[CWL]

Y'all,

Why is it that to operate the US M-2 .50BMG, one has to work the bolt handle twice before firing? I've observed that one has to pull back-release, and pull back-release again before operation? Is this manual ejection of the first round to properly set the linked belt?

(edited for clarity)

[Greg L]

Cool sound effects.

Of course unlike a shotgun someone a mile away probably won't hear it.

What do you mean twice? Do they have to pull the handle back twice to load a round or once back and then forward (two actions) to get the round loaded?

Greg

[Destructo6]

IIRC, the first pull is to lock the bolt to the rear. The second is to advance the feed mechanism.

Here's a manual.

http://www.adtdl.army.mil/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/23-65/ch3.htm#p2

[SDC]

The first time pulls the first round out of the link, and forces that round down into the "T-slot" that runs vertically along the face of the bolt, while the second time pulls a second round out and advances the round in the T-slot to the firing position.

[seeker_two]

Interesting fact. Thanks for the info...

Now, would someone tell me how an M-2 .50BMG could be considered a RIFLE (forum-wise, that is)?...:scrutiny:

[Ian]

Well, it ain't a pistol or shotgun...

[Feanaro]

It's a machinegun but there aren't any forum for that, silly. :neener:

[Kaylee]

What Feanaro said:

Plinking, precision shooting, self-defense, putting food on the table: rifles and machine guns fill every niche.

When THR was in the planning stages, where to put the full-auto stuff was tossed around a bit. The final consensus was to integrate it into the rifle and handgun forums.. partly as a traffic matter (fuall auto being a really low traffic area on TFL) and partly as a conscious effort to normalize it.. so many of us post-'86 kids having grown up with "machine guns are illegal" BS.

SO... as I recall, if it's full auto, pistol caliber, and doesn't have a shoulder stock (ie Glock 18 and the like), it goes in general handguns .. otherwise it goes here.

clear as mud? :)

-K

[Destructo6]

Yeah, but what about the semi M2 BMGs?

Seems that having no buttstock would make it AOW. Never really thought about that aspect, though.

[seeker_two]

Kaylee:

That makes sense....sorta...

(Though I can't get the image of Skunkabilly w/ a shoulder-stocked M2 charging up San Juan Hill out of my mind...:scrutiny: )

[Frohickey]

(Though I can't get the image of Skunkabilly w/ a shoulder-stocked M2 charging up San Juan Hill out of my mind... :scrutiny: )

Are you kidding? Skunky would need a wheel-barrow to charge up San Juan hill with a M2. Besides, that would be very un-Skunky like.

M2s don't have tact-light mount points, or carbon fiber grips. :D