.50 cal Heavy Machine Gun
- Thread starter Andyboy
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 12
- Points
- 230
I understand that the .50 is being eliminated from the infantry because it is being "replaced" by the 25mm gun on the LAV III.
Of course, the regular light infantry battalions and reserve infantry units won‘t have the LAV III but since there is no doctrine for light infantry in the the Canadian Army, there can be no justification for keeping the .50 for them.
Of course, the regular light infantry battalions and reserve infantry units won‘t have the LAV III but since there is no doctrine for light infantry in the the Canadian Army, there can be no justification for keeping the .50 for them.
G
Giant Killer
Guest
Having just completed running a QL4 Infantry Machine Gunner Course, I was surprised to find that mine was probably the last Reserve course to be teaching the .50 cal HMG in LFCA. It‘s a bit disappointing because that weapon was always a big draw towards getting light infantry soldiers to become machine gunners. ("Hey, I wanna fire the fifty!")
The rationale is that the HMG would be taught to Reservists, if required, during pre-deployment training. This now puts the onus on the deploying unit to bring an already "qualified" Infantry machine gunner up to standard.
Although I can understand the budgetary reasons for such decisions, I‘m a firm beleiver in the concept of "One Army-One Standard".
If you‘re going to politically pretend that Reservists are fit for augmentation of the Regular Force, give them the tools and funding to meet that goal!
The rationale is that the HMG would be taught to Reservists, if required, during pre-deployment training. This now puts the onus on the deploying unit to bring an already "qualified" Infantry machine gunner up to standard.
Although I can understand the budgetary reasons for such decisions, I‘m a firm beleiver in the concept of "One Army-One Standard".
If you‘re going to politically pretend that Reservists are fit for augmentation of the Regular Force, give them the tools and funding to meet that goal!
M
Master Blaster
Guest
This situation is very similar to the premise that the Reserve Section Commanders being expected to have knowledge of and the experience necessary to deploy their sections from a LavIII.
We do not now have the capability to deploy from the back of a worn out MLVW let alone a Lav! I have not had the pleasure of talking to a Reserve soldier north of the 49th paralell that has any concept of mobile command deployment unless that soldier has been in more than fiften years and was trained on 113‘s or Grizzly‘s. The entire idea of not having to walk to war via the ‘black cadilac express‘ is a new and sometimes stunning revelation that catches a lot of the young SrNCO‘s entirely by surprise much to the dismay of the Battle School in Gagetown.
To believe that the Army has enough resources to protect an Infantry Coy in the field with 25mm weapons deployed from the decks of Lav‘s is ridiculous! We are to share the meager resources that currently are being depleted by overseas tours?
Come on! Who‘s running this show?? Get a grip on reality and start thinking with the BIG brain instead of the little one. Train Infanteers to train hard, fight hard with resources that are spartan. Spartan...now there‘s an idea. Minimalistic approach to the Art of War. Create soldiers to think for themselves, be creative in their thinking and use resources as they become available on the battlefield. An old but very successful method of deploying effective soldiers against a technologically advanced enemy.
Dileas Gu Brath
We do not now have the capability to deploy from the back of a worn out MLVW let alone a Lav! I have not had the pleasure of talking to a Reserve soldier north of the 49th paralell that has any concept of mobile command deployment unless that soldier has been in more than fiften years and was trained on 113‘s or Grizzly‘s. The entire idea of not having to walk to war via the ‘black cadilac express‘ is a new and sometimes stunning revelation that catches a lot of the young SrNCO‘s entirely by surprise much to the dismay of the Battle School in Gagetown.
To believe that the Army has enough resources to protect an Infantry Coy in the field with 25mm weapons deployed from the decks of Lav‘s is ridiculous! We are to share the meager resources that currently are being depleted by overseas tours?
Come on! Who‘s running this show?? Get a grip on reality and start thinking with the BIG brain instead of the little one. Train Infanteers to train hard, fight hard with resources that are spartan. Spartan...now there‘s an idea. Minimalistic approach to the Art of War. Create soldiers to think for themselves, be creative in their thinking and use resources as they become available on the battlefield. An old but very successful method of deploying effective soldiers against a technologically advanced enemy.
Dileas Gu Brath
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
On behalf of everyone at the Army homepage, Mister Master Blaster, I would ask you to stop using such scary and agressive language, it makes us feel as though we should be training for war.
Seriously though, is there no real contingency for this weapon? Why is knowledge of this weapon considered obselete? Are the Regs discontinuing it‘s use or has it been overlooked/assumed-as-learned? Why not keep the course around as it is and keep the knowledge base alive instead of losing it forever, what is the harm in having extra knowledge?
Seriously though, is there no real contingency for this weapon? Why is knowledge of this weapon considered obselete? Are the Regs discontinuing it‘s use or has it been overlooked/assumed-as-learned? Why not keep the course around as it is and keep the knowledge base alive instead of losing it forever, what is the harm in having extra knowledge?
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 410
G wagon
Black Hawk Down type scenerio
its universal in language.
Black Hawk Down type scenerio
its universal in language.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
The .50 cal is still a great weapon-ask the US forces who have loads of them. Although I found the first iterations of the QCB to be a techno-tragedy, I trust those initial problems have been overcome and it is back to its old self. It provides a good weight of fire from a simple and economical system that can be mounted almost anywhere. Cheers.
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 410
Afraid not why?
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 410
They also still use them in the navy and there are plenty of crusty Sgt's that still rmember them and can pass the info down via a new MG course.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
also a few not-so-crusty corporals and master corporals. it hasn't been gone THAT long. the last course was less than 4 years ago, and I even got to train two guys on it about a year ago.
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
I was probably one of the last moes trained on the 50, about for years ago. Infact we had a gun weekend last year and I showed a few troops the quick and dirty on it so they could fire it. They moved out of the way for any I.A's and stopages, and they certainly weren't doing any hot barrel unloads. I would love to have a 50 in my weapons det,however it's not practical considering they are not stored in our arsenal. The CF should keep it around for a while considering the number of people trained on it and the fact that there is nothing to replace it.
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 410
I'd hate to hump that thing into a fire base.
N
NavyGrunt
Guest
Yeah we still use 'em in the Navy all the time. I love it. You really feel it in your chest......is this what love feels like? :fifty: I think so........
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
The Browning MG .50 M2 has been in service for over 65 years, and in my opinion, why fix something if it aint broken. I was dumbfounded when I heard the CF dumped it from its Army role.
Simply put the .50 (12.7 x99mm) bridges the gap between 7.62mm and 20mm, and has earned it's place in any modern army.
It will be in service here in Australia for many years to come. The QCB version is the latest to be used, but the good ole flex in M2HB configuration is also used by all three services too.
The majority of ADF .50s in use are WW2 era, and just like an old Timex, keep on ticking. Its FTR after FTR, replace parts, re-phosphate, and carry on. Some are FTR marked 1952, and again, 1971. We even have some Canadian Diemaco (D90) rebuilds too on M2 WW2 era recievers.
Even the QCB versions are converted onto WW2 era recievers at ADI-L, but some new FN, RAMO, and Manroy (UK) .50s are in service also.
The MG can also be man-packed too (yikes).
She's a real classic, and has earned the respect on both the giving and receiving ends.
I hope they bring is MG back into CF (Army) service.
My Two Bob.
Wes
Simply put the .50 (12.7 x99mm) bridges the gap between 7.62mm and 20mm, and has earned it's place in any modern army.
It will be in service here in Australia for many years to come. The QCB version is the latest to be used, but the good ole flex in M2HB configuration is also used by all three services too.
The majority of ADF .50s in use are WW2 era, and just like an old Timex, keep on ticking. Its FTR after FTR, replace parts, re-phosphate, and carry on. Some are FTR marked 1952, and again, 1971. We even have some Canadian Diemaco (D90) rebuilds too on M2 WW2 era recievers.
Even the QCB versions are converted onto WW2 era recievers at ADI-L, but some new FN, RAMO, and Manroy (UK) .50s are in service also.
The MG can also be man-packed too (yikes).
She's a real classic, and has earned the respect on both the giving and receiving ends.
I hope they bring is MG back into CF (Army) service.
My Two Bob.
Wes
Similar threads
