.50 cal attachment

[Crassus]

I'm hoping you infantry types will tell me the nomenclature and purpose of the attachment on the barrel of the M2 .50 cal MG, pictured here (http://www.photovault.com/Link/Military/Marines/show.asp?tg=MYMVolume02/MYMV02P03_13).

[Noon416 (OFPEC)]

I can't say 100%, but it looks like a type of BFA device.

"Blank Firing Attachment", its used on weapons that use a gas-recoil bolt, to let you fire blank rounds while still having the bolt function as it normally would.
If you fire a blank round without it, no gas is fed back into the system that drives the bolt backwards, hence it would only fire one round at a time before being manually cocked again.

[Hellfish6]

It is a BFA. I don't remember the nomenclature, though. Basically, the M2 is a gas recoil-operated weapon but the gas created by the blanks firing doesn't let the barrel recoil as it's supposed to. The BFA basically creates a smaller hole on the muzzle to compress the gas sufficiently enough (in theory) to allow proper recoil. In reality, however, the Ma Deuce (and every other weapon, I suppose) with the BFA is pretty prone to jams. I've had problems with M2s, M60s, SAWs and the M16/M4 series with BFAs, but they've all fired like champs with live ammo.

Edit. That's pretty much exactly what Noon said. I probably should have read his post thoroughly first and just shut up and agreed... http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/crazy_o.gif

[Crassus]

Nah, that's alright. Better to have a second opinion.

I recall the BFAs we put on our M16s and SAWs, but I'd not seen one of a .50 before.

Thanks, guys.

[Hellfish6]

I'm kind of curious to know what that passive sensor-thing on it is. Night vision or thermal imager with the lenscap on? Some kind of MILES attachment?

[Noon416 (OFPEC)]

Looks like your second guess is accurate, Hellfish. It appears to be one of these (http://www.atlastelecom.ae/products.asp?cat=Thermal+Imagers&id=85&name=The+AN/PAS-13+TWS) without the front and rear lens attached.

And given...
- the rest of the mount characteristics
- how far forward the scope is on the weapon
- and the cabling running up to it

...I would hazard a guess that they're using it remotely from within the HMMWV it's mounted on, as the scope is able to feed video images into other devices.

[Supah]

I'd have said "heatsink" but then again thats just me http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/wink_o.gif

[HuNtA]

lol, I can imagine it now

<nerd voice>
Ive got a .50 calibre M2 with 5 heatsinks, a thermal sight and armour piercing bullets
</nerdvoice>