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Abbreviations


Armed Forces - a5a14.4 - British Army - The Infantry - 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG)

INFANTRY

12.7MM HEAVY MACHINE GUN (HMG)


A soldier mans a L1A1 12.7mm heavy machine gun mounted on a Land Rover during a security patrol near the Sierra Leone Army Battle Camp at Newton, 45km SE of the Sierra Leone Capital Freetown. The 1st Battalion the Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire spent 8 weeks in the former British Colony helping to retrain the Sierra Leone Army.

The L1A1 12.7 mm Heavy Machine gun (HMG) is an updated version of the Browning M2 'Fifty-cal' – generally recognised as one of the best heavy machine guns ever developed.


Currently, the HMG provides integral close-range support from a ground mount tripod or fitted to a Land Rover TUM using a Weapon Mount Installation Kit (WMIK) and a variety of sighting systems.




The performance of the HMG has recently been enhanced with a new 'soft mount' (to limit recoil and improve accuracy) and a quick change barrel.

 

12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun  Specifications

Effective Range

up to 2000m

Calibre

12.7mm

Muzzle Velocity 

915m/s

Length 

1,656mm

Barrel Length 1,143mm

Weight

38.15kg (gun only)

Cyclic Rate of Fire

485 - 635rpm

Photo Crown Copyright