Special ops Marines to call for end of iconic machine gun: M2 'Ma Deuce' will soon be replaced.

What is good for the USMC Special Ops is NOT good for the rest of the USMC, nor for the USA, USN, USAF, and Coast Guard. The Special Ops troops are some of the best at what they do, but they only got one punch and then they gotta run. The Ma Duce and its ammo is just too heavy for their needs.

 

That or a "mad minute" of full-auto fire and then haul ass.

 

About 12-15 years ago I got a wonderful tour of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center located near Bedford Indiana. The Navy Small Arms Directorate was (I think it still is) located there which handles about everything for the USN and USMC small arms wise. Pretty cool place.


They had a re-manufacturing center there for the M2. M2s would come in and they’d rework the whole thing to make it absolutely like new. My recollection is they re-man’ed M2s for all branches as well.
They also tested and evaluated all candidate replacement or new small arm weapons for the USN and USMC. Had a mechanical engineer work for me many years ago that previously had the job to supervise all those tests.
They also performed all the mods and accuracy improvements for Seal team sniper weapons and had an under ground 100 yard range where they’d do a lot of testing.

Fun stuff.
AT

 

All kidding aside, if/when this goes through you will most likely start to see .50 parts kits becoming more available on the gun sites. Right now they just ain't there. The 1919's are really starting to dry up as well. A lot of them are being bought up and made into semi autos. I currently have 2 1919 kits that I'm waiting on the paperwork to come through so I can machine the RT. side plates and assemble.

 

I've seen a couple of pretty complete parts kits for around $2,400.00 there are enough parts around that a person could "part one up" over time as well. The receiver would have to be a reweld or completely new I'm guessing.

 

But only the Government can afford to shoot the damn things! Have y'all priced .50 cal. BMG ammo lately? FMJ is $5 a round, and AP and API is $8-10 each! It's like A-10s, Blackhawks or M-1 Abrams...even if they gave them to you, who could afford the GAS!

 

You could start a go fund me page.

 

They can take a page from nasa. Just adopt the KVP.