light machine guns are used in squads as support weapons, they are flexible and can be easily adapted to any situation. they generally are using rifle rounds, in our case 7.62. heavy machine guns are direct fire weapons to be used against hardened targets, they go anywhere from 50cal to 30mml (a 30mml is a hell of alot bigger then a 50 cal) any bigger than 30mml is usually referred to as a auto canon.
Why do they call them "Light" Machine Guns?
- Thread starter IronicBeet
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I had always assumed that their naming conventions were due to them being human portable (can be carried by a person as opposed to on a fixed emplacement) weapons which were a step down in size from their vehicle or placement mounted counterparts. The LMG being the little brother to the machine gun such as from the top of a battletank, and the minigun being little brother to the gatling gun such as the 30 mm Avenger (which incidentally is attached to one of my favorite aircraft). Don't bull rush me on this, I am no military hardware buff however this is what I've always assumed to be true.
Because machine guns used to be huge things on wheels or tripods, not the (relatively) smaller things they are today.
You know what I miss? Submachine guns = machine pistols.
You know what I miss? Submachine guns = machine pistols.
Look
you have to be specific when talking about the "Minigun"
the "minigun" most talk about usually shots a 7.62mm round, and that itself isn't really a "large" round
and then it has 2 common older cousins the 20mm Vulcan (gatling) cannon and the 30mm Avenger. They look the same, they have similar operations but they are different.
7.62 mm "Minigun" even with API rounds will probably not cut through much armor but it will shred most defensive cover or turn light APC's into swiss cheese, along with concrete/brick walls. The API rounds can take out light armored helocopters because of the sheer ammount of steel it puts on target
20mm will shred tank armor and perforate concrete bunkers, but they are also effective AA weapons
30mm will cut through heavy steel reinforced bunkers, shoot down any plane/helicopter/flying tank. and will generally destroy anything you want destroyed. The explosive rounds from these will hit like hand grenades and then rip through the thickest armor, it even can flatten cave openings or destroy any ship at sea. due to its rounds weight though most airframes cannot handle enough rounds for it to be used as a long engagement for air battles
People call all of these miniguns because they all represent the cute little 7.62.
you have to be specific when talking about the "Minigun"
the "minigun" most talk about usually shots a 7.62mm round, and that itself isn't really a "large" round
and then it has 2 common older cousins the 20mm Vulcan (gatling) cannon and the 30mm Avenger. They look the same, they have similar operations but they are different.
7.62 mm "Minigun" even with API rounds will probably not cut through much armor but it will shred most defensive cover or turn light APC's into swiss cheese, along with concrete/brick walls. The API rounds can take out light armored helocopters because of the sheer ammount of steel it puts on target
20mm will shred tank armor and perforate concrete bunkers, but they are also effective AA weapons
30mm will cut through heavy steel reinforced bunkers, shoot down any plane/helicopter/flying tank. and will generally destroy anything you want destroyed. The explosive rounds from these will hit like hand grenades and then rip through the thickest armor, it even can flatten cave openings or destroy any ship at sea. due to its rounds weight though most airframes cannot handle enough rounds for it to be used as a long engagement for air battles
People call all of these miniguns because they all represent the cute little 7.62.
As many have said,Light Machine Guns are those you can actually fire from the hip. Heavy machine guns are mounted on tripods or vehicles. As for Minigun,it's because full-sized Vulcan cannon it was based on is just that - GUN.
As for SMGs,in Russian they are called "Pistol-Machineguns". But,you know,actual machine guns are called very literaly - "Bullet-throwers". And assault rifles are just "Automats". Wrap your head around that.
As for SMGs,in Russian they are called "Pistol-Machineguns". But,you know,actual machine guns are called very literaly - "Bullet-throwers". And assault rifles are just "Automats". Wrap your head around that.
A heavy machine gun cannot be carried around. A light machine gun is a smaller version of a heavy, able to be fired while carried. Sub machine guns are even smaller version.
AK-47, M16, SCAR, etc, are not machine guns, they are rifles.
M2BR, .303, 240, etc, are heavy.
PKM, RPK, M60, MG42 are light machine guns, or simply Machine Guns (MG)
MP5, Skorpian, UMP are sub machine guns.
AK-47, M16, SCAR, etc, are not machine guns, they are rifles.
M2BR, .303, 240, etc, are heavy.
PKM, RPK, M60, MG42 are light machine guns, or simply Machine Guns (MG)
MP5, Skorpian, UMP are sub machine guns.
It seems your question has already been answered.
I will chip in and say anything around 20mm and above is considered an Autocannon, because these are larger than heavy machine guns and have 1 barrel. They are not generally meant to be used against infantry, but vehicles and aircraft.
I will chip in and say anything around 20mm and above is considered an Autocannon, because these are larger than heavy machine guns and have 1 barrel. They are not generally meant to be used against infantry, but vehicles and aircraft.
I think you've had you question answered, but meaning no disrespect: Why didn't you just Google this?
Much of this has been covered.
The first machine guns were huge, heavy and needed to be deployed before use, on a mount. Light machine guns were a later development, after WW1. They were much lighter, could be used without a mount (although preferably with one). I would suggest a quick extra point about usage.
Hvy machine guns were often independent units directly subordinate to a division or brigade commander, and sometimes temporarily attached to battalions. They were generally deployed at key locations, the idea being to provide massive suppressing fire from a fixed point. To this end, they usually needed a team of about 5 men team to carry the gun, mount and a huge amount of ammo.
Light machine guns fulfilled a different role. There was usually just a 2-man squad, for gun, mount and ammo. In those days, soldiers mostly had relatively slow-firing rifles. LMGs were not for massive suppressing fire as HMGs, but to increase the basic firepower of a squad or a platoon, and were intrinsic equipment at that level. They simply didn't have enough ammo to be used for massive suppressing fire as an HMGs were; each HMG would have thousands of bullets at full supply, whereas your average LMG would only have a few hundred.
The first machine guns were huge, heavy and needed to be deployed before use, on a mount. Light machine guns were a later development, after WW1. They were much lighter, could be used without a mount (although preferably with one). I would suggest a quick extra point about usage.
Hvy machine guns were often independent units directly subordinate to a division or brigade commander, and sometimes temporarily attached to battalions. They were generally deployed at key locations, the idea being to provide massive suppressing fire from a fixed point. To this end, they usually needed a team of about 5 men team to carry the gun, mount and a huge amount of ammo.
Light machine guns fulfilled a different role. There was usually just a 2-man squad, for gun, mount and ammo. In those days, soldiers mostly had relatively slow-firing rifles. LMGs were not for massive suppressing fire as HMGs, but to increase the basic firepower of a squad or a platoon, and were intrinsic equipment at that level. They simply didn't have enough ammo to be used for massive suppressing fire as an HMGs were; each HMG would have thousands of bullets at full supply, whereas your average LMG would only have a few hundred.
Some definitions for you:IronicBeet said:
Sub Machine gun: An automatic weapon that fires pistol caliber rounds and can be carried/operated/fired by one man. Recoil or gas operated, needs no external power source.
Light Machine gun: A machine gun that fires rifle caliber round and can be carried/operated/fired by one man. Recoil or gas operated, needs no external power source.
Medium Machine gun: Largely inexistant now, a Machine gun that fires rifle caliber rounds but requires more than one man and dis/assembly to move and fire. Replaced in favour of LMG type weapons. Recoil or gas operated, needs no external power source.
Heavy Machine gun: Fire heavy caliber rounds, usually mounted to vehicles and too large/heavy for infantry use. Recoil or gas operated, needs no external power source.
Chain gun: Type of heavy machine gun that requires an external power source to operate. Always vehicle mounted and fires heavy caliber rounds, no infantry use. Some models fire rifle caliber rounds.
Gatling gun/Rotary cannon: Externally powered multi barrel machine gun, each barrel fired and loaded on a cyclical basis, requires an external power source and fires heavy caliber rounds. Usually mounted to aircraft and ships.
Minigun: Miniaturised gatling gun firing rifle caliber rounds. Usually mounted to helicopters and very occasionally light vehicles. Relatively rare due to high weight and low effecive range.
Put it this way, M60 is a light machine gun, a Ma Deuce is a heavy machine gun. The diff is portability.