Vickers 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.
| Vickers machine gun | |
|---|---|
A Vickers Machine Gun mounted on a tripod. This example is at York Castle Museum. | |
| Type | Heavy machine gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1912–1968 |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War I Irish Civil War Chaco War Spanish Civil War Winter War World War II Indonesian National Revolution Greek Civil War First Indochina War Bangladesh Liberation War Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 1948 Arab–Israeli War Malayan Emergency Korean War Algerian War Cypriot intercommunal violence 1971 JVP insurrection Congo Crisis Aden Emergency South African Border War Syrian Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1912 |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Unit cost | £175 in 1914, £80 in 1918, ~£50 in 1926 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 33–51 lb (15–23 kg) all-up |
| Length | 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) |
| Barrel length | 28 in (720 mm) |
| Crew | Three man crew |
| Cartridge | .303 British .30-06 Springfield 11mm Vickers others |
| Action | Recoil with gas boost |
| Rate of fire | 450 to 500 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,440 ft/s (744 m/s) (.303 Mk. VII ball) 2,525 ft/s (770 m/s) (.303 Mk. VIIIz ball) |
| Effective firing range | 2,187 yd (2,000 m) |
| Maximum firing range | 4,500 yd (4,115 m) indirect fire (.303 Mk. VIIIz ball) |
| Feed system | 250-round canvas belt |
The weapon had a reputation for great solidity and reliability. Ian V. Hogg, in Weapons & War Machines, describes an action that took place in August 1916, during which the British 100th Company of the Machine Gun Corps fired their ten Vickers guns to deliver sustained fire for twelve hours. Using 100 barrels, they fired a million rounds without breakdowns. "It was this absolute foolproof reliability which endeared the Vickers to every British soldier who ever fired one. It never broke down; it just kept on firing and came back for more."