Vickers .50 machine gun

Vickers .50 machine gun
Vickers .50 machine gun
	A Vickers .50 machine gun, Polish Army Museum, Warsaw (2006)
Type	Machine gun; Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1932–1954
Used by	United Kingdom; Ireland
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Manufacturer	Vickers
Variants	Marks I–V
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	[it]
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 similar to the .303 inches (7.70 mm) Vickers machine gun but enlarged to use a larger-calibre 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) round. It saw some use in tanks and other fighting vehicles but was more commonly used as a close-in anti-aircraft weapon on Royal Navy and Allied ships, typically in a four-gun mounting. The Vickers fired British .50 Vickers (12.7×81mm) ammunition, not the better known American .50 BMG (12.7×99mm).

Mark I[]

The Mark I was the development model.

Mark II, IV and V[]

The Mark II entered service in 1933 and was mounted in some British tanks. Marks IV and V were improved versions and were also used on trucks in the North Africa Campaign. It was superseded for use in armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) during the Second World War by the 15 mm (0.59 in) Besa.^[1]

Mark III[]

A four-gun, naval anti-aircraft mounting, on board the destroyer HMS Vanity (1940)

The Mark III was a naval version used as an anti-aircraft weapon, mostly by the Royal Navy and allied navies in the Second World War, typically in mountings of 4 guns. It proved insufficiently powerful at short-range against modern all-metal aircraft and was superseded during the Second World War by the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The naval quad mount featured a 200-round magazine per barrel, which wrapped the ammunition belt around the magazine drum and provided a maximum rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute, per gun.^[2] The four-barrel mounting had its guns adjusted to provide a spread of fire, amounting to 60 ft (18 m) wide and 50 ft (15 m) high at 1,000 yd (910 m).^[1] Vickers claimed that it could fire all 800 rounds in 20 seconds and could then be reloaded in a further 30 seconds.^[1] During the Second World War it was also mounted on power-operated turrets in smaller craft such as motor gunboats and motor torpedo boats.

Notes[]

^ i.e. Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after the Second World War.

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c Williams, Anthony G. "THE .5" VICKERS GUNS AND AMMUNITION". www.quarry.nildram.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
^ DiGiulian.

Bibliography[]

The Vickers Machine Gun
Tony DiGiulian, British 0.50"/62 (12.7 mm) Mark III
Anthony G Williams, THE .5" VICKERS GUNS AND AMMUNITION

External links[]

[1] .e. Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (models) of ordnance until after the Second World War.

[Williams-2] Williams, Anthony G. "THE .5" VICKERS GUNS AND AMMUNITION". www.quarry.nildram.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2013.

[3] DiGiulian.

[note 1]

[1]

[2]

v t British Commonwealth naval weapons of the Second World War
Monitor guns	BL 15-inch
Capital ship main armament	BL 14-inch BL 15-inch BL 16-inch
Heavy cruiser main armament	BL 7.5-inch Mk VI BL 8-inch Mk VIII
Secondary armament and light cruiser main armament	QF 4-inch Mk V QF 4.5-inch QF 5.25-inch BL 6-inch Mk XII BL 6-inch Mk XXII BL 6-inch Mk XXIII
Minesweeper, Sloop, Corvette, Frigate and Destroyer armament	QF 6-pounder 10 cwt QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk V QF 4-inch Mk IV BL 4-inch Mk IX QF 4-inch Mk XVI QF 4-inch Mk XIX QF 4.5-inch BL 4.7-inch Mk II QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII QF 4.7-inch Mk XI
Submarine guns	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mk V QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk XII & XXII
Anti-aircraft weapons	Unrotated projectile Holman Projector 20 mm Oerlikon QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk VIII 40 mm Bofors QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 4-inch Mk V QF 4-inch Mk XVI QF 4.5-inch QF 4.7-inch Mk VIII
Light weapons	.303 Lewis machine gun .50 Vickers Mk III machine gun QF 3-pounder Vickers
Torpedoes	21-inch Mk VII 21-inch Mk VIII 21-inch Mk X 21-inch Mk XI 24.5-inch Mk I
Anti-submarine weapons	Thornycroft depth charge thrower Hedgehog Squid
Small craft armament	Molins 6-pounder Vickers K machine gun 18-inch torpedo
Foreign-sourced weapons	20 mm Oerlikon 40 mm Bofors 3-inch 23 caliber gun (US) 3-inch 50 caliber gun (US) 4-inch 50 caliber Mark 9 gun (US) 5-inch 51 caliber Mark 8 gun (US) Y-gun depth charge projector (US) Mark 8 torpedo (US)