Category:Machine Gun

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While in United States gun law a "machine gun" is any weapon capable of firing sequential rounds from the same barrel with a single pull of the trigger, the term correctly refers to self-loading support weapons which are designed for protracted automatic fire. A machine gun must fire at least an intermediate round; a fully automatic weapon which fires pistol rounds is either a submachine gun or a machine pistol. Any weapon which fires rapidly through the use of multiple barrels firing at the same time is a volley gun, not a machine gun.

Light machine guns (LMGs) are designed for portability and short periods of sustained fire from a bipod; modern LMGs usually fire intermediate rounds, though some use full-sized rifle rounds. A "Squad Automatic Weapon" or SAW is a typical role for such a gun, though since SAW is a role rather than a proper category of weapon system, it can be said to be fulfilled by any weapon the military chooses to issue as one. Some SAWs are simply assault rifles with extended magazines.

A medium machine gun (MMG) is a weapon designed for protracted automatic fire from a fixed position such as a tripod, using a full-sized rifle round. Almost all medium machine guns are belt-fed.

A general purpose machine gun (GPMG) is a weapon combining the capabilities of a light and medium machine gun; usually they are functionally medium machine guns, but take advantage of modern production techniques to enable them to be more portable than their ancestors. GPMGs have largely replaced MMGs in service due to their greater flexibility.

A heavy machine gun (HMG) is usually categorised as a weapon with a caliber greater than .50 in (12.7mm) but less than around 20mm, usually employed in the same roles as a medium machine gun. In WW1 the term simply referred to any machine gun designed to be emplaced, meaning some sources will describe MMGs as HMGs because they were defined as such at the time.

Automatic weapons of calibers greater than 20mm are usually categorised as autocannons; in such weapons, automatic fire is the only qualifier, the feeding method can vary from an electrically driven belt as with most rotary guns to large stripper clips as with the Bofors 40mm.

Rotary weapons are usually treated as their own sub-class rather than using the light / medium / heavy descriptors.