Box, Ammunition, Cal. .50, M2A1

Box, Ammunition, Cal. .50, M2A1 Type II.
Box, Ammunition, Cal. .50, M2A1 Type II

In the 1950s, the cal. .50 ammunition box M2A1 replaced the earlier cal. .50 ammunition box M2. Made of steel, the M2A1 ammo box can hold a metal link belt of 100 cartridges type .50 BMG for the .50 Caliber M2 Browning Machine Gun. It is also used to transport other types of ammunition. For shipping to the combat zone, two cal. .50 ammo boxes M2A1 are packed into a wirebound wooden crate. These crates are palletized and secured with tie down straps.

Thanks to its flat side walls and the parallel skirts around the lid, the late model of the M2A1 ammo box is easier to model than its predecessor. The original cal. .50 ammo box M2A1 measures 305.7 × 154.8 × 190.6 mm; which converts to 3.5 × 1.8 × 2.2 mm in 1:87 scale respectively. The ammunition box pictured below consists of a 3.5 mm section of 1.5 × 2 mm styrene plastic strip available from Evergreen. Rivet counters may want to fix the missing 0.3 mm width and 0.2 mm height of the ammo box by adding strips of 0.25 mm styrene taken from a yoghurt cup. And, anyone who goes this far, will also want to add a linked belt of .50 cal. BMG rounds made of thin copper or brass wire.

Available Models

  • Modern US Military Equipment Set, 1:35 Tamiya 35266
  • Cal. .50 Ammunition Box M2A1, 1:35 Dragon
  • Cal. .50 Ammunition Box M2A1, 1:35 Italeri
  • Cal. .50 Ammunition Box M2A1, 1:35 Trumpeter
  • Cal. .50 Ammunition Box M2A1 and Crates, 1:35 Bravo 6 B6-35075
Box, Ammunition, Cal. .50, M2A1

Box, Ammunition, Cal. .50, M2A1 in Scale

Scale Length Width Height
1:1 305.7 mm 154.8 mm 190.6 mm
1:100 3.1 mm 1.5 mm 1.9 mm
1:87 3.5 mm 1.8 mm 2.2 mm
1:76 4.0 mm 2.0 mm 2.5 mm
1:72 4.2 mm 2.2 mm 2.6 mm
1:64 4.8 mm 2.4 mm 3.0 mm
1:56 5.5 mm 2.8 mm 3.4 mm
1:48 6.4 mm 3.2 mm 4.0 mm
1:35 8.7 mm 4.4 mm 5.4 mm
1:32 9.5 mm 4.8 mm 6.0 mm

Bibliography

  • Military specifications: MIL DTL 3060 F: Box, Ammunition, M2A1 Assembly
  • Military specifications: MIL DTL 3060 F: Box, Wirebound: Boxes, Ammunition, M2A1

Modelling Techniques