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The M2 Tripod is a U.S. 
Modern U.S. machine guns, such as the M60,
The M2 Tripod is a U.S. machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle ri ...
tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...
originally used with the Browning M1919
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1919 saw service as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and ...
infantry machine gun. Since then, it has seen several redesigns, but remained largely the same. In this fashion, the M2 tripod has seen combat service in every conflict that the U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
and Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
has been involved in since World War II. It has also been widely used by numerous other nations, such as U.S. Allies in various wars, especially those countries that used the same machine guns as the United States military.
Modern U.S. machine guns, such as the M60, M249
The M249 light machine gun (LMG), also known as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), which continues to be the manufacturer's designation, and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian F ...
and M240
The M240 – officially the Machine Gun, 7.62 mm, M240 – is the U.S. military designation for the FN MAG, a family of belt-fed, gas-operated medium machine guns that chamber the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.
The M240 has been used by the ...
series machine guns, use slightly updated versions of the M2, designated the ''M122 tripod''. The M60 was originally going to be used on an experimental M91 tripod, but the M122 was selected over it in the 1950s. The M122 weighs 16 pounds (7.3 kilograms).
The differences between the M2 and M122 are found in the types of mounting pintles and the traverse & elevation mechanisms. The actual tripod is referred to as the "tripod leg assembly" and is essentially identical among all models. Many current issue M122 tripods in fact were originally M2 tripods, and had new markings applied when refurbished and matched with mounting pintles for M60, M240 or M249 machineguns. The M122 tripod has started to be replaced by the M192 Lightweight Ground Mount, an advanced lightweight tripod fielded in the early 2000s.
See also
*M3 tripod
The M3 tripod is a weapon mount used on the M2HB Browning machine gun and the Mk 19 grenade launcher. The M3 tripod has a total weight of 20 kilograms (44 pounds). The M205 tripod, formerly the XM205, is intended to replace it.M63 ground mount
* M192 Lightweight Ground Mount
References
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070625010459/https://peosoldier.army.mil/portfolio/sw/csw/M192LGMforMGuns.pdf (PDF) *http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/m249/m122-tripod.shtml ;Notes {{reflist, 2External links
*http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/m249/m122-tripod.shtml *https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m2-50cal-specs.htm Firearm components United States Marine Corps equipment