The M85 Machine Gun

Soldiers and Marines everywhere love the M2 machine gun.  Firing that big, heavy .50 cal bullet, there is no doubt that the M2 is a favorite and a pre-eminent design of military firearms.

As a young tanker in the '70s, I was introduced to a machine gun that seemed to be a variant of the Browning design.  The M85 machine gun.  It was designed for mounting in armored vehicles and had a shorter receiver than the M2.  It was also a bit lighter than the M2.  In the M60 series tank, it was mounted in the commanders cupola.

Designed for mounting in armored vehicles, space was at a premium, and the commander's cupola on the M60 series tank was cramped at best, and dominated by the machine gun and the ammo feeding trays.  It wasn't terrible to load or place into operation, but there were a series of steps you had to follow.

In my experience, it worked just fine.  Once loaded and ready to fire, it worked great, was very accurate, and I really enjoyed firing it.  It was the tank commander's basic weapon, and could be used independently of the main gun.  Normally, during Tank Table VIII, there would be at least one engagement where the main gun was firing at one target while the TC was using the M85 to engage another target. 

Unless you were an armored crewman, not many folks knew about or used the M85.

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