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Browning M2
The Browning M2 (nicknamed "ma deuce," because "she always has the last word") is a belt-fed, short recoil-operated .50 caliber heavy machine gun based directly on the M1918 and M1921 machine guns, themselves scaled-up versions of the Browning M1917 and Browning M1919.
The M2's development dates back to WW1 and the introduction of the all-metal Junkers J.I ground attack aircraft in 1917, which protected its pilot with a steel "bathtub" which was immune to the rifle-caliber weapons mounted by period fighter aircraft. Worried about future developments, General Pershing requested the development of a new machine gun with a caliber not less than .5 inches and a muzzle velocity of at least 2,700 feet per second. John Moses Browning set about redesigning his M1917 machine gun to meet this requirement in 1917, and after a false start working with French 11mm Gras rounds designed for Hotchkiss guns, Winchester set to work scaling up their .30-06 round for the new gun. This was aided significantly by the capture of several German Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr anti-tank guns and their .525 TuF ammunition, which led to an improved final version of the .50 caliber round.
This led to the M1918 prototype and the water-cooled M1921, but this gun was sufficiently troublesome that it was not adopted, only being used experimentally. After Browning's death in 1926, a Dr. S. H. Green picked up where he had left off, redesigning the M1921 in light of the needs of the US military, creating a downward-ejecting common receiver design which could be modified to feed from the left or right (the M1921 could only feed from the left) and even featured a reversible charging handle, with seven different configurations for various uses. Colt began manufacturing water-cooled M2s for anti-aircraft use by the Navy in 1933: shortly afterwards the Army adopted their own air-cooled version, the M2HB (heavy barrel), and the Air Force a faster-firing lightweight air-cooled version, the M2 Aircraft (confusingly also known as the AN/M2, a name also used for an earlier .30 cal machine gun based on the M1919), which was later replaced by the even faster-firing mechanically or electrically-boosted AN/M3 (aka Browning M3) during the Korean War. Later use of the M2HB as a sniper's weapon in Vietnam, particularly by USMC Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, would lead to the development of the Barrett M82.
The M2 is the second longest-serving weapon in the US military's arsenal after the M1911, and is employed by over 60 countries worldwide. It defined the modern use of the term "heavy machine gun" and has so far resisted all attempts to replace it, even replacing its own replacement in the case of the unreliable M85 heavy machine gun, while the later XM307 & XM312 and XM806 failed to enter production (the XM205 tripod developed for these weapons, however, did eventually get adopted as the M205, which is planned to replace the old M3 tripod for the M2 and Mark 19). The only major update to the ground-mounted version since its introduction has been the adoption of the General Dynamics M2E2 as the M2A1 (the export version is called the M2-HCQB) in 2010, with the main change being a fixed headspace quick-change barrel and fixed timing rather than the manually set headspace and timing of the original M2. The M2A1 also has a detachable barrel changing handle, a new slotted flash hider designed to increase the M2's compatibility with night vision optics, a modified bolt, and a manual trigger block safety (the original M2 has no safety, though operators would often make their own by jamming a spent casing under the butterfly triggers). Though the US military has not standardized a weapon called M2A2, several manufacturers market M2 variants under that name, such as US Ordnance (whose M2A2 has a closed-bolt semi-auto mode) and FN Herstal. Many modern guns are also fitted with aftermarket parts such as receiver covers with rail mounts for optics.
In the film industry the M2 Browning has been used in several configurations: the M2HB ground variant, the water-cooled Navy anti-aircraft version, and the lightweight M2 Aircraft. During the Cold War when Soviet equipment was not easily available to Western armorers, it was frequently used as a stand-in for the DShK heavy machine gun, often with mocked-up embellishments to make it a closer visual match. It is also commonly used to create sci-fi heavy weapons in live-action films.
Specifications
(1921-1937 (M1921) 1933 – Present (M2), 2010-present (M2A1))
- Type: Heavy machine gun
- Caliber(s): .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO)
- Weight: 83.78 lb (38 kg) unloaded M2HB, 134 lb (60.8 kg) unloaded M2HB with M3 tripod, 117.78 lb (53.4 kg) unloaded M2HB with M205 tripod, 35 lb (15.9 kg) for 105-round M2 belt box. 28 lbs (12.7 kg) unloaded M2 Aircraft
- Length: 65.2 in (165.6 cm) M2HB, 56.2 in (142.7 cm) M2 Aircraft
- Barrel length(s): 45.0 in (114.3 cm) M2HB, 36 in (91.4 cm) M2 Aircraft
- Capacity: Belt-fed, usually 105 (M2 ammunition can, WW2) or 100 (M2A1 ammunition can, 1950s) round belt box, 200-round "tombstone" drum used with M45 quad, M33 twin and M63 and M3AA single AA mounts
- Fire Modes: Auto only, 450-600 rpm (M2), 750-850 rpm (M2 Aircraft), 1,200-1,300 rpm (AN/M3): semi / auto on US Ordnance M2A2, some semi-auto only civilian conversions exist
The Browning M2 appears in the following movies, TV shows, and video games:
Browning M2 Heavy Barrel
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fighting Seabees | CB recruits | M3 tripod | 1944 | |
| The Story of G.I. Joe | US Army soldier | Mounted on US Army truck | 1945 | |
| A Walk in the Sun | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army half-track | 1945 | |
| Battleground | US Army | 1949 | ||
| The Star (Zvezda) | Soviet soldiers | M45 Quadmount on M17 MGMC | 1949 | |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still | US Army soldier | Mounted on jeep | 1951 | |
| Halls of Montezuma | US Marines | Mounted on LVT-4 Amtrac | 1951 | |
| The Steel Helmet | US Army soldiers | M3 tripod | 1951 | |
| The War of the Worlds | US military personnel | 1953 | ||
| Godzilla (1954) | Japanese Defense Forces | 1954 | ||
| To Hell and Back | Audie Murphy | Himself | Mounted on M4 Sherman tank | 1955 |
| Between Heaven and Hell | US National Guards | mounted on LVT and M3 Half-track | 1956 | |
| 20 Million Miles to Earth | Italian soldier | Mounted in a tank | 1957 | |
| China Gate | French Legionnaires | 1957 | ||
| The Young Lions | Unknown | Allied soldiers | Mounted on a jeep | 1958 |
| The Hunters | Chinese P.L.A. soldiers | Mounted on Chinese P.L.A. half-track | 1958 | |
| When Hell Broke Loose | 1958 | |||
| G.I. Blues | Mounted on M48A1 Patton tanks | 1960 | ||
| Taxi for Tobruk (Un taxi pour Tobrouk) | Mounted on tanks and armoured cars | 1961 | ||
| Reptilicus | Danish soldiers | Mounted on Centurion Mk V and M24 Chaffee tanks, in M45 Quadmount | 1961 | |
| Hell Is for Heroes | Stock Footage of an M2HB mounted on a tank | 1962 | ||
| Merrill's Marauders | US Army | 1962 | ||
| The Four Days of Naples | German troops | Mounted on M47 Patton tanks | 1962 | |
| The Longest Day | German soldiers | In M45 quadmount | 1963 | |
| French Army soldiers | Mounted on M4 Sherman tank | |||
| The Unvanquished (L'Insoumis) | French soldiers | Mounted on M8 Greyhound | 1964 | |
| Casanova '70 | Italian Army soldiers | Mounted on M4 Sherman tank | 1965 | |
| Strike First Freddy (Slå først Frede!) | Poul Bundgaard | Kolick | M45 Quadmount | 1965 |
| Cast a Giant Shadow | Egyptian Army | Mounted on M4 Sherman tank | 1966 | |
| Judith | Syrian Army | Mounted on M4 Sherman tank | 1966 | |
| Is Paris Burning? | Free French Forces soldiers | Mounted on M4 Sherman tanks, M3 Halftrack APCs | 1966 | |
| Tarzan and the Valley of Gold | Vinero's soldiers | Mounted on M3 Halftrack | 1966 | |
| What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? | US Army soldiers | mounted on jeeps, M7 Priest and M45 Quadmount | 1966 | |
| How I Won the War | Musketeers (British soldiers) | Mounted on M24 Chaffee, White M3 Halftrack | 1967 | |
| The Devil's Brigade | US Army soldiers | Mounted on M47 Patton tanks | 1968 | |
| Dark of the Sun | Rod Taylor | Capt. Bruce Curry | 1968 | |
| Jim Brown | Sgt. Ruffo | |||
| Peter Carsten | Capt. Henlein | |||
| The Bridge at Remagen | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army vehicles | 1969 | |
| The Bridge (Most) | German soldiers | Mounted on M3 Scout Car | 1969 | |
| Patton | Clint Ritchie | US Army officer | Mounted on a tank turret | 1970 |
| Godzilla vs. Gigan | JSDF personnel | Mounted on Type 61 tanks and jeeps | 1972 | |
| R.A.S. | French troop | Mounted on armory car | 1973 | |
| Massacre in Rome | German soldiers | 1973 | ||
| The Terrorists | mounted on M3 Scout Car | 1974 | ||
| Raid on Entebbe | Izraeli troops | Mounted on a jeep | 1976 | |
| The Eagle Has Landed | US Army Rangers | Mounted on armored vehicle | 1976 | |
| Illustrious Corpses (Cadaveri eccellenti) | Italian soldiers | Mounted on tanks | 1976 | |
| Power Play | Soldiers | Mounted on M113 APCs and Centurion tanks | 1978 | |
| Apocalypse Now | Frederic Forrest | Jay 'Chef' Hicks | Mounted on Navy PBR | 1979 |
| Sam Bottoms | Lance Johnson | In twin naval mounting on Navy PBR | ||
| Contraband | Mounted on Guardia di Finanza patrol boat | 1980 | ||
| The Fall of Italy (Pad Italije) | The partisans | Mounted on Tank destroyer M18 Hellcat | 1981 | |
| Unfinished Supper (Nezakonchennyy uzhin) | Seen in documentary footage, mounted on M41 tank | 1981 | ||
| A Captain's Honor (L'Honneur d'un capitaine) | French soldiers | Mounted on M8 Greyhound and half-tracks | 1982 | |
| The Outsider (Le Marginal) | Mounted on French patrol boat | 1983 | ||
| Uncommon Valor | mounted on a Laotian patrol boat | 1983 | ||
| The Prize of Peril (Le Prix du danger) | Mounted on M41 Walker Bulldog | 1983 | ||
| The Terminator | Human resistance fighter | With spade grips removed | 1984 | |
| The Return of Godzilla | JSDF personnel | Mounted on Type 74 MBTs | 1984 | |
| Tank | Jenilee Harrison | Sarah | Vehicle-mounted | 1984 |
| Latino | Tony Plana | Ruben | 1985 | |
| Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins | Charles Cioffi | George Grove | 1985 | |
| The Annihilators | Mounted on M48 Patton; Footage | 1985 | ||
| Iron Eagle | Enemy soldiers | Tripod and vehicle-mounted | 1986 | |
| Full Metal Jacket | US Marines | Mounted on M41 Walker Bulldog tanks | 1987 | |
| BAT*21 | NVA | 1988 | ||
| The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | terrorists | mounted on vehicle | 1988 | |
| The Commander | General Dong's soldiers | 1988 | ||
| The Siege of Firebase Gloria | US Marines | Mounted on M3 tripod | 1989 | |
| UHF | unidentified soldiers | Mounted on a jeep | 1989 | |
| Return from the River Kwai | Mounted of Japanese ship | 1989 | ||
| The Handmaid's Tale | Gilead's army | Mounted on armored car | 1990 | |
| Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection | US Coast Guard | Mounted on Coast Guard ship | 1990 | |
| American Ninja 4: The Annihilation | A rebel | 1990 | ||
| Toy Soldiers | Colombian terrorists | Mounted on M3 tripod | 1991 | |
| Terminator 2: Judgement Day | Seen in hidden weapons cache | 1991 | ||
| Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah | JGSDF members | Mounted on Type 74 MBT and Type 82 CCV | 1991 | |
| Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth | JGSDF personnel | Mounted on Type 74 MBT and Type 82 CCV | 1992 | |
| Diên Biên Phú | French Army | 1992 | ||
| Steel Frontier | Mercenaries | 1995 | ||
| Steel Frontier | Joe Lara | Yuma | 1995 | |
| Gamera: Guardian of the Universe | JGSDF personnel | Mounted on Type 74 MBT | 1995 | |
| Mulholland Falls | US Army | Mounted on Jeep | 1996 | |
| Courage Under Fire | Denzel Washington | Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling | Mounted on (fake) M1A1 Abrams | 1996 |
| Courage Under Fire | Tim Ransom | Captain Boylar | Mounted on (fake) M1A1 Abrams | 1996 |
| Courage Under Fire | US Army soldiers | Mounted on (fake) M1A1 Abrams | 1996 | |
| Gamera 2: Attack of Legion | JGSDF personnel | Mounted on Type 74 and Type 90 MBTs | 1996 | |
| Life Is Beautiful | Mounted on M4 Sherman | 1997 | ||
| Seven Years in Tibet | Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers | mounted on Jeeps | 1997 | |
| The Thin Red Line | U.S. sailors | 1998 | ||
| The General's Daughter | . | US Army | Mounted on a Humvee | 1999 |
| April Captains (Capitães de Abril) | Portuguese soldiers | Mounted atop M60 tank and in Panhard AML-60 HE-60-12 | 2000 | |
| Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies | archive footage | 2001 | ||
| Black Hawk Down | US Army Rangers and Somali militiamen | Mounted on humvees and technicals | 2001 | |
| Behind Enemy Lines | Serbian soldiers | Vehicle-mounted | 2001 | |
| Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | mocked-up to resemble a Russian gun | 2001 | ||
| Tremors 3: Back to Perfection | Michael Gross | Burt Gummer | In M45 quadmount | 2001 |
| Die Another Day | Will Yun Lee | Colonel Tan-Sun Moon | Disguised as fictional heavy weapon mounted on North Korean hovercraft | 2002 |
| Warriors (Guerreros) | Spanish soldiers | Mounted on Pegaso BMR APC | 2002 | |
| Warriors (Guerreros) | Serbian soldiers | Tripod-mounted | 2002 | |
| Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla | JGSDF personnel | Mounted on Type 90 MBTs and Type 82 CCVs | 2002 | |
| The Quiet American | French and Gen. The's soldiers | 2002 | ||
| Windtalkers | U.S. Marines | mounted on M4 Sherman tanks | 2002 | |
| The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai | mounted on M1 Abrams | 2003 | ||
| The Core | Mounted on US military vehicles | 2003 | ||
| Cradle 2 the Grave | Ron Yuan | Laser Technician | In twin anti-aircraft mounting | 2003 |
| Cradle 2 the Grave | Anthony Anderson | Tommy | Mounted on (fake) M1A1 Abrams | 2003 |
| Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. | JGSDF personnel | Mounted on Type 90 MBTs and Type 82 CCVs | 2003 | |
| Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 | JGSDF | Vehicle-mounted | 2005 | |
| Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 | Sengoku samurai | 2005 | ||
| Jarhead | US Marines | Mounted on US Marine Corps vehicles, with and without gun shields | 2005 | |
| War of the Worlds | US military personnel | Vehicle-mounted | 2005 | |
| The President's Last Bang | Mounted on South Korean Army M48 tanks; seen in documentary footage | 2005 | ||
| Blood Diamond | Government soldiers | Vehicle-mounted | 2006 | |
| Black Book | Canadian troops | 2006 | ||
| In Her Line of Fire | The rebels | 2006 | ||
| Home of the Brave | US Army soldiers | Mounted on Humvees | 2006 | |
| The Battle of Long Tan | Australian soldiers | Mounted on M113 APC | 2006 | |
| The Kingdom | Saudi military personnel | Vehicle-mounted | 2007 | |
| Dragon Wars: D-War | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army vehicles | 2007 | |
| 28 Weeks Later | US Army soldiers | Tripod and vehicle-mounted | 2007 | |
| Shooter | Mounted on Humvees | 2007 | ||
| The Apocalypse Code | Specnaz troops | 2007 | ||
| Transformers | US military personnel | Mounted on US military vehicles | 2007 | |
| Transformers | Brawl | Twin-mounted on the turret of Brawl's tank form | 2007 | |
| Intimate Enemies | French soldiers | Mounted on M3 Halftracks and Jeeps | 2007 | |
| The Bridge | US soldiers | Quad M51 mounted on M3 Halftrack | 2008 | |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army vehicles | 2008 | |
| The Incredible Hulk | US military personnel | Mounted on US military Humvees | 2008 | |
| Death Race | Mounted on several vehicles in single and twin mountings with gun shields | 2008 | ||
| Crossfire (Les Insoumis) | In the warehouse of weapons | 2008 | ||
| Miracle at St. Anna | Mounted on US Army tank | 2008 | ||
| Rambo | Sylvester Stallone | John Rambo | Mounted on Burmese jeep | 2008 |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | US military personnel | Mounted on US military vehicles | 2009 | |
| Law Abiding Citizen | mounted on a UGV | 2009 | ||
| Spoils of War | 2009 | |||
| Red | Helen Mirren | Victoria | 2010 | |
| Dear John | US Army soldiers | Mounted on Humvees, with and without gun shields | 2010 | |
| Unthinkable | US Army | Mounted on a jeep | 2010 | |
| Kandahar | Taliban fighters | Mounted on a VAB armoured personnel carrier | 2010 | |
| The A-Team | Bradley Cooper | Face | 2010 | |
| The A-Team | mocked up as DShK | 2010 | ||
| The Losers | Holt McCallany | Wade Travis | Mounted on Hummer | 2010 |
| Battle: Los Angeles | Cory Hardrict | Cpl. Jason Lockett | Mounted on Humvee, with gun shield | 2011 |
| Battle: Los Angeles | US Marines | Mounted on tripods, humvees, and M1A1 Abrams tank | 2011 | |
| Contagion | . | Army National Guard | Mounted on humvees | 2011 |
| Memorial Day | . | US Army soldiers | Mounted on Humvee | 2011 |
| Memorial Day | . | US Army soldiers | Quad M51 mounted on M5 Halftrack | 2011 |
| Day of the Falcon (Or noir) | Nasib's oilfield guards | 2011 | ||
| Oba: The Last Samurai | US Marines | Mounted on M3 tripod | 2011 | |
| Super 8 | US Army soldiers | Mounted armored vehicles | 2011 | |
| Hamilton: I nationens intresse | Swedish Coast Rangers | Mounted on patrol boat, with optics | 2012 | |
| Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed | US Army soldiers | Mounted on M3 tripod, M24 Chaffee | 2012 | |
| Taken 2 | 2012 | |||
| Osombie | mounted in Al Qaeda camp | 2012 | ||
| Cockneys vs. Zombies | 2012 | |||
| Red Dawn | Adrianne Palicki | Toni Walsh | 2012 | |
| White House Down | Mercenaries | Leupold HAMR scope | 2013 | |
| Oblivion | Morgan Freeman | Malcom | 2013 | |
| How I Live Now | British Army soldiers | Mounted on a jeep | 2013 | |
| American Sniper | US Marines | Mounted on M113 APC's and M1A1 Abrams tanks | 2014 | |
| Diplomacy | US Army soldiers | 2014 | ||
| Fury (2014) | US Army soldiers | 2014 | ||
| Lousy Bastards | Czech Army troops | Mounted on the armored vehicle Iveco | 2014 | |
| Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials | Barry Pepper | Vince | 2015 | |
| Kilo Two Bravo | British Army soldiers | 2015 | ||
| Godzilla Resurgence | Mounted on Type 10 MBTs | 2016 | ||
| Hacksaw Ridge | US Army soldiers | Mounted on M4 Sherman | 2016 | |
| Hacksaw Ridge | US Army soldiers | Mounted on M5 Halftrack | 2016 | |
| The Siege of Jadotville | Guillaume Canet | Rene Faulques | 2016 | |
| Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | U.S. Army soldiers | 2016 | ||
| Detroit | Michigan Army National Guard | mounted on M41 "Walker Bulldog" tank | 2017 | |
| American Made | M63 anti-aircraft mount | 2017 | ||
| Hold the Dark | Alexander Skarsgård | Vernon Slone | 2018 | |
| US Army soldiers | ||||
| Black Panther | Slavers | 2018 | ||
| Mile 22 | Soldiers | vehicle mounted | 2018 | |
| Bumblebee | mounted on Sector 7 vehicles | 2018 | ||
| Women of Mafia 2 | Polish soldier | mounted on the tank | 2019 | |
| The Irishman | gangsters | 2019 | ||
| Secret in the Mountain | Jeep-mounted; without the spade grips | 2019 | ||
| Sonic the Hedgehog | US Army 10th Mountain Div trooper | Mounted on Humvee | 2020 | |
| The Outpost | U.S. Army soldiers | Mounted on M1114 Humvee | 2020 | |
| The Tomorrow War | Yvonne Strahovski | Colonel Forester | 2021 | |
| Black Widow | US Army soldiers | mounted on the M1 Abrams and Humvees | 2021 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baa Baa Black Sheep | Red West | Sgt. Micklin | . | 1976 - 1978 |
| Eternal Call (Vechnyy zov) - Season 2 | Soviet troops | Mounted on M5 Half-track; Seen in documentary footage | 1983 | |
| Tour of Duty | US Army soldiers | Vehicle-mounted | 1987 - 1989 | |
| The X-Files | Mounted on various military vehicles / "731" (S3E10), "Max" (S4E18) | 1995, 1997 | ||
| Julie Lescaut | French soldier | "Mort d'un petit soldat" (S06E04) | 1997 | |
| Band of Brothers | US Army soldiers | Mounted on Sherman Tanks & Also on Quad-Mount | 2001 | |
| Firefly | Nathan Fillion | Malcolm Reynolds | DShK barrels, twin AA mount, "Serenity" (S01E01) | 2002 |
| Ultimate Force | Ross Kemp | Sgt. Henno Garvie | Mounted on M3 tripod / "Charlie Bravo" | 2002 - 2006 |
| Over There | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army vehicles | 2005 | |
| Over There | Josh Stamberg | Lt. Alex "Underpants" Hunter | Mounted on Humvee | 2005 |
| The Unit | US Army soldiers | Mounted on Humvees | 2006 - 2009 | |
| Criminal Minds - Season 2 | Somali Militiamen | Flashback sequence - mounted on pickup truck 'Technical' / "Distress" (S02E17) | 2007 | |
| The Company | Chris O'Donnell | Jack McAuliffe | 2007 | |
| The Andromeda Strain | . | US Army Soldiers | Mounted on (fake) M1126 Stryker | 2008 |
| The Walking Dead - Season 1 | . | . | Mounted on US Army tank | 2010 |
| Ultimate Weapons | Mounted on Abrams M1A2, Crusher UGCV, Merkava IV MBT, M1128 Mobile Gun System, FH77BW L52 "Archer" Artillery System | 2010 | ||
| Falling Skies | Extras | Resistance fighters | Mounted on Pontiac GTO technical | 2011 |
| Charlie's Angels | mounted on HMMWV | 2011 | ||
| The Promise | British paratroopers | mounted on halftrack | 2011 | |
| Revolution | 2013 | |||
| Falling Skies | Sarah Carter | Maggie | "Be Silent and Come Out" (S3E06) | 2013 |
| Tyrant | Abbudinian soldiers | mounted on M3 Half-tracks | 2014 | |
| Fear the Walking Dead - Season 1 | Jamie McShane | Lt. Moyers | "Cobalt" (S1E05) | 2015 |
| Unknown | U.S. Army Soldiers | "The Dog" (S1E03), "Cobalt" (S1E05) | ||
| The Last Ship | Paul James | PO3 O'Connor | "Fight the Ship" (S2E02) | 2015 |
| Man in the High Castle, The - Season 2 | Imperial Japanese military | "Land O'Smiles" (S2E07), "Detonation" (S2E09) | 2016 | |
| Legion | Mounted on M1A2 Abrams tank | 2017-2019 | ||
| Man in the High Castle, The - Season 3 | GNR guardsmen | "Now More Than Ever, We Care About You" (S3E01), "Sensô Kôi" (S3E03), "Kasumi (Through the Mists)" (S3E08) | 2018 | |
| Magnum P.I. | U.S. Military | 2018- | ||
| Magnum P.I. | U.S. Military | 2019 | ||
| Watchmen (2019 Series) | Seventh Kavalry soldiers | "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice" | 2019 | |
| The Man in the High Castle | American Resistance fighters | 2019 | ||
| Hawaii Five-0 | military personnel | 2019-2020 | ||
| WandaVision | S.W.O.R.D. Agents | mounted on the HMMWVs and RG-33L Cat II MRAPs; "The Series Finale" (S1E09) | 2021 | |
| Loki - Season 1 | US Army Soldier | mounted on the Humvee; archive footage from Avengers: Endgame; "Glorious Purpose" (S1E01) | 2021 | |
| Moon Knight - Season 1 | Arthur Harrow's cultist | Mounted on the pickup; "The Tomb" (S1E04) | 2022 |
Video Games
Videogames often make the mistake of showing the M2 ejecting spent casings out of the side it is not feeding from: in actuality the M2 only ejects belt links this way, with spent casings being ejected from a chute underneath the receiver.
| Game Title | Used By | Appears as | Notes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Crisis II | Mounted on VAB armoured personnel carrier, unusable | 1997 | ||
| Half-Life | 1998 | |||
| Medal of Honor | Simplistic supposed German MG's, resembling the Browning M2 | 1999 | ||
| Steel Beasts | Mounted on US vehicles | 2000 | ||
| Project IGI: I'm Going In | 2000 | |||
| Fallout Tactics | portable | 2001 | ||
| Ghost Recon | 2001 | |||
| Operation Flashpoint | US and Soviet forces | Mounted on US vehicles and on tripod. | 2001 | |
| Time Crisis II | Mounted on VAB armoured personnel carrier, unusable | 2001 | ||
| Conflict: Desert Storm | 2002 | |||
| Medal of Honor: Frontline | 2002 | |||
| Shinobi | Mounted on Type 74 main battle tank | 2002 | ||
| America's Army | US Army | Mounted on M1114 Humvees and powered by CROWS. | 2002 | |
| Battlefield: 1942 | US and U.K. forces | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2002 | |
| 007: Nightfire | Tripod-mounted | 2002 | ||
| IGI 2: Covert Strike | 2003 | |||
| Counter-Strike: Condition Zero | Tripod-mounted | 2004 | ||
| Far Cry | Mercenaries | Vehicle-mounted | 2004 | |
| Call of Duty: United Offensive | US Army | Mounted on Jeeps | 2004 | |
| Counter-Strike: Source | Mounted on Jeeps | 2004 | ||
| Call of Duty: Finest Hour | 2004 | |||
| Battlefield 2 | US and EU forces | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2005 | |
| Close Combat: First to Fight | US and OpFor forces | M2 .50 Cal | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2005 |
| Project Reality | US, E.U. and IDF forces | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2005 | |
| Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth | 2005 | |||
| Vietcong 2 | 2005 | |||
| Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood | 2005 | |||
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter | M2A2 - vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2006 | ||
| Company of Heroes | US forces | Vehicle-mounted | 2006 | |
| Time Crisis IV | Hamlin Battalion and Captain William Rush | Mounted on modified OH-58C Kiowa, modified Humvees, M51 Quad Anti-Aircraft vehicles and usable stationary weapon | 2006 | |
| Call of Duty 3 | 2006 | |||
| Alliance of Valiant Arms | Mounted on MOWAG Piranha, unusable | 2007 | ||
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2007 | ||
| Dead Rising | 2006 | |||
| ArmA: Armed Assault | US and R.E.C. forces | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2007 | |
| World in Conflict | US forces | Mounted on US vehicles and inside bunkers. | 2007 | |
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | US Marines | Mounted on M1A1HA Abrams MBT. | 2007 | |
| Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway | Vehicle-mounted | 2008 | ||
| Call of Duty: World at War | US Navy | Mounted on PBY Catalina | 2008 | |
| Code of Honor 2: Conspiracy Island | terrorists | 2008 | ||
| Far Cry 2 | 2008 | |||
| Mercenaries 2: World in Flames | various | M2A2 - vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2008 | |
| Terrorist Takedown 2: US Navy Seals | mounted on Humvees | 2008 | ||
| Yakuza 2 | 2008 | |||
| Left 4 Dead | Survivors | Tripod-mounted; Available only in the DLC map "The Sacrifice" | 2008, 2010 | |
| ArmA II | US and U.K. forces | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2009, 2010 | |
| Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising | US Marines | Static, turret-mounted on M1A2 Abrams, M1025 Humvee and Desert Patrol Vehicle, coaxially mounted on AAVP7A1 Amtrac | 2009 | |
| Left 4 Dead 2 | Survivors | Tripod-mounted; Available only in the map "Swamp Fever", "The Parish", and in the DLC map "The Sacrifice" | 2009 | |
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine | African rebels | mounted on boats | 2009 | |
| Terminator Salvation | 2009 | |||
| Marines: Modern Urban Combat | Vehicle and tripod-mounted | 2010 | ||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | US Army | Mounted on M1A2 Abrams MBT | 2010 | |
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam | US Army | Mounted on M48 Patton | 2010 | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops | US Marines | Mounted on M113 APC and on PT boat. | 2010 | |
| Medal of Honor | Coalition forces | on Bradley IFV, part of a RWS (Remote Weapon Station) | 2010 | |
| Sniper: Ghost Warrior | 2010 | |||
| 7554 | 2011 | |||
| Battlefield Play4Free | Vehicle-mounted | 2011 | ||
| Battle: Los Angeles | Lee Imlay | Mounted on Humvees | 2011 | |
| Bodycount | African heavy troops | Fictional handheld weapon heavily based on M2 | 2011 | |
| Duke Nukem Forever | Mounted on M1 Abrams tank, unusable | 2011 | ||
| Deus Ex: Human Revolution | UN forces | mounted on M113 APC, unusable | 2011 | |
| Homefront | Mounted on vehicles | 2011 | ||
| Operation Flashpoint: Red River | US Marines | Mounted on M1A1 Abrams MBT | 2011 | |
| NCIS: The Video Game | Mounted on Abrams MBT | 2011 | ||
| Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops | Mounted on fictional APC | 2011 | ||
| Yakuza: Dead Souls | Mounted on JSDF Type 10 Tank | 2011 | ||
| Project Reality: Falklands | Mounted on M3 tripod in machine gun nests | 2012 | ||
| Project Reality: Vietnam | Tripod and vehicle-mounted | 2012 | ||
| Jagged Alliance: Back in Action | Militia | mounted on a jeep | 2012 | |
| Spec Ops: The Line | SFOD-D & Rebels | M2A2 | 2012 | |
| Heroes & Generals | M51 Quad | Mounted on a M51 Quad | 2012 | |
| Black Mesa | USMC | .50 Cal | Mounted on M3 tripod | 2012 |
| ZombiU | Survivors | Machine Gun Turret | 2012 | |
| Ravaged | 2012 | |||
| Arctic Combat | 2012 | |||
| Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance | Mounted in unmanned turrets, on Gekko unmanned vehicles, and on Strykers | 2013 | ||
| Company of Heroes 2 | 2013 | |||
| Time Crisis 5 | VSSE agents and Wild Dog's mercenaries | "Mounted Machine Gun" | Mounted on VSSE-manned chopper and manned turrets | 2014 |
| World of Guns: Gun Disassembly | Browning M2 .50 | Mounted on tripod | 2014 | |
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | "M2 Tombstone" | Shortened barrel, Top-mounted grips, Side bracket for belt box, American flag paintjob | 2016 | |
| Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 | Not usable | 2017 | ||
| Rising Storm 2: Vietnam | tripod mounted | 2017 | ||
| Post Scriptum | Mounted on M3 Halftrack, anachronistic M2A1 variant | 2018 | ||
| Battlefield V | Emplacement with a shield, added in "War of the Pacific" in 2019, built by American faction | 2018 | ||
| Insurgency Sandstorm | M2HB with AA sight, technical mounted | 2018 | ||
| Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts | Not usable | 2019 | ||
| Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 | Not usable | 2021 | ||
| Battlefield 2042 | Mounted on futuristic "M1A5" Abrams and Ripsaw tanks | 2021 | ||
| Enlisted | 2021 |
Anime
| Film Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dream Hunter Rem. Hidden Dream Legend Of The Headless Warrior | Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers | Mounted on JGSDF tanks as Sumitomo M2HB | 1987 |
| Devilman: Demon Bird Sirène | 1990 | ||
| New Dream Hunter Rem: Massacre in the Phantasmic Labyrinth | is seen in the Geppetto base | 1992 | |
| Lupin III: Voyage to Danger | "Shotshell" henchmen | 1993 | |
| Patlabor: The Movie 2 | Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers | Mounted on JGSDF tanks as Sumitomo M2HBs | 1993 |
| 801 T.T.S. Airbats | mounted on the JSDF Type 74 | 1994 | |
| Memories ("Stink Bomb") | mounted on Type 90 Kyū-maru tanks | 1995 | |
| Those Who Hunt Elves | Ritsuko Inoue | mounted on the Type 74, 1 and 2 seasons | 1996 |
| Burn-Up Excess | 1997-1998 | ||
| Spriggan (1998) | Yu Ominae | Tripod-mounted with heatshield / Anti-aircraft sights | 1998 |
| Gosho Aoyama's Collection of Short Stories | Ep. 03 "The Santa Claus of Summer"; Mounted on M1 Abrams | 1999 | |
| Amazing Nurse Nanako | 1999 | ||
| Macross Zero | Mounted on Abrams MBTs | 2002-2004 | |
| The Place Promised in Our Early Days | . | Tripod-mounted | 2004 |
| Ergo Proxy | "Light Beam/Shining Sign" (E08) | 2006 | |
| Flag | . | Mounted on UNF tanks | 2006 |
| The Strange Case Files of Ryoko Yakushiji | Japanese Private Police | Mounted on tank | 2008 |
| The Sky Crawlers | Bomber plane door gunner | . | 2008 |
| Rideback | . | Mounted on GGP HUMVEEs | 2009 |
| King of Thorn | Mounted on HMMWV | 2009 | |
| Demon King Daimao | Ninja | 2010 | |
| Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail | Colombian Mafia | Mounted on an SUV | 2010 |
| Asobi ni Ikuyo: Bombshells from the Sky | . | . | 2010 |
| Strike Witches: The Movie | Twin mount on PT-103-class PT boat, also mounted on M4 Sherman tanks | 2012 | |
| Girls und Panzer | Seen on various vehicles | 2012 - 2013 | |
| Nobunagun | Mounted on M1A2 Abrams | 2014 | |
| Brynhildr in the Darkness | Mounted on Type 96 Armored Personnel Carrieres | 2014 | |
| Captain Earth | Tanegashima Space Center security | 2014 | |
| Vividred Operation | UDF Tank Crewmen | 2013 | |
| Punch Line | mounted on M109 howitzers | 2015 | |
| Girls und Panzer: der Film | Seen on various vehicles | 2015 | |
| JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | Bad Company's tank crewmen | S4E4, "The Nijimura Brothers, Part 2" | 2016 |
| Girls' Last Tour | Ep.01 | 2017 | |
| Otherside Picnic | USMC's Palehorse Battalion | 2021 |
Animation
| Film/TV Show | Voice Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Iron Giant | . | US Army soldiers | Mounted on M41 Walker Bulldog tanks | 1999 |
| Love, Death & Robots - Season 1 | US Marines | mounted on Humvees in "Shape-Shifters" (S1E10); mounted on Boeing B-29 Superfortress in "Alternate Histories" (S1E17) | 2019 | |
| What If...? - Season 1 | US Army Soldiers | Mounted on Humvees; "What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes? (S1E03), "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?" (S1E06) | 2021 | |
| Love, Death & Robots - Season 3 | mounted on post-apocalyptic VW Beetle in "Night of the Mini-Dead" (S3E04) | 2022 |
Browning M2 Aircraft
Lightweight, faster-firing variant designed to be used in "flexible" spade-grip pintle-mount configuration or "fixed" configuration for turrets, wing mounts and gunpods: the latter would typically be fitted with a pneumatic or hydraulic cocking mechanism and solenoid trigger.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Command | Robert Taylor | Ensign Alan Drake | Mounted on Grumman F3F Hellcats | 1940 |
| Wake Island | Mounted on F4F Wildcats | 1942 | ||
| Gung Ho! | Mounted on F4F Wildcats | 1943 | ||
| Air Force | John Garfield | Sgt. Joe Winocki | mounted on B-17 bomber | 1943 |
| The Canterville Ghost | Robert Young | Cuffy Williams | 1943 | |
| The Fighting Seabees | US Navy pilots | Mounted in Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters | 1944 | |
| A Walk in the Sun | US Army soldiers | Quad-mounted on half-track | 1945 | |
| They Were Expendable | US Navy sailors | In twin Naval anti-aircraft mounting on PT boats | 1945 | |
| The Story of G.I. Joe | Robert Mitchum | Lt. Bill Walker | Mounted on truck | 1945 |
| Bezymyannyy Island (Ostrov Bezymyannyy) | Twin AA mounting on Soviet submarine chaser; fitted with flash hiders | 1946 | ||
| Twelve O'Clock High | mounted on B-17 bombers | 1949 | ||
| The Battle of Stalingrad (Stalingradskaya bitva), Part I | Mounted on P-39 Aircobra; documentary footage | 1949 | ||
| Escape from Zahrain | Zahrain air force | Mounted on F-51 Mustang | 1962 | |
| Battle of the Bulge | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army vehicles | 1965 | |
| "Cyclone" Will Begin at Night ("Tsiklon" nachnyotsya nochyu) | Mounted on B-25; seen in documentary footage | 1967 | ||
| The Green Berets | Tripod-mounted | 1968 | ||
| The Bridge at Remagen | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army vehicles | 1969 | |
| Castle Keep | Burt Lancaster | Major Falconer | 1969 | |
| Castle Keep | Patrick O'Neal | Captain Beckman | 1969 | |
| Tora! Tora! Tora! | US Army Air Corps pilots | Mounted in Army Air Corps fighters & B-17 bombers | 1970 | |
| Patton | US Army soldiers | Mounted on US Army vehicles | 1970 | |
| 99 and 44/100% Dead | Chuck Connors | Marvin "Claw" Zuckerman | Mounted on truck, with spade grips | 1974 |
| Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze | Scott Walker | Borden | Mounted on biplane, mocked up to look like a Vickers machine gun | 1975 |
| Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS | Tony Mumolo | Mario | 1975 | |
| German soldier in a guard tower; mounted on M8 Greyhound | ||||
| Sahara | Mounted into the armored car | 1983 | ||
| Code Name: Wild Geese | Charleton's men | Mounted on river boat | 1984 | |
| Commando | Seen on a wall in a hidden weapons vault | 1985 | ||
| Bulletproof | Gary Busey | Frank McBain | Mounted on jeep | 1988 |
| Bulletproof | Henchmen | Mounted on jeep | 1988 | |
| Memphis Belle | US Army Air Force crews | Mounted in B-17 Flying Fortress | 1990 | |
| RoboCop 2 | Gabriel Damon | Hob | With Crew-Served Weapon sight | 1990 |
| Waterworld | "Smokers" | M45 quadmount | 1995 | |
| The Tuskegee Airmen | US Army Air Force pilots | Mounted in B-17 Flying Fortress and P-51 Mustang | 1995 | |
| Midnight Heat | Jeremy Roberts | Scar | On M3 tripod, with spade grips | 1996 |
| The Siege | US Army soldier | Mounted on Humvee | 1998 | |
| Pearl Harbor | Mounted in B-25 Mitchell and P-40 Warhawk | 2001 | ||
| Jurassic Park III | US Marines | Mounted on Amphibious Assault Vehicles | 2001 | |
| Idiocracy | Sentry guns | 2006 | ||
| Rambo | Sylvester Stallone | John Rambo | Mounted on truck and fitted with Barrett M82-style muzzle brake and gun shield | 2008 |
| Rambo | Junta soldiers | Mounted on truck and boats and fitted with Barrett M82-style muzzle brake and gun shield | 2008 | |
| Valkyrie | Mounted on P-40E Kittyhawks | 2008 | ||
| The Expendables | Jason Statham | Lee Christmas | quad-mounted in the nose of the seaplane. | 2010 |
| Red Tails | US Army Air Force pilots | Mounted on P-40 Warhawk & P-51 Mustang fighters & B-17 Flying Fortress bombers | 2012 | |
| I Declare War | w/ Hollywood embellishments | 2012 | ||
| Unbroken | 2014 | |||
| The Monuments Men | Mounted on B-17 Flying Fortress | 2014 | ||
| Kong: Skull Island | Corey Hawkins | Houston Brooks | 2017 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHale's Navy | Mounted on PT73 | 1962 - 1966 | ||
| Tim Conway | Ensign Charles Parker | |||
| Edson Stroll | Virgil Edwards | |||
| Gavin MacLeod | Happy | 1962- 1964 | ||
| Japanese soldiers and sailors | mocked up to resemble Japanese machine guns | 1962-1965 | ||
| Joe Flynn | Capt. Binghamton | "The Captain's Mission" (S1E13) | 1962 | |
| Edward Mallory | Ensign Dennison | "The Ensign Gets a Zero" (S1E16) | 1963 | |
| Joyce Bullifant | Geogianna Comstock | "Today I Am a Man" (S2E7) | 1963 | |
| Joyce Jamison | Kate O'Hara | "Orange Blossoms for McHale" (S2E15) | 1963 | |
| Susan Silo | Babette | "Babette, Go Home" (S2E24) | 1964 | |
| Robert F. Simon | John Burton | "Stars Over Taratupa" (S2E26) | 1964 | |
| John Wright | Willy Moss | "The British Also Have Ensigns" (S3E8) | 1965 | |
| Gary Vinson | George "Christy" Christopher | |||
| Bernard Fox | Sub-Lieutenant Clivedon | |||
| Yoshio Yoda | Fuji | "My Son the Skipper" (S4E24) | 1966 | |
| Rat Patrol | Mounted on jeep | 1966 - 1968 | ||
| Baa Baa Black Sheep | Mounted in F4U Corsairs | 1976 - 1978 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Mods | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | Mounted on PT-20-class motor torpedo boat | 2003 | |
| Call of Duty: United Offensive | Mounted on P-47 Thunderbolts and B-17 "Flying Fortress" | 2004 | |
| Call of Duty: World at War | Mounted on PBY Catalina | 2008 | |
| Wolfenstein | Mounted on B-17 and on fictional airship | 2009 | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops III | Mounted on crashed B-17 "Flying Fortress" | 2015 | |
| Call of Duty: WWII | Mounted on B-17G "Flying Fortress" | 2017 | |
| Ghost Recon Breakpoint | Mounted on Incubus drones in the game | 2019 | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Mounted in B-17 "Flying Fortress" | 2020 | |
| Enlisted | Mounted in various planes | 2021 |
Anime
| Film/TV Show | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orguss 02 | Rivellian gunners | Mounted in three twin turrets on a large flying boat | 1993 |
| The Cockpit | Luftwaffe gunners | Ep. 1 "Slipstream"; mounted in B17 | 1993 |
| JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | Mounted in replica Supermarine Spitfire; S4E12, "Red Hot Chili Pepper, Part 2" | 2016 | |
| In this Corner of the World | Mounted in Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" heavy bombers | 2016 | |
| The Magnificent Kotobuki | 2019 | ||
| Strike Witches: Road to Berlin | Mix of flexible and fixed versions mounted in B-17 bombers | 2020 |
Animation
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Boondocks | Robert Freeman | Mounted on P-51D Mustang fighter | 2005 |
Browning M2 Water Cooled
US Navy version, mostly used in the interwar years. It was obsolete as an AA weapon by the outbreak of WW2, and replaced on a one-to-one or better basis with Oerlikon 20mm Cannons starting in 1941.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Island | Robert Preston | Private Joe Doyle | 1942 | |
| William Bendix | Private Aloysius K. Randall | |||
| US military personnel | ||||
| Tora! Tora! Tora! | US military personnel | Mounted on US Navy vessels, appears to actually be a converted M2 Aircraft | 1970 | |
| Midway | US military personnel | scenes taken from Tora! Tora! Tora! | 1976 | |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Tugboat Crewman | Fitted with side-mounted drum ammo boxes and mounted on tugboat | 2008 | |
| Midway | US military personnel | 2019 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | Mounted on the battleship USS California | 2003 | |
| Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault | Tripod-mounted | 2004 |
Ho-103
Japanese Army development of the M1921E1, significantly scaled down (roughly halfway between the original and the Browning M1919 in size) and chambered for the same 12.7x81mmSR round as the 12.7mm variant of the Italian Breda-SAFAT machine gun. The M1921E1 was the air-cooled variant of the M1921, and by the early 1930s (by which point the M1921 had become the M1921A1) they were renamed by Colt to MG 53 and MG 52, respectively. The MG 52 and MG 53 would continue to be Colt's commercial guns through to WWII, parallel to the development of what would become the M2 for the US military. As such, the Ho-103 was developed from the commercial version of the gun (M1921E1 / MG 53), and not what was at the time a US-military-specific iteration of the design.
The Ho-103 was later developed into the Ho-5 20mm cannon, scaled back up to basically the same size as the original .50 BMG version.
The Japanese Navy would also produce a Browning derivative, the Type 3, chambered in 13.2x96mm Hotchkiss. The Type 3 appeared late in the war, and as such was only equipped on late-model A6M Zeros and the A7M Reppuu.
Anime
| Film/TV Show | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wind Rises | 2013 | ||
| The Magnificent Kotobuki | Mounted on fighters and as ground-based AA | 2019 |
See Also
- Browning Arms Company - A list of all firearms manufactured by Browning.
- FN Herstal - A list of all firearms manufactured by FN.
- Sumitomo Heavy Industries - A list of all firearms manufactured by Sumitomo.
- U.S. Ordnance - A list of all firearms manufactured by USORD.