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MachinegunWikipedia

Machinegun
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Amachinegunisafullyautomaticmountedorportablefirearm,designedto
firebulletsinquicksuccessionfromanammunitionbeltormagazine,typically
atarateof300to1800roundsperminute.Fullyautomaticfirearmsare
generallycategorizedassubmachineguns,assaultrifles,battlerifles,
automaticshotguns,machineguns,orautocannons.Machinegunswith
multiplerotatingbarrelsarereferredtoas"rotarymachineguns".
Asaclassofmilitaryfirearms,truemachinegunsarefullyautomaticweapons
designedtobeusedassupportweaponsandgenerallyusedwhenattached
toamountorfiredfromthegroundonabipodortripod.Lightmachineguns
aresmallenoughtobefiredhandheld,butaremoreeffectivewhenfired
fromaproneposition.Thedifferencebetweenmachinegunsandother
categoriesofweaponsisbasedoncaliber,withautocannonsusingcalibersof
20mmorlarger,[1]andwhetherthegunfiresconventionalbullets,shells,
shotguncartridges,orexplosiverounds.Fullyautomaticgunsfiringshotgun
cartridgesareusuallycalledautomaticshotguns,andthosefiringlargecaliber
explosiveroundsaregenerallyconsideredeitherautocannonsorautomatic
grenadelaunchers("grenademachineguns").Submachinegunsarehandheld
automaticweaponsforpersonaldefenseorshortrangecombatfiringpistol
caliberrounds.Incontrasttosubmachinegunsandautocannons,machine
guns(likerifles)tendtohaveaveryhighratioofbarrellengthtocaliber(a
longbarrelforasmallcaliber)indeed,atruemachinegunisessentiallyafully
automaticrifle,andoftentheprimarycriterionforamachinegunasopposed
toabattlerifleisthepresenceofaquickchangebarrel,heavyweightbarrel,
orothercoolingsystem.Battleriflesandassaultriflesmaybecapableoffully
automaticfire,butarenotdesignedforsustainedfire.Many(thoughbyno
meansall)machinegunsalsousebeltfeedingandopenboltoperation,
featuresnotnormallyfoundonrifles.

A.50caliberM2machinegun:John
Browning'sdesignhasbeenoneof
thelongestservingandmost
successfulmachinegundesigns

Top:IMINegev(lightmachinegun).
Bottom:FNMAG(generalpurpose
machinegun).

InUnitedStatesgunlaw,machinegunisalegaltermforanyweaponableto
firemorethanoneshotpertriggerpullregardlessofcaliber,thereceiverof
anysuchweapon,anyweaponconvertibletosuchastateusingnormaltools,
oranycomponentorpartthatwillmodifyanexistingfirearmsuchthatit
functionsasa"machinegun"suchasadropinautosear.[2]Civilian
Czechoslovak7.62mmUniversal
possessionofsuchweaponsisnotprohibitedbyanyFederallawandnot
MachinegunModel1959.
illegalinmanystates,buttheymustberegisteredasTitleIIweaponsunder
theNationalFirearmsActandhaveataxstamppaid.TheHughes
AmendmenttotheFirearmOwnersProtectionActof1986bannednewproductionoffirearmsclassifiedasmachine
gunsformostcivilianapplications,however,soonly"grandfathered"weaponsproducedbeforethisdatearelegally
transferable.

Contents
1 Overviewofmodernmachineguns
2 Operation
3 History
3.1 Earlyrapidfiringweapons
3.2 MaximandWorldWar1
3.3 InterwareraandWorldWarII
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4
5
6
7

3.3 InterwareraandWorldWarII
3.4 ColdWar
3.5 Future
Humaninterface
Seealso
References
Externallinks

Overviewofmodernmachineguns
Unlikesemiautomaticfirearms,whichrequireonetriggerpullperroundfired
(usuallyduetothesearonlyresettingwhenthetriggerisreleased),amachine
gunisdesignedtofireforaslongasthetriggerishelddown.Nowadaysthe
termisrestrictedtorelativelyheavyweapons,abletoprovidecontinuousor
frequentburstsofautomaticfireforaslongasammunitionlasts.Machine
gunsarenormallyusedagainstpersonnel,aircraftandlightvehicles,orto
providesuppressivefire,eitherdirectlyorindirectly.Theyarecommonly
mountedonfastattackvehiclessuchastechnicalstoprovideheavymobile
firepower,armoredvehiclessuchastanksforengagingtargetstoosmallto
justifyuseoftheprimaryweaponryortoofasttoeffectivelyengagewithit,
andonaircraftasdefensivearmamentorforstrafinggroundtargets,though
onfighteraircrafttruemachinegunshavemostlybeensupplantedbylarge
caliberrotaryguns.

AMitsubishiType73LightTruck
ShnwithaSumitomoM2heavy
machinegunmountedattherearwith
foliageusedtocamouflagethevehicle
fromsight.Thiswasonpublic
displayatCampNarashino.

Somemachinegunshaveinpracticesustainedfirealmostcontinuouslyfor
hoursotherautomaticweaponsoverheatafterlessthanaminuteofuse.
Becausetheybecomeveryhot,practicallyallmachinegunsfirefromanopenbolt,topermitaircoolingfromthebreech
betweenbursts.Theyalsousuallyhaveeitherabarrelcoolingsystem,slowheatingheavyweightbarrel,orremovable
barrelswhichallowahotbarreltobereplaced.
Althoughsubdividedinto"light","medium","heavy"or"generalpurpose",eventhelightestmachinegunstendtobe
substantiallylargerandheavierthanstandardinfantryarms.Mediumandheavymachinegunsareeithermountedona
tripodoronavehiclewhencarriedonfoot,themachinegunandassociatedequipment(tripod,ammunition,spare
barrels)requireadditionalcrewmembers.
Lightmachinegunsaredesignedtoprovidemobilefiresupporttoasquadandaretypicallyaircooledweaponsfitted
withaboxmagazineordrumandabipodtheymayusefullsizeriflerounds,butmodernexamplesoftenuse
intermediaterounds.Mediummachinegunsusefullsizedrifleroundsandaredesignedtobeusedfromfixedpositions
mountedonatripod.HeavymachinegunisatermoriginatinginWorldWar1todescribeheavyweightmedium
machinegunsandpersistedintoWorldWar2withJapaneseHotchkissM1914clonestoday,however,itisusedto
refertoautomaticweaponswithacaliberofatleast.50in(12.7mm)butlessthan20mm.Ageneralpurposemachine
gunisusuallyalightweightmediummachinegunwhichcaneitherbeusedwithabipodanddruminthelightmachine
gunroleoratripodandbeltfeedinthemediummachinegunrole.
USArmydoctrinealsoincludestheroleof"squadautomaticweapon"(SAW),aweaponwhichisusedbyasingle
crewmanandisregardedasan"automaticrifle"ratherthanamachinegun,thoughtheweaponitselfmayactuallybea
machineguninfunctionalterms.FM322.68"CrewServedMachineGuns",describeshowtheM249canbeused
eitherasamachinegunorasanautomaticrifle:"BoththeM249automaticrifleandtheM249machinegunare
identical,butitsemploymentisdifferent.TheM249automaticrifleisoperatedbyanautomaticrifleman,butits
ammunitionmaybecarriedbyotherSoldierswithinthesquadorunit.TheM249machinegunisacrewserved
weapon."[3]

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Machinegunsusuallyhavesimpleironsights,thoughtheuseofopticsisbecomingmorecommon.Acommonaiming
systemfordirectfireistoalternatesolid("ball")roundsandtracerammunitionrounds(usuallyonetracerroundfor
everyfourballrounds),soshooterscanseethetrajectoryand"walk"thefireintothetarget,anddirectthefireofother
soldiers.
Manyheavymachineguns,suchastheBrowningM2.50calibermachinegun,areaccurateenoughtoengagetargetsat
greatdistances.DuringtheVietnamWar,CarlosHathcocksettherecordforalongdistanceshotat7382ft(2250m)
witha.50caliberheavymachinegunhehadequippedwithatelescopicsight.[4]Thisledtotheintroductionof.50
caliberantimaterielsniperrifles,suchastheBarrettM82.
Otherautomaticweaponsaresubdividedintoseveralcategoriesbasedonthesizeofthebulletused,andwhetherthe
cartridgeisfiredfromapositivelylockedclosedbolt,oranonpositivelylockedopenbolt.Fullyautomaticfirearms
usingpistolcaliberammunitionarecalledmachinepistolsorsubmachinegunslargelyonthebasisofsizethoseusing
shotguncartridgesarealmostalwaysreferredtoasautomaticshotguns.Thetermpersonaldefenseweapon(PDW)is
sometimesappliedtoweaponsfiringdedicatedarmorpiercingroundswhichwouldotherwiseberegardedasmachine
pistolsorSMGs,butitisnotparticularlystronglydefinedandhashistoricallybeenusedtodescribearangeofweapons
fromordinarySMGstocompactassaultrifles.Selectivefireriflesfiringafullpowerriflecartridgefromaclosedbolt
arecalledautomaticriflesorbattlerifles,whileriflesthatfireanintermediatecartridgearecalledassaultrifles.
Assaultriflesareacompromisebetweenthesizeandweightofapistolcalibersubmachinegunandafullsizebattlerifle,
firingintermediatecartridgesandallowingsemiautomaticandburstorfullautomaticfireoptions(selectivefire),
sometimeswithbothofthelatterpresent.
Incertainstates,likeCalifornia,certainweaponsthatcosmeticallyresembletrueassaultrifles,butareonlysemi
automatic(autoloading),arecategorizedasassaultweaponsandpossessionbyciviliansisgenerallyillegal.Supporters
ofgunrightsgenerallyconsiderthisapplicationofthephrase"assaultweapon"tobeamisnomerandthistermisinfact
seldomusedoutsideoftheUnitedStatesforthesecivilianfirearms.

Operation
Allmachinegunsfollowacycle:
Pulling(manuallyorelectrically)theboltassembly/boltcarrierrearwardbywayofthecockinglevertothepoint
boltcarrierengagesasearandstaysatrearpositionuntiltriggerisactivatedmakingboltcarriermoveforward
Loadingfreshroundintochamberandlockingbolt
Firingroundbywayofafiringpinorstriker(exceptforaircraftmediumcaliberusingelectricignitionprimers)
hittingtheprimerthatignitesthepowderwhenboltreacheslockedposition.
Unlockingandremovingthespentcasefromthechamberandejectingitoutoftheweaponasboltismoving
rearward
Loadingthenextroundintothefiringchamber.Usuallytherecoilspring(alsoknownasmainspring)tension
pushesboltbackintobatteryandacamstripsthenewroundfromafeedingdevice,beltorbox.
Cycleisrepeatedaslongasthetriggerisactivatedbyoperator.Releasingthetriggerresetsthetriggermechanismby
engagingasearsotheweaponstopsfiringwithboltcarrierfullyattherear.
Theoperationisbasicallythesameforallsemiautomaticorautomaticweapons,regardlessofthemeansofactivating
thesemechanisms.Someexamples:
Machinepistolsandsubmachineguns(liketheWorldWarII"greasegun",MAC10ortheUzi)areusually
blowbackoperated.
Mostassaultriflesandsquadautomaticweaponsaregasoperated.Someweapons,suchastheAR15/M16,
donothaveapiston,insteadusingasystemofdirectimpingementinwhichthegasesoperatetheboltcarrierby

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actingdirectlyonit.Others,liketheoriginalSA80patterns,havea
boltcarrierthatisunlockedandoperatedbyapistonactuatedby
gases.
Arecoilactuatedmachinegunusestherecoiltofirstunlockandthen
operatetheaction.Heavymachineguns,suchastheM2Browning
.50,areofthistype.Acam,leveroractuatordemultiplicatesthe
energyoftherecoiltooperatethebolt.
directimpingement
Anexternallyactuatedweaponusesanexternalpowersource,suchas
anelectricmotororevenahandcranktomoveitsmechanismthrough
thefiringsequence.Mostmodernweaponsofthistypearecalled
Gatlinggunsinreferencetotheirdrivingmechanism.Gatlinggunshave
severalbarrelseachwithanassociatedactiononarotatingcarousel
andasystemofcamsthatload,cock,andfireeachmechanism
progressivelyasitrotatesthroughthesequenceessentiallyeachbarrel
isaseparateboltactionrifleusingacommonfeedsource.The
gaspiston
continuousnatureoftherotaryactionallowsforanincrediblyhigh
cyclicrateoffire,oftenseveralthousandroundsperminute.Rotary
gunsarelesspronetojammingthanagunoperatedbygasorrecoil,astheexternalpowersourcewilleject
misfiredroundswithnofurthertrouble,butthisisnotpossibleintherarecasesofselfpoweredrotaryguns.
Rotarygunsaregenerallyusedwithlargerounds,20mmindiameterormore,offeringbenefitsofreliabilityand
firepower,thoughtheweightandsizeofthepowersourceanddrivingmechanismmakesthemimpracticalfor
useoutsideofavehicleoraircraftmount.
Revolvercannons,suchastheMauserMK213,weredevelopedinWorldWarIIbytheGermanstoprovide
highcalibercannonswithareasonablerateoffireandreliability.Arecoiloperatedcarriageholdsarevolving
chamberwithtypicallyfivechambers.Aseachroundisfired,electrically,thecarriagemovesbackrotatingthe
chamberwhichalsoejectsthespentcase,indexesthenextliveroundtobefiredwiththebarrelandloadsthe
nextroundintothechamber.Theactionisverysimilartothatoftherevolverpistolscommoninthe19thand
20thcenturies,givingthistypeofweaponitsname.
Firingamachinegunforprolongedperiodsproduceslargeamountsofheat.Inaworstcasescenariothismaycausea
cartridgetooverheatanddetonateevenwhenthetriggerisnotpulled,potentiallyleadingtodamageorcausingthegun
tocycleitsactionandkeepfiringuntilithasexhausteditsammunitionsupplyorjammed(thisisknownascookoff,
distinctfromrunawayfirewherethesearfailstodisengagewhenthetriggerisreleased).Topreventthis,somekindof
coolingsystemisrequired.Earlymachinegunswereoftenwatercooledwhileveryeffective,thewateralsoadded
considerableweighttoanalreadybulkydesign.Aircooledmachinegunsoftenfeaturequickchangebarrels,often
carriedbyacrewmember,passivecoolingfins,orinsomedesignssystemsofforcedaircoolingsuchasthatemployed
bytheLewisGun.Thehighertherateoffire,themoreoftenbarrelsmustbechangedandallowedtocool.Tominimize
this,mostaircooledgunsarefiredonlyinshortburstsoratareducedrateoffire.Somedesignssuchasthemany
variantsoftheMG42arecapableofratesoffireinexcessof1,200roundsperminute.
Inweaponswheretheroundseatsandfiresatthesametime,mechanicaltimingisessentialforoperatorsafety,to
preventtheroundfromfiringbeforeitisseatedproperly.Machinegunsarecontrolledbyoneormoremechanical
sears.Whenasearisinplace,iteffectivelystopstheboltatsomepointinitsrangeofmotion.Somesearsstopthebolt
whenitislockedtotherear.Othersearsstopthefiringpinfromgoingforwardaftertheroundislockedintothe
chamber.Almostallmachinegunshavea"safety"sear,whichsimplykeepsthetriggerfromengaging.

History
Itwouldnotbeuntilthemid19thcenturythatsuccessfulmachinegundesignscameintoexistence.Thekey
characteristicofmodernmachineguns,theirrelativelyhighrateoffireandmoreimportantlymechanicalloading,[5]came
withtheModel1862Gatlinggun,whichwasadoptedbytheUnitedStatesNavy.Theseweaponswerestillpowered

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byhandhowever,thischangedwithHiramMaxim'sideaofharnessingrecoilenergytopowerreloadinginhisMaxim
machinegun.Dr.Gatlingalsoexperimentedwithelectricmotorpoweredmodelsthisexternallypoweredmachine
reloadinghasseenuseinmodernweaponsaswell.
Whiletechnicaluseoftheterm"machinegun"hasvaried,themoderndefinitionusedbytheSportingArmsand
AmmunitionManufacturers'InstituteofAmericais"Afullyautomaticfirearmthatloads,firesandejectscontinuously
whenthetriggerisheldtotherearuntiltheammunitionisexhaustedorpressureonthetriggerisreleased."[5]This
definitionexcludesmostearlymanuallyoperatedrepeatingarmssuchasvolleygunsandtheGatlinggun.

Earlyrapidfiringweapons
Thefirstknownancestorsofmultishotweaponsweremedievalorganguns,
whilethefirsttohavetheabilitytofiremultipleshotsfromasinglebarrel
withoutafullmanualreloadwererevolversmadeinEuropeinthelate1500s.
OneisashouldergunlengthweaponmadeinNuremberg,Germany,circa
1580.Anotherisarevolvingarquebus,producedbyHansStoplerof
Nurembergin1597.[6]
Detailofan8chamberedmatchlock
revolver(Germanyc.1580)

Truerepeatinglongarmsweredifficulttomanufacturepriortothe
developmentoftheunitaryfirearmcartridgenevertheless,leveraction
repeatingriflessuchastheKalthoffrepeaterandCooksonrepeaterwere
madeinsmallquantitiesinthe17thcentury.

AnotherearlyrevolvinggunwascreatedbyJamesPuckle,aLondonlawyer,
whopatentedwhathecalled"ThePuckleGun"onMay15,1718.Itwasa
designforamanuallyoperated1.25in.(32mm)caliber,flintlockcannonwith
arevolvercylinderabletofire611roundsbeforereloadingbyswappingout
thecylinder,intendedforuseonships.[7]Itwasoneoftheearliestweapons
tobereferredtoasamachinegun,beingcalledsuchin1722,[8]thoughits
operationdoesnotmatchthemodernusageoftheterm.Accordingto
Puckle,itwasabletofireroundbulletsatChristiansandsquarebulletsat
Turks.[7]However,itwasacommercialfailureandwasnotadoptedor
producedinanymeaningfulquantity.

ReplicaPuckleGunfromBucklers
HardMaritimeMuseum.

In1777,PhiladelphiagunsmithJosephBeltonofferedtheContinental
Congressa"newimprovedgun",whichwascapableoffiringuptotwentyshotsinfivesecondsunlikeolderrepeaters
usingcomplexleveractionmechanisms,itusedasimplersystemofsuperposedloads,andwasloadedwithasingle
largepapercartridge.CongressrequestedthatBeltonmodify100flintlockmusketstofireeightshotsinthismanner,
butrescindedtheorderwhenBelton'spriceprovedtoohigh.[9][10]
Intheearlyandmid19thcentury,anumberofrapidfiringweaponsappearedwhichofferedmultishotfire,mostly
volleyguns.Volleyguns(suchastheMitrailleuse)anddoublebarreledpistolsreliedonduplicatingallpartsofthegun,
thoughtheNockgunusedtheotherwiseundesirable"chainfire"phenomenon(wheremultiplechambersareignitedat
once)topropagateasparkfromasingleflintlockmechanismtomultiplebarrels.Pepperboxpistolsalsodidawaywith
needingmultiplehammersbutusedmultiplemanuallyoperatedbarrels.Revolversfurtherreducedthistoonlyneedinga
prepreparedcylinderandlinkedadvancingthecylindertocockingthehammer.However,thesewerestillmanually
operated.
TheAgarGun,otherwiseknownasa"coffeemillgun"becauseofitsresemblancetoacoffeemill,wasinventedby
WilsonAgaratthebeginningoftheUSCivilWar.Theweaponfeaturedmechanizedloadingusingahandcranklinked
toahopperabovetheweapon.Theweaponfeaturedasinglebarrelandfiredthroughtheturningofthesamecrankit
operatedusingpapercartridgesfittedwithpercussioncapsandinsertedintometaltubeswhichactedaschambersit
wasthereforefunctionallysimilartoarevolver.TheweaponwasdemonstratedtoPresidentLincolnin1861.Hewas
soimpressedwiththeweaponthathepurchased10onthespotfor$1,500apiece.TheUnionArmyeventually
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purchasedatotalof54oftheweapons.However,duetoantiquatedviewsof
theOrdnanceDepartmenttheweapons,likeitsmorefamouscounterpartthe
GatlingGun,sawonlylimiteduse.
TheGatlinggun,patentedin1861byRichardJordanGatling,wasthefirstto
offercontrolled,sequentialfirewithmechanicalloading.Thedesign'skey
featuresweremachineloadingofpreparedcartridgesandahandoperated
crankforsequentialhighspeedfiring.Itfirstsawverylimitedactioninthe
AmericanCivilWaritwassubsequentlyimprovedandusedintheFranco
PrussianwarandNorthWestRebellion.Manyweresoldtootherarmiesin
thelate19thcenturyandcontinuedtobeusedintotheearly20thcentury,
untiltheyweregraduallysupplantedbyMaximguns.Earlymultibarrelguns
wereapproximatelythesizeandweightofcontemporaryartillerypieces,and
wereoftenperceivedasareplacementforcannonfiringgrapeshotorcanister

AdetachmentofFrenchinfantrywith
2SaintEtienneModel1907machine
guns(c.1914)

shot.[11]Thelargewheelsrequiredtomovethesegunsaroundrequireda
highfiringpositionwhichincreasedthevulnerabilityoftheircrews.[11]Sustainedfiringofgunpowdercartridges
generatedacloudofsmokemakingconcealmentimpossibleuntilsmokelesspowderbecameavailableinthelate19th
century.[12]Gatlinggunsweretargetedbyartillerytheycouldnotreachandtheircrewsweretargetedbysnipersthey
couldnotsee.[11]TheGatlinggunwasusedmostsuccessfullytoexpandEuropeancolonialempiresbykillingwarriors
ofnonindustrializedsocieties.[11]
In1870aLt.D.H.FribergoftheSwedisharmypatentedafullyautomatic
recoiloperatedfirearmactionandmayhaveproducedfiringprototypesofa
deriveddesignaround1882:thiswastheforerunnertothe1907Kjellman
machinegun,thoughduetorapidresiduebuildupfromtheuseofblack
powderFriberg'sdesignwasnotapracticalweapon.[13]
Intheearly1880sWilliamCantelodevelopedanotherrecoiloperated
machinegunthatapparentlyreachedasatisfactorylevelofdevelopmentfor
itsinventorbutdisappearedalongwithhimwhenhewentonholidayshortly
afterwards.

MaximandWorldWar1
Thefirstpracticalselfpoweredmachinegunwasinventedin1884bySir
HiramMaxim.The"Maximgun"usedtherecoilpowerofthepreviouslyfired
bullettoreloadratherthanbeinghandpowered,enablingamuchhigherrate
offirethanwaspossibleusingearlierdesignssuchastheNordenfeltand
Gatlingweapons.Maximalsointroducedtheuseofwatercooling,viaa
waterjacketaroundthebarrel,toreduceoverheating.Maxim'sgunwas
widelyadoptedandderivativedesignswereusedonallsidesduringtheFirst
WorldWar.Thedesignrequiredfewercrewandwaslighterandmoreusable
thantheNordenfeltandGatlingguns.FirstWorldWarcombatexperience
greatlyincreasedtheimportanceofthemachinegun.TheUnitedStatesArmy
issuedfourmachinegunsperregimentin1912,butthatallowanceincreased
to336machinegunsperregimentby1919.[14]

BritishVickersmachineguninaction
nearOvillersduringtheBattleofthe
Sommein1916.Thecreware
wearinggasmasks.

Amodelofatypicalentrenched
GermanmachinegunnerinWorld
WarI.HeisoperatinganMG08,
wearingaStahlhelmandcuirassto
protecthimfromshellfragments,and
protectedbyrowsofbarbedwireand
sandbags.

HeavygunsbasedontheMaximsuchastheVickersmachinegunwere
joinedbymanyothermachineweapons,whichmostlyhadtheirstartinthe
early20thcenturysuchastheHotchkissmachinegun.Submachineguns
(e.g.,theGermanMP18)aswellaslightermachineguns(theLewisgun,for
example)sawtheirfirstmajoruseinWorldWarI,alongwithheavyuseof
largecalibermachineguns.ThebiggestsinglecauseofcasualtiesinWorldWarIwasactuallyartillery,butcombined
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withwireentanglements,machinegunsearnedafearsomereputation.The
automaticmechanismsofmachinegunswereappliedtohandguns,givingrise
toautomaticpistols(andeventuallymachinepistols)suchastheBorchardt
(1890s)andlatersubmachineguns(suchastheBeretta1918).Machineguns
weremountedinaircraftforthefirsttimeinWorldWarI.Firing"through"a
movingpropellerwasinitiallyevadedthroughmetalreinforcementofthe
propeller,orsimplyavoidingtheproblemwithwingmountedgunsorhaving
apusherpropeller.Bythelatespringof1915,theintroductionofthegun
synchronizerbytheGermanFliegertruppemadeitpossibletofireforward
throughaspinningpropellerforfighteraircrafttocomeintotheirown,also
requiringtheordnanceusedtohaveaclosedboltfiringcycleforthebest
chanceofsuccess.

Collectionofoldmachinegunsinthe
MeimurjeCountyMuseum
(akovec,Croatia).

InterwareraandWorldWarII
AsbettermaterialsbecameavailablefollowingtheFirstWorldWar,lightmachinegunsbecamemorereadilyportable
designssuchastheBrenlightmachinegunreplacedbulkypredecessorsliketheLewisguninthesquadsupport
weaponrole,whilethemoderndivisionbetweenmediummachinegunsliketheM1919Browningmachinegunand
heavymachinegunsliketheBrowningM2becameclearer.Waterjacketcoolingsystemswerelargelyabandonedas
unnecessary.
Theinterwaryearsalsoproducedthefirstwidelyusedandsuccessfulgeneralpurposemachinegun,theGerman
MG34.Whilethismachinegunwasequallyableinthelightandmediumroles,itproveddifficulttomanufacturein
quantity,andexpertsonindustrialmetalworkingwerecalledintoredesigntheweaponformoderntooling,creatingthe
MG42.Thisweaponwassimpler,cheapertoproduce,firedfaster,andreplacedtheMG34ineveryapplicationexcept
vehiclemounts,sincetheMG42'sbarrelchangingsystemcouldnotbeoperatedwhenitwasmounted.
Submachinegunsevolvedduringthewar,goingfromcomplexandfinelymadeweaponsliketheThompsonsubmachine
guntoweaponsdesignedformassproductionandeasyreplacementliketheStengun.OntheEasternFront,entire
SovietdivisionswereequippedwithnothingbutthePPSh41submachinegun.Experienceincloserangecitycombat
ledtotheGermanmilitarydesiringaweaponrepresentingacompromisebetweenthehighfirevolumeoftheSMGand
theaccuracyofafullsizerifleafterafalsestartwiththeFG42,thisledtothedevelopmentoftheMP44selectfire
assaultrifle,thefirstweapontobecalledsuch.

ColdWar
ExperiencewiththeMG42ledtotheUSissuingarequirementtoreplacetheagingBrowningAutomaticRiflewitha
similarweapon,whichwouldalsoreplacetheM1919simplyusingtheMG42itselfwasnotpossible,asthedesign
briefrequiredaweaponwhichcouldbefiredfromthehiporshoulderliketheBAR.Theresultingdesign,theM60
machinegun,wasissuedtotroopsduringtheVietnamWar.
Asitbecameclearthatahighvolumeoffireweaponwouldbeneededforfastmovingjetaircrafttoreliablyhittheir
opponents,Gatling'sworkwithelectricallypoweredweaponswasrecalledandthe20mmM61Vulcandesigneda
miniaturized7.62mmversioninitiallyknownasthe"miniVulcan"andsoonshortedto"minigun"wassooninproduction
foruseonhelicopters,wherethevolumeoffirecouldcompensatefortheinstabilityofthehelicopterasafiringplatform.

Future
Conventionalmachinegundevelopmenthasbeenslowedbythefactthatexistingmachinegundesignsareadequatefor
mostpurposes,althoughsignificantdevelopmentsaretakingplacewithregardtocaselessammunition,antiarmorand
antimissileweapons.

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Themostcommoninterfaceonmachinegunsisapistolgripandtrigger.On
earliermanualmachineguns,themostcommontypewasahandcrank.On
externallypoweredmachineguns,suchasminiguns,anelectronicbuttonor
triggeronajoystickiscommonlyused.Lightmachinegunsoftenhaveabutt
stockattached,whilevehicleandtripodmountedmachinegunsusuallyhave
spadegrips.Inthelate20thcentury,scopesandothercomplexoptics
becamemorecommonasopposedtothemorebasicironsights.
Loadingsystemsinearlymanualmachinegunswereoftenfromahopperof
loose(unlinked)cartridges.Manualoperatedvolleygunsusuallyhadtobe
reloadedmanuallyallatonce(eachbarrelreloadedbyhand,orwithasetof
cartridgesaffixedtoaplatethatwasinsertedintotheweapon).With
hoppers,theroundscouldoftenbeaddedwhiletheweaponwasfiring.This
graduallychangedtobeltfedtypes.Beltswereeitherheldintheopenbythe
person,orinabagorbox.Somemodernvehiclemachinegunsusedlinkless
feedsystemshowever.
Modernmachinegunsarecommonlymountedinoneoffourways.Thefirst
isabipodoftentheseareintegratedwiththeweapon.Thisiscommonon
lightmachinegunsandsomemediummachineguns.Anotherisatripod,
wherethepersonholdingitdoesnotforma'leg'ofsupport.Mediumand
heavymachinegunsusuallyusetripods.Onships,vehiclesandaircraft
machinegunsareusuallymountedonapintlemountbasicallyasteelpost
thatisconnectedtotheframeorbody.Tripodandpintlemountsareusually
usedwithspadegrips.Thelastmajormountingtypeisonethatis
disconnectedfromhumans,aspartofanarmamentsystem,suchasatank
coaxialorpartofaircraft'sarmament.Theseareusuallyelectricallyfiredand
havecomplexsightingsystems,forexampletheUSHelicopterArmament
Subsystems.

AU.S.Navy7.62mmGAU17/A
Minigun.Itisexternallypoweredby
anelectricmotor(seenontop)that
powerstheloading,priming,and
firingmechanism.Also,notethe
spadegrips,pintlemountandrapid
cartridgecaseejection.

CloseupofM2Thismachinegunis
partofacomplexarmament
subsystemitisaimedandfiredfrom
theaircraftratherthandirectly

Seealso
Assaultrifle
Autocannon
Breda(machinegun)
Chaingun
Firearmaction
Gatlinggun
Generalpurposemachinegun
Heavymachinegun
Lightmachinegun
Listoffirearms
Listofmachineguns
Listofmultiplebarrelmachineguns
Mediummachinegun
Minigun
Mitrailleuse
Personaldefenseweapon
Revolvercannon
Squadautomaticweapon
Submachinegun
Weapon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_gun

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MachinegunWikipedia

References
1.MarchantSmith,C.J.,&Haslam,P.R.,SmallArms&Cannons,Brassey'sBattlefieldWeaponsSystems&Technology,
VolumeV,Brassey'sPublishers,London,1982,p.169
2.InUnitedStateslaw,aMachineGunisdefined(inpart)byTheNationalFirearmsActof1934,26U.S.C.5845(b)(h
ttps://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/5845#b)as"...anyweaponwhichshoots...automaticallymorethanone
shot,withoutmanualreloading,byasinglefunctionofthetrigger."
3.U.S.ArmyTrainingandDoctrineCommandFieldManual322.68"CrewServedMachineGuns",para.4207
https://rdl.train.army.mil/soldierPortal/atia/adlsc/view/public/67131/fm/322.68/chap4.htm#sec5
4.Henderson,Charles.MarineSniperBerkleyCaliber.(2005)ISBN0425103552.
5."SAAMI.orgterminologyglossary".SportingArmsandAmmunitionManufacturers'Institute.
6.RogerPauly(2004).Firearms:TheLifeStoryofaTechnology.GreenwoodPublishingGroup.ISBN0313327963.
7.originalpatentclaimreproducedin:FrancisBannermanSonsBannermanMilitaryGoodsCatalogue#28(1954)p.103
8."TheArmouryofHisGracetheDukeofBuccleuchandQueensberry"(PDF).UniversityofHuddersfield.
9.HaroldL.Peterson(2000).ArmsandArmorinColonialAmerica,15261783.CourierDoverPublications.pp.217
218.ISBN048641244X.
10.UnitedStatesContinentalCongress(1907).JournalsoftheContinentalCongress.USGPO.,pages324,361
11.Emmott,N.W."TheDevil'sWateringPot"UnitedStatesNavalInstituteProceedingsSeptember1972p.70
12.Emmott,N.W."TheDevil'sWateringPot"UnitedStatesNavalInstituteProceedingsSeptember1972pp.72
13.http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/MG/I/MG3.html
14.Ayres,LeonardP.(1919).TheWarwithGermany(Seconded.).Washington,DC:UnitedStatesGovernmentPrinting
Office.p.65.

Externallinks
DiscoverMilitaryMachineGuns(http://discovermilitary.com/category/
WikimediaCommonshas
weapons/machineguns/)
mediarelatedtoMachine
FromGatlingtoBrowning(http://www.popsci.com/archiveviewer?id
guns.
=MSEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=118&query=June+1945)September
1945articlePopularScience
HowStuffWorks(http://people.howstuffworks.com/machinegun.htm)ArticleontheoperationofMachine
Guns,animateddiagramsareincluded.
TheREMEMuseumofTechnologymachineguns(http://www.rememuseum.org.uk/collections_view.aspx?mid
=2&scid=7)
U.S.Patent15,315(https://www.google.com/patents/US15315)Apatentforanearlyautomaticcannon
Vickersmachinegunsite(http://www.vickersmachinegun.org.uk/)
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