Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IV · 202

Springfield .50 M3 aircraft machinegun

Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 87 ↗

Springfield, cal. .50, M3 aircraft basic machinegun, S/N 1254946.

ATF lists cal. .50; this is the .50 BMG (12.7×99mm) cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/N 1254946”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1944–1955.
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Low editorial confidence. Some details below couldn’t be confirmed from independent sources. The ATF wording is unaffected. About confidence

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Springfield Armory
Type
Machinegun
Action
Select-fire / auto
Caliber
.50 BMG
Made
Listed serial only · c. 1944–1955production; ATF states no date¹
Service
Military
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 87 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Low · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “M2 Browning” ↗, years: T25E3 standardized as M3; 2,400 made by September 1945
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
None

Historical context

M2 Browning (base model shown for Springfield .50 M3 aircraft machinegun)
Shown: .50 AN/M2 aircraft machine guns, not this M3.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “12,7 mm automatkanon m45.jpg” by Blockhaj, CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “M2 Browning”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge, the M2 uses Browning's larger and more powerful .50 BMG cartridge. The design has had many designations; the official U.S. military designation for the infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It has been used against infantry, light armored vehicles, watercraft, light fortifications, and low-flying aircraft.