Vickers-Berthier Mk II Light
Vickers Limited · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1931
Also known as: Light Mark 2, VB Mk 2 Light, Vickers-Berthier Light Mark II
Overview
The Vickers-Berthier Mk II Light is a lightened variant of the British Vickers-Berthier gas-operated light machine gun, developed in 1931 for evaluation by the British Indian Army. Chambered in .303 British and fed from a top-mounted 30-round detachable box magazine, it retained the long-stroke gas piston and tilting-breechblock action of the earlier marks while shedding weight through a smooth (unfinned) barrel, a carved-out buttstock, and a revised forend with the buttstock monopod deleted. This lightened design directly informed the slightly heavier Indian Mark 3 that was adopted in 1933 and produced at the Ishapore Rifle Factory.
Specifications
| Overall Length | 1180 mm (46.46") |
| Barrel Length | 607 mm (23.90") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 747 m/s (2451 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3120 J (2301 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 730 m (798 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 5 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .303 British · primary — also known as .303 Mk VII, 7.7x56mmR, .303 Enfield
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Top Mounted Magazine, Smooth Unfinned Barrel, Quick Detach Barrel, Integral Bipod, Tilting Breechblock, Lightened Buttstock
Base model
Service history
Operators
- British Indian Army
- United Kingdom
Production
Production years: 1931-1933
Trials/evaluation variant produced in limited numbers before the Indian Mark 3 was standardized
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: Adolphe Berthier
Discontinued: 1933
Notes
Sometimes catalogued as the 'Light Mark 2' or 'Mk 2 Light'. It was an interim development between the 1929 Mark 2 and the definitive Indian Mark 3, and served mainly as a trials/evaluation model rather than a mass-production service weapon.
Background
The Mk II Light was Vickers' answer to Indian Army demands for a lighter squad gun - engineers literally carved material out of the buttstock and stripped the cooling fins off the barrel, and the lessons learned went straight into the Mark 3 that armed Indian infantry through World War II.