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Small arms1933–present
Heavy machine gun
M2 Browning is a heavy machine gun originating in United States. It was built by Active Fabrique Nationale General Dynamics Ohio Ordnance Works Inc. U.S. Ordnance Former Manroy Engineering Sabre Defence Industries Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company High Standard Firearms Savage Arms Corporation Buffalo Arms Corporation General Motors Corporation Frigidaire AC Spark Plug Saginaw Steering Gear Division Brown-Lipe-Chappin Divisions Kelsey Hayes Wheel Company Springfield Armory Wayne Pump Company ERMCO Ramo Manufacturing Rock Island Arsenal.
United StatesM2 Browning
Photo Courtesy of PEO Soldier · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · ModifiedTechnical data
Heavy machine gun
United States
1933–present
See Users
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John Browning
1918
Active Fabrique Nationale General Dynamics Ohio Ordnance Works Inc. U.S. Ordnance Former Manroy Engineering Sabre Defence Industries Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company High Standard Firearms Savage Arms Corporation Buffalo Arms Corporation General Motors Corporation Frigidaire AC Spark Plug Saginaw Steering Gear Division Brown-Lipe-Chappin Divisions Kelsey Hayes Wheel Company Springfield Armory Wayne Pump Company ERMCO Ramo Manufacturing Rock Island Arsenal
1921–present (M2HB/M2A1)
3 million
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 1.654 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 1.654 m | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 1.654 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
38 kg (84 lb) 28 kg (62 lb) (AN/M2) 58 kg (128 lb) with tripod and traverse and elevation mechanism (T&E) 24 lb (11 kg) barrel weight
1,654 mm (65.1 in) 1,429 mm (56.3 in) (AN/M2)
1,143 mm (45.0 in) 910 mm (35.8 in) (AN/M2)
.50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO)
Short recoil-operated
450–600 rounds/min (M2HB) 750–850 rounds/min (AN/M2) 1,200–1,300 rounds/min (AN/M3)
2,910 ft/s (890 m/s) (M33 ball), 78 ft (24 m) from muzzle 3,050 ft/s (930 m/s) in manual
1,800 m (2,000 yd)
7,400 m (8,100 yd)
Belt-fed (M2 or M9 links)
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
M2 Browning equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
Afghanistan
Albania
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Canada
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Georgia
GermanyReported count for M2 Browning. Service scope: weapons of the German Navy; does not replace a national total. 7 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 16 (4 × per ship) / quantity: 12 (4 × per ship) / quantity: 20 (4 × per ship) / quantity: 20 (2 × per ship) / quantity: 12 (4 × per ship) / quantity: 12 (4 × per ship) / quantity: 24 (4 × per ship). Origin: Belgium. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Hungary
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritania
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Myanmar
Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
PeruApproximate count for M2A1. Service scope: Peruvian Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: ~24. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Philippines
PolandReported count for M2 Browning · M2 Heavy Barrel / Daewoo K6 · Daewoo K6. Service scope: Polish Land Forces; does not replace a national total. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 331 / quantity: 180. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
PortugalReported count for M2 Browning. Service scope: Portuguese Navy ships; does not replace a national total. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 2 / quantity: 10. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Qatar
Romania
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
TogoReported count for M2A1. Service scope: Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 4. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
TongaReported count for M2 Browning. Country-wide list; no individual service specified. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): number: 6. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Tunisia
Türkiye
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom United States
Uruguay
ZimbabweAustralia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Türkiye, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States
Equipment reference ↗Reported count for FN M3M Mk3. Service scope: German Army Aviation Corps; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): quantity: 50. Origin: Belgium. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.