Vickers .50 machine gun

This article is missing information about higher-velocity Vickers class D firing 12.7x120mm SR [V/664 and V/690]. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page. (October 2021)

Vickers .50 machine gun
A Vickers .50 machine gun, Polish Army Museum, Warsaw (2006)
Type	heavy machine gun Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1933–1954
Used by	United Kingdom Ireland
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Manufacturer	Vickers, Enfield
Produced	1933 -
Variants	Marks I–V[note 1]
Specifications (Vickers .5 Mk V)
Mass	63 pounds (29 kg), excluding 10 pounds (4.5 kg) cooling water
Length	52.4 in (1.33 m)
Barrel length	31 in (0.79 m)
Cartridge	12.7×81mm
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 .5 inch machine gun (officially "Gun, Machine, Vickers, .5-in") also known as the Vickers .50 was a large-calibre British automatic weapon. The gun was commonly used as a close-in anti-aircraft weapon on Royal Navy and Allied ships, typically in a four-gun mounting (UK) or two-gun mounting (Dutch), as well as tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles. It was similar to the .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun but fired the enlarged calibre British .50 Vickers 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) ammunition; this round was shorter in length than the American .50 BMG (12.7×99mm).
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