Vickers machine gun
The Vickers machine gun (also known as the Vickers gun) was a heavy machine gun that was used by the British Army from 1912 to 1968.[1][2] It was made by Vickers Limited.[1] The gun was very reliable.[1] It was one of the most commonly used weapons in the first world war.
| Vickers Medium Machine Gun | |
|---|---|
 A typical Vickers machine gun crew in action | |
| Type | Medium machine gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1912–1968 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War I Chaco War World War II Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 1948 Arab–Israeli War Korean War The Troubles Congo Crisis South African Border War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1912 |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Produced | 1912–1968 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 33–51 lb (15–23 kg) all-up |
| Length | 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) |
| Barrel length | 28 in (720 mm) |
| Crew | three man crew |
| Cartridge | British .303 |
| Action | recoil with gas boost |
| Rate of fire | 450 to 500 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 2440 ft/s (744 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 2,187 yd (2,000 m) |
| Maximum firing range | 4,500 yd (4,100 m) indirect fire |
| Feed system | 250-round canvas belt |
Vickers Machine Gun Media
A Vickers machine gun crew in action at the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, September 1917
The cockpit of a Bristol Scout biplane in 1916, showing a Vickers machine gun synchronised to fire through the propeller by an early Vickers-Challenger interrupter gear.
Vickers Mk. II* or III in naval anti-aircraft service during WWII in the Mediterranean
A .5-inch Mk. III, four-gun anti-aircraft mount and its crew on the cruiser HMS London in 1941
A British Indian Army Vickers machine gun crew in the North West Frontier, British India, 1940.
Australian soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment operate a Vickers gun during fighting near Chipyong-ni during the Korean War, February 1951[3]
In service with the Home Guard
Rimmed, centrefire Mk 7 .303 inch cartridge from World War II. The type of ammunition is denoted by the colour of the annulus, the narrow ring shown here surrounding the percussion cap
Soldiers of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry firing a Vickers machine gun during a training exercise, Eastbourne, England, 3 December 1942
Clinometer for Vickers .303 machine gun
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vickers GunSpartacus Educational. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ↑ THE VICKERS MACHINE GUNVickers Machine Gun Collection and Research Association. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ↑ Australian Vickers, Korean War 1951 (Australian War Memorial).
