Vickers .50 machine gun
| Vickers .50 machine gun | |
|---|---|
A Vickers .50 machine gun, Polish Army Museum, Warsaw (2006) | |
| Type | Heavy machine gun Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1933–1954 |
| Used by | United Kingdom Ireland |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vickers Enfield |
| Produced | 1933–1938 |
| Variants | Marks I–V See § Variants |
| Specifications (Vickers .5 Mk V) | |
| Mass | 63 lb (29 kg), excluding 10 lb (4.5 kg) cooling water |
| Length | 52.4 in (1,330 mm) |
| Barrel length | 31 in (790 mm) |
| Cartridge | 12.7×81mmSR |
| Calibre | 0.5 in (12.7 mm) |
| Rate of fire | 500–600 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,540 ft/s (770 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range |
|
| Feed system | Belt |
The Vickers .5 inch machine gun (officially "Gun, Machine, Vickers, .5-in") also known as the Vickers .50 was a large-calibre British automatic weapon. The gun was commonly used as a close-in anti-aircraft weapon on Royal Navy and Allied ships, typically in a four-gun mounting (UK) or two-gun mounting (Dutch), as well as tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles. It was similar to the .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun but fired the enlarged calibre British Vickers 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) ammunition; this round was shorter in length than the American .50 BMG (12.7×99mm).