Vickers machine gun
The Vickers machine gun (also known as the Vickers gun) was a 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 | .303 British |
| 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
111-SC-24659 - NARA - 55208929
M1915 guns arriving to England
The Second World War 1939 - 1945- the Home Front*Two members of the Home Guard with a Vickers machine gun on the village green in Brockham, Surrey. Originally known as the Local Defence Volunteers, the force was set up in 1940 as a precaution against enemy parachute landings behind the lines in the event of an invasion. By July the Home Guard numbered 500,000.
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
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Vickers Gun". Spartacus Educational. Archived from the original on 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ↑ "THE VICKERS MACHINE GUN". Vickers Machine Gun Collection and Research Association. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
