SIG MG 50

Last updated
SIG MG 50
Type General-purpose machine gun
Place of originSwitzerland
Service history
Used byDenmark
Specifications
Length1245 mm
Barrel  length600 mm

Action gas operated
Feed systembelt

The SIG MG 50 is a general-purpose machine gun of Swiss origin and was chambered in many calibres. It was designed to replace the Maxim and Furrer M25 guns in service of pre-World War II design so around 1944/51, SIG industries decided to manufacture a series of gas-operated machine guns fed by using drum magazines and ammo belts. The MG 50 lost in the trials to the MG 51; however, it continued sales for a time. A version chambered in the .30-06 calibre was adopted by Denmark as the SIG M/51, [1] while another variant was tested in Sweden as the SIG MG 53 but again was turned down.

Overview

The MG 50 is an air-cooled, gas-operated weapon and is fed by ammo belt. The barrel is designed to be interchanged quickly when in field conditions.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General-purpose machine gun</span> Machine gun adaptable for several light and medium roles

A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, usually belt-fed machine gun that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for light and medium machine guns. A GPMG typically features a quick-change barrel design calibered for various fully powered cartridges such as the 7.62×51mm NATO, 7.62×54mmR, 7.5×54mm French, 7.5×55mm Swiss and 7.92×57mm Mauser, and be configured for mounting to different stabilizing platforms from bipods and tripods to vehicles, aircraft, boats and fortifications, usually as an infantry support weapon or squad automatic weapon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squad automatic weapon</span> Portable light machine gun

A squad automatic weapon (SAW), also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon (LSW), is a man-portable automatic firearm attached to infantry squads or sections as a source of rapid direct firepower. Weapons fulfilling this role can be light machine guns, or modified selective-fire rifles fitted with a heavier barrel, bipod and a belt/drum-fed design.

The MG 42 is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun used extensively by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during the second half of World War II. Entering production in 1942, it was intended to supplement and replace the earlier MG 34, which was more expensive and took much longer to produce, but both weapons were produced until the end of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MG 30</span> Light machine gun

The Maschinengewehr 30, or MG 30 was a German-designed machine gun that saw some service with various armed forces in the 1930s. It was also modified to become the standard German aircraft gun as the MG 15 and MG 17. It is most notable as the design pattern that led to the MG 34 and MG 42, and thus is one of the major ancestors of many of the weapons in service which would later find widespread use into the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers machine gun</span> Heavy machine gun

The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and operate it: one fired, one fed the ammunition, the others helped to carry the weapon, its ammunition, and spare parts. It was in service from before the First World War until the 1960s, with air-cooled versions of it on many Allied World War I fighter aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PK machine gun</span> General-purpose machine gun/Squad automatic weapon

The PK is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispano-Suiza HS.404</span> 20 mm autocannon

The HS.404 is an autocannon originally designed by and produced by the Swiss arm of the Spanish/Swiss company Hispano-Suiza in the mid-1930s. Production was later moved to the French arm of Hispano Suiza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MG 3 machine gun</span> General-purpose machine gun

The MG 3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 that fired the 7.92×57mm Mauser round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belt (firearms)</span> Feeding mechanism for a firearm

An ammunition belt is a firearm device used to package and feed cartridges, typically for rapid-firing automatic weapons such as machine guns. Belt-fed systems minimize the proportional weight of the ammunition apparatus to the entire weapon system, and allow high rates of continuous fire without needing frequent magazine changes. The capacity of belts and associated belt containers is typically a function of weight and bulk, and their size is limited by caliber and the combined portability of the weapon and ammunition. Typical capacities for man-portable weapon systems range from 50 to 300 rounds of ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UKM-2000</span> General-purpose machine gun

The UKM-2000 is a 7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun designed and manufactured by Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów in Tarnów, Poland.

The ShKAS is a 7.62 mm calibre machine gun widely used by Soviet aircraft in the 1930s and during World War II. The ShKAS had the highest rate of fire of any aircraft machine gun in general service during WWII. It was designed by Boris Shpitalniy and Irinarkh Komaritsky and entered production in 1934. ShKAS was used in the majority of Soviet fighters and bombers and served as the basis for the ShVAK cannon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7.5×55mm Swiss</span> Swiss rifle cartridge

The 7.5×55mm Swiss or 7,5mm GP 11 is a cartridge developed for the Swiss Army. It originated from the Gewehrpatrone 1890 (7.5×53.5mm) developed in 1898 by mechanical engineer Lt. Col. Eduard Rubin for rifles based on Rudolf Schmidt's action design. The 7.5×55mm Swiss GP 11 cartridge is similar in appearance to the slightly smaller 7.5×54mm French round though the two are not interchangeable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIG MG 710-3</span> General-purpose machine gun

The SIG MG 710-3 is a Swiss 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) designed and manufactured by SIG - Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft. The weapon was developed as a commercial venture primarily for export, since the Swiss Army had already adopted the 7.5 mm MG 51 GPMG, produced by the federal arms factory W+F.

The Ameli is a 5.56mm light machine gun designed for the Spanish Army by the nationally owned and operated Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales (CETME) small arms research institute.

The Colt Machine Gun or CMG was an open bolt belt-fed machine gun that fires 5.56×45mm cartridges designed by Colt Manufacturing Company in 1965. Colt hastily developed the CMG-1 to complement the CAR-15, a Colt branding of the M16 rifle, so that Colt might offer both of them as an alternative to the Stoner 63 weapons system. It failed to achieve any sales, and was replaced by the Colt CMG-2, which also failed to achieve any sales. The CMG-3 was a 7.62×51mm NATO version that failed as well.

The SG 540 is a 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle developed in the early 1970s by Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft of Neuhausen, Switzerland as a private venture primarily destined for export markets and as a potential replacement for the 7.5×55mm Swiss SG 510 automatic rifle known as the Stgw 57 in Swiss service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MG 51</span> General-purpose machine gun

The 7.5 mm Maschinengewehr 1951 or Mg 51 is a general-purpose machine gun manufactured by W+F of Switzerland. The weapon was introduced into Swiss service when the Swiss Army initiated a competition for a new service machine gun to replace the MG 11 heavy machine gun and the Furrer M25 light machine gun adopted in 1911 and 1925 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadet rifle</span> Rifle used by military cadets and others for basic firearms and marksmanship training

A cadet rifle is a rifle used by military cadets and others for basic firearms and marksmanship training. Generally .22 caliber and bolt-action, they also come in semi-automatic versions. They are often miniature .22 caliber versions of standard issue service rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XM250</span> 2022 6.8x51mm U.S. Army squad automatic rifle

The XM250 is the U.S. military designation for the SIG LMG 6.8, a 6.8×51mm, gas-operated, belt-fed, light machine gun designed by SIG Sauer for the U.S. Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M249 light machine gun. The XM250 features a free-floating reinforced M-LOK handguard for direct accessory attachment onto the "negative space" mounting points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIG Sauer MG 338</span> Sig MG 338 machine gun

The SIG Sauer MG 338 is a medium machine gun manufactured by the SIG Sauer company.

References

  1. "SIG MG50 / M/51 machine gun (Switzerland)". Modern Firearms. Retrieved 27 September 2014.