Too many trees in Vietnam. :D I would love to learn how to do it though.

I have seen pictures from the Vietnam ers which showed an M1 gunners quadrant hanging on the side of an M2. To me this would indicate that firing tables were being used and weapon elevation being set using the gunners quadrant.

They may not have been doing IF with the M2. The TFT & gunners quadrant would have been usefull for hitting that facing slope 1,800 meters away. Just the thing for that enemy mortar team that fired from the same spot at 1500 hours three days in a row.

If there are sniper teams in A-stan (and certainly some in Iraq) claiming confirmed kills in excess of 2000m with Barrett .50 rifles, I don't see it would be difficult at all using a 12.7 M2 to saturate an area 1800m away (especially with a longer barrel than the rifles)... that's just a couple hundred yards past a mile. (Be even "cooler" watching one of those 3-barrel GAU-19s light up a given area, having a ROF more than 3 times that of an M2.) Any word (anyone?) on when that 25mm crew weapon will reach the field? I understand Ronnie Barrett already has his Payload Rifle ready, fully switchable with the M107 upper (the .50 rifle snipers are training with now).

DT, you refer to this puppy: http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/adjstewart/Military/SoldierTech_XM109-2.jpg">

The M107 is regularly tested at Yuma, well at least batches of ammunition for it are. So I would expect to see the M109 sometime in the not to distant future

Niiiiiice! One wonders if, as was done with various .50 rifles, what kind of range differences we'd be looking at with various barrel lengths...or is the self-destruct fuzing mechanism only good out to 2000-2500m? Always fascinates me that many of the modern medium-caliber IFV cannon aren't given sniping capability: single shot precision (MOA or even sub-MOA) over long ranges (using X# magnification sights that can zoom in very accurately). I don't see why it wouldn't work. Actually, adding such precision shot capability could actually lessen the need for autofire on some occasions, even to the point ammo lasts longer because you're not "spraying and praying" at every engagement. Of course, I can only imagine the price of "match grade" ammo for a 25-30mm Chain Gun! ...and I'm also wondering: how long before Ronnie Barrett tries making a rifle around the 30x113mm round? (Hell, we've had 40mm shotguns since VietNam...) Mount that on the roof of a Humvee with a 4-10X+ scope and you've got a serious contender (even be good at removing those pesky IEDs).

"I don't see it would be difficult at all using a 12.7 M2 to saturate an area 1800m away" GPMG iron sights go up to 1800m's. I would expect using IF and raising the barrel to 45 degrees, with the tripod in the high mount, they could get close to 2500m's if not 3000m's - I would imagine an M2 to go even further out.

"I would imagine an M2 to go even further out." Like I wrote; wished I'd purloined the M2 TFT. Be able to answer that question now. Would not be suprised if the rounds would carry 4000+. Of course observing fall of shot at that range is problematic, and any breeze will make accuracy a joke.

How come? 7.62mm is ballistically superior to .303? haven't a clue, but I think you'll find that's what the manual said. Don't forget that there were different marks of .303, and as I understand it MG belts used their own.

Here's a 4.08MB pdf of US Army FM 23-65, BROWNING MACHINE GUN CALIBER .50 HB, M2 (all 209 pages) http://gunshowonthenet.com/Gun_Manuals/Browning_50BMG_HB_M2.pdf>http://gunshowonthenet.com/Gun_Manuals/Browning_50BMG_HB_M2.pdf Page 19 of the pdf (page 1-18 of the manual, Table 1-4 Ballistic Data), lists maximum ranges in meters (conversion: 25.4mm to 1 inch, 1609.344m per mile). Also available in http format at: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/23-65/>http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/23-65/ Field Manual No. 23-65 HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Washington, DC, 19 June 1991 FM 23-65 BROWNING MACHINE GUN CALIBER .50 HB, M2 DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. This publication supersedes FM 23-65, 19 May 1972, and TC 23-65-1, 19 September 1984.