Winner and still Champion....

[bekosh]

MA DEUCE!

XM307 cancelled!
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m307.htm

To meet upcoming challenges while addressing budget constraints, in January 2007 the Army directed adjustments to the current Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. These adjustments during the ?08-13 POM included halting work on the XM-307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon. The FY2009 budget request included no funding for the XM307.

and...
http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2008/01-January/17-Jan-2008/FBO-01485891.htm

DESC: Proposed contract is Solicited as a Full and Open Competitive procurement with a 20% Small Business Set-Aside utilizing best value criteria. The item to procure is the M2 .50 Caliber Flex Machine Gun (MG), NSN 1005-00-322-9715, Part Number 8401 485, in accordance with TDPL Number 8401485. Solicitation will result in the award of up to two Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts with four ordering periods. Guaranteed minimum requirements are approximately 3,200 each M2 Machine G uns with a potential contract maximum quantity of 40,000 each.

Fancy, smancy new kid on the block gets canceled. The venerable, reliable old girl soldiers on in her 8th decade of service.

Sometimes a designer will get it so right that you just can't improve on it.

 

[Windykid]

Re: Winner and still Champion....

M2 is a great weapon and always has been, but the rate of fire is not up to todays need.

 

[JB]

Re: Winner and still Champion....

John Browning was certainly the premier gun designer of all time, but he has been dead a long time.

Sooner or later some group of engineers find a way to make a better weapon.

Better weapons are needed than the M2, BAR, M1911, etc. Were Browning alive today he would agree.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Winner and still Champion....

My favorite mount for that used to be on an 88 retreiver that was assigned to my platoon. It would swivel in any direction so..... you could write your name with it!

I think the rate of fire is just fine for a single barrel...... need faster go vulcan!

 

[JMRuth72]

Re: Winner and still Champion....

When I was shipboard I got to fire the Ma Duece on more than a few occasions and while I was Duty Gunners Mate I also got to teach people how to clean and use it. Fixed two with a ball point pin while on their mounts one day. They said you had to take it off of this particular mount to pull the bolt out, ha ha wrong answer. The GM that cleaned them accidently had put the feed selector back set to the wrong side. Took about 10 minutes to fix them both. God I loved that weapon...

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Winner and still Champion....

Local gun shop has one for sale. They say it can be had with only a 4473.

The package includes "M2HB itself, with pristine condition GI barrel, a matching spare GI Barrel, excellent condition GI internals, both an M3 Tripod(pictured here with ORF 1919A4, also for sale at $1175) and GI Jeep/HMMVW Mount, Traverse/Elevation Mount, M23 Cradle, Pintle, Pronged FH, M7 Linker/Delinker, Steel Hand Crank, and most importantly, the mother lode of Half inch ammunition, 2500 Rounds of Recent production, Belted Ball, APIT and Tracer! "

All for only $24,000.

 

[JMRuth72]

Re: Winner and still Champion....

UGH!!! What I wouldn't give to have that money!!!! I miss getting to "play" with that weapon.

 

[turfman]

Re: Winner and still Champion....

John Browning was certainly the premier gun designer of all time, but he has been dead a long time.

Sooner or later some group of engineers find a way to make a better weapon.

Better weapons are needed than the M2, BAR, M1911, etc. Were Browning alive today he would agree.

Well they've been trying to for almost 90yrs. When I first went into the corps we were issued m9's; that lasted a week; we were then re issued nam vintage 1911's, only to be replaced by newer ones. Had humvees with m60's and Saw's on them; during the first gulf war these were swaped out for the 1919 and m2.

I'd like to also say that I''m a gunsmith part time; some of the Browning designs can't be modified to any extent without having to redesign or rethink his systems. He was a brilliant man in gun design.

What works works.

BTW: I have three dogs named: John; Moses; and Browning.