This new metal replacement barrel from LionMarc Model Designs is for the U.S. M2 Cal.50HB (Heavy Barrel) Machine Gun which has been in continuous use since the introduction of the HB in 1921. It has been adapted for use on everything from fighter and bomber aircraft during WWII onwards and fitted to just about every vehicle in the US and Allied inventory during WWII as well as post WWII vehicles right up to the current M1A2 Abrams.

The set is labelled “Modern” to indicate it does not include the distinctive barrel changing handle and the set has just two parts, the turned brass barrel with the muzzle drilled out and the machined brass perforated cooling jacket which has proven to be one of the most difficult designs to replicate in model form due to is taper and lightening holes as well as the two indentations on the sides with just the recent plastic .50cal MG from Tasca (set #35-L08, 35-L09) capturing these details accurately.

Two brass barrel parts with close up of cooling sleeve

There is no cleanup needed on the brass parts with the detail on the cooling jacket being very well done with the correct taper and four rows of lightening holes captured nicely as well as the two rear indentions with the size matching various available 1:35 plans to within acceptable tolerances.

The barrel details are also nicely done with the notches around the front of the cooling jacket attachment included and assembly is very straightforward by just slipping the barrel through the back of the cooling jacket which sees a nice snug fit at the front and you are ready to fit the barrel to any applicable gun.

There is one issue with the muzzle bore hole which is too large, the actual .50cal bore hole is about a third the diameter of the barrel end but the hole in the Lionmarc barrel is much larger. The best way to remedy this is to plug the bore hole with plastic rod or similar and then re-drill with a more appropriate sized hole.

Image of barrel bore hole and the actual bore hole for comparison


For this exercise I have fitted the barrel to the .50cal MG from the recent AFV Club M1126 Stryker ICV (kit #AF35126) and the .50cal MG from the new Dragon M1A2 SEP (kit #3536) and fitting the barrel was the same for both kit guns.

There is one thing to watch during fitting as there is nothing at the back of the cooling jacket to hold the barrel in place and it flops about until you have glued the cooling jacket in place on the gun which is a little disconcerting when trying to align the barrel to the kit gun receiver.

Note the loose barrel fit at the back of the cooling jacket
requiring care during assembly


To fit the new metal barrel you just cut off the plastic barrel and drill a small hole in the centre of the receiver front to take the pin on the barrel base. You then glue the barrel pin in place with thick cyanoacrylate for strength ensuring the barrel is aligned correctly which will need care as the cooling jacket is still loose at this stage and can give the impression things are not straight so take care.

When the barrel in glued in place you can then align the cooling jacket correctly and glue in place with the two indentations at each side using thin cyanoacrylate to finish the job.

The resulting barrel and cooling jacket combination looks very good and gives both kit guns a far more accurate look than before and is certainly worth the effort.

Metal barrel added to the AFV Club .50cal from their recent M1126 Stryker ICV kit (#AF35126)

Metal barrel added to the Dragon .50cal from their new M1A2SEP kit (#3536)

View of the front of the cooling jacket and notches in barrel that match the real thing very well

Conclusion:
This is a very simple update for any Modern era .50cal MG with no cleanup required on the parts which also have excellent details on the cooling jacket and barrel. The only real issue is the bore hole size and the tricky assembly due to the lack of precise location for the barrel at the back of the cooling jacket but using a bit of care I didn’t have any real problems on both test guns.

Highly recommended 7/10

See a comparison of the available M2 Cal.50 metal barrels

Thanks to my Credit Card and the guys at Hobby Easy.