then be reloaded in a further 30 seconds.[2]
During the Second World War it was also mounted on power-operated turrets in smaller watercraft such as Motor Gun Boats and Motor Torpedo Boats.
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ i.e. Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after World War II.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Williams, Anthony G. "THE .5" VICKERS GUNS AND AMMUNITION". www.quarry.nildram.co.uk. http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/Vickers.html. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ↑ DiGiulian.
References[]
- The Vickers Machine Gun
- Tony DiGiulian, British 0.50"/62 (12.7 mm) Mark III
- Anthony G Williams, THE .5" VICKERS GUNS AND AMMUNITION
- Machine Guns
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vickers .50 machine gun. |
- War Office, UK, Tank Training, Vol II Part III, Pamphlet No. 3. .5 inch Vickers Machine Guns Marks IV and II. 1936 from Google docs
- War Office, UK, Tank Training, Vol II Part III, Pamphlet No. 5. .5 inch Vickers Machine Gun Mark V. 1937 from Google docs
- War Office, UK, Machine Gun Handbook (Technical) Volume I, Pamphlet No. 1. Vickers .303-in. and .5-in. Machine Guns and Appurtenances. 1940 from Google docs
- LRDG -- WEAPONS
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The original article can be found at Vickers .50 machine gun and the edit history here.