M1921 Browning machine gun
Encyclopedia
The Browning machine gun was designed by John Moses Browning (1855-1926).
The M1921 was a water-cooled .50-caliber machine gun
developed from the prototype .50-caliber M1918, itself developed from .30-caliber M1917 water-cooled machine gun. The M1921 did not enter production until 1929. A slightly improved version, the M1921A1, was introduced in 1930 with all of the M1921s being upgraded. The gun weighed 79 pounds (without water), was 56 inches long, and had a 36-inch long barrel. The gun was mounted on a pedestal mount with three horizontal legs. It had a 500-650 rounds per minute rate of fire.
Development continued and the M1921A1 was replaced by the M2 water-cooled Browning .50-caliber in 1933. Ground and aircraft air-cooled versions of the M2 were also adopted at the same time.
Both the US Army
and the US Navy
adopted the M1921 after World War I, using it mostly as a static anti-aircraft weapon due to its 121 lb weight.
The M1921 was a water-cooled .50-caliber machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
developed from the prototype .50-caliber M1918, itself developed from .30-caliber M1917 water-cooled machine gun. The M1921 did not enter production until 1929. A slightly improved version, the M1921A1, was introduced in 1930 with all of the M1921s being upgraded. The gun weighed 79 pounds (without water), was 56 inches long, and had a 36-inch long barrel. The gun was mounted on a pedestal mount with three horizontal legs. It had a 500-650 rounds per minute rate of fire.
Development continued and the M1921A1 was replaced by the M2 water-cooled Browning .50-caliber in 1933. Ground and aircraft air-cooled versions of the M2 were also adopted at the same time.
Both the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
adopted the M1921 after World War I, using it mostly as a static anti-aircraft weapon due to its 121 lb weight.