FN (?) Manufactured M2 Tripod

**MG34** · 08-01-2015, 07:50 PM

A friend recently suffered the loss of his uncle. He and his family are collecting all the uncle's gun stuff, categorizing it, and getting ready to sell it in order to offset funeral expenses. He called me today to take a look at what they dug up. In the pile of "stuff" was an M2 tripod like I never saw before. It has an aluminum cross head and a pintle that utilizes a chain attached QD pin instead of a nut and bolt. The pin works exactly like a Colt M35 tripod cross pin. Nobody knows where the tripod came from. After some inter-web investigation, we think it is an FN manufactured tripod. Has anyone ever seen an M2 tripod like this? As you can see from the pictures, it is truly a barn find.

**Roger M** · 08-04-2015, 05:11 PM

It certainly looks like the FN M2 tripod shown here ..FN mounts

Nice find !

**MG34** · 08-04-2015, 05:57 PM

by Roger M

It certainly looks like the FN M2 tripod shown here ..FN mounts
Nice find !

Thank you for the information and link. By chance, would you know the date(s) of manufacture for these? What weapons are normally used with this tripod?

**Roger M** · 08-04-2015, 09:01 PM

I would guess it would be the FN versions of the Browning 30 and 50cal which I think they started making in the 1930's but I think if you Google some more you may have more luck as it is a bit out of my knowledge base. (Normally ww2 spanners )

**MG34** · 08-05-2015, 01:19 AM

by Roger M

I would guess it would be the FN versions of the Browning 30 and 50cal which I think they started making in the 1930's but I think if you Google some more you may have more luck as it is a bit out of my knowledge base. (Normally ww2 spanners )

Thanks again for the information. I was hoping we had some Belgian members here with additional information to share. I spoke with Dolf Goldsmith about this tripod. He wanted to see some pictures of it. I emailed him some, but I haven't heard back from him yet. One individual indicated that some of these tripods went to Israel in the early '50s and others went to the Belgian Congo around the same time period.

**MG34** · 09-23-2015, 10:38 PM

It is definitive. This is a British tripod.

I finally spoke with Dolf Goldsmith and Alex Krueger (formerly of the Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg Texas). Both identified this tripod as a post WWII British manufactured M2 tripod. Dolf said it was specifically made for British Tank Forces to use with their dismounted 1919 Brownings. British Army tanks were equipped with US 1919 Browning Machine Guns. He said this tripod, with its British made T&E, is a far more stable platform for the 1919 than the US made M2 tripod. So the Brits used their own tripod instead of the US tripod. Alex said there is a reference to, and pictures of, this tripod in a British Army Ferret manual. Dolf also said he included a picture of this tripod is in his Browning V Book around page 243.

Both Dolf and Alex wanted to know how this tripod made it to the US. It is extremely rare in the US. It was never sold on the surplus market and none were ever exported from the UK.