Manufactured by High Standard of New Haven, Connecticut, the M2 Browning Machine Gun is the definitive Western heavy machine gun of the 20th century. A descendant of Browning's 1917 HMG, the development of the M2 was first prompted by the emergence of armored aircraft among German forces in World War I, calling for a greater level of firepower to bring down enemy aircraft. Development continued after Browning's passing in 1926, and in 1933 it was adopted by the U.S. armed forces. In service to this day, the air-cooled "HB" variant of the M2 has been used in a wide spectrum of roles on sea, air and land, from as fundamental as an infantry heavy machine gun, as rarified as the main armament of top of the line fighter aircraft, to as oddball as being used as a sniper rifle; the famed Carlos Hathcock used a scoped M2 to set a confirmed kill range record in Vietnam that wouldn't be beaten until the War on Terror, and still holds a spot on the top 10 as of this writing. While primarily known for sporting arms, especially 22 caliber target pistols, High Standard fulfilled many government contracts for World War II, including for heavy machine guns, silencers, and barrels for the 1911A1 pistol. Hooded blade front and folding ladder peep sights, with the seven-line nomenclature, address and patent markings on the right side plate, near a set of faint military inspection markings (possibly a GHD cartouche), a short vented barrel shroud, and a heavyweight barrel. The charging handle is synthetic construction, with a set of hardwood spade grips. Two tripods are included, one green painted standard field mount (pintle included, T&E absent) and one black painted elevated anti-aircraft tripod (sans mounting hardware).