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Light machine gun

August 12, 2023

A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the same combat unit are often referred to as squad automatic weapons.

The Belgian Minimi M249 light machine gun, one of the most widespread modern 5.56 mm light machine guns amongst NATO countries. This one is an M249E3 "Para" model.
IWI Negev of the Israeli Army
Bren light machine gun
.30-06 Browning Automatic Rifle Model 1918

Characteristics

While early light machine guns fired full-powered rifle cartridges, modern light machine guns often fire smaller-caliber rifle cartridges than medium machine guns – generally the same intermediate cartridge fired by a service's standard assault rifle – and are usually lighter and more compact. Some LMGs, such as the Russian RPK, are modifications of existing designs and designed to share the same ammunition. Adaptations to the original rifle generally include a larger magazine, a heavier barrel to resist overheating, a more robust mechanism to support sustained fire and a bipod.

A light machine gun is also defined by its usage as well as its specifications: some machine guns – notably general-purpose machine guns – may be deployed either as a light machine gun or a medium machine gun. Deployed on a tripod and used for sustained fire, it is a medium machine gun; if deployed with a bipod with the operator in a prone position and firing short bursts, it is a light machine gun.

Light machine guns are also designed to be fired from the hip or on the move as a form of suppressive fire intended to pin down the enemy. Marching fire is a specific tactic that relies on this capability.

Lighter modern LMGs have enabled them to be issued down at the fireteam level, with two or three at the section/squad level.

Ammunition feed

Many light machine guns (such as the Bren gun or the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle) were magazine-fed. Others, such as the Hotchkiss M1922, could be fed either from a belt/strip or from a box magazine. Modern light machine guns are designed to fire smaller caliber rounds and, as such, tend to be belt-fed (from a container attached to the gun) or from a detachable high-capacity drum magazine, but some, such as the FN Minimi, will also accept standard rifle magazine feeding as an auxiliary measure when belted ammunition has been exhausted.

History

In 1903, French military theorists noticed that the heavy machine guns of the day were of little use in infantry assaults. They determined that "the machine gun must learn to walk".[1] They researched the possibility of a light machine gun which could be carried by troops. A marching fire tactic was theorised, using incidental suppressive fire, with the advancing troops considered a deadlier threat than the un-aimed bullets, causing the enemy to fall back. The prototype guns were not approved for production, and none were in service when World War I began.[1] The French quickly brought the prototypes to mass production to boost the firepower of advancing infantry.

By the end of World War II, light machine guns were usually being issued on a scale of one per fire team or squad, and the modern infantry squad had emerged with tactics that were built around the use of the LMG to provide suppressive fire.[citation needed]

Selected examples

 
A Chinese soldier with a ZB vz.26 light machine gun.
 
The early INSAS LMG, a weapon of Indian origin.
 
A Romanian soldier instructing a U.S. Marine in clearing a RPK

The following were either exclusively light machine guns, had a light machine gun variant or were employed in the light machine gun role with certain adaptations.


Model Country of origin Design date Caliber(s) Weight (base model) Feed system Rate of fire (rounds/min) Model variants
Madsen machine gun   Denmark 1883 Various 9.07 kg (20.0 lb) Box magazine 450
Chauchat (Fusil-Mitrailleur Mle 1915 'CSRG')   France 1907 8mm Lebel 9.07 kg (20.0 lb) Magazine 240/360
Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié   United States
  United Kingdom 		1909 8mm Lebel
.303 British
.30-06 Springfield 		12 kg (26.5 lb) Feed/belt 400–600
Bergmann MG15 nA Gun   Germany 1910 7.92×57mm Mauser 12.9 kg (28.4 lb) Belt 500–600
Vickers-Berthier   France
  United Kingdom 		1910 .303 British 11.07 kg (24.4 lb) Box 450–600
Lewis Gun   United States
  United Kingdom 		1911 .303 British
.30-06 Springfield
7.92×57mm Mauser 		13 kg (28.7 lb) Drum magazine 600 (cyclic)
Huot automatic rifle   Canada 1916 .303 British 5.9 kg (13.0 lb) Drum magazine 155/475
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle   United States 1917 .30-06 Springfield
6.5×55mm
7.92×57mm Mauser 		8.8 kg (19.4 lb) Box magazine 650 (cyclic) Wz. 1928 (Poland)
Hotchkiss M1922   France 1922 Various Feed/magazine 450
Type 11 light machine gun   Japan 1922 6.5×50mm Arisaka 10.2 kg (22.5 lb) Hopper magazine, 30 rounds 500 (cyclic)
ZB vz. 26   Czechoslovakia 1923 7.92×57mm Mauser 10.5 kg (23.1 lb) Box magazine 500
FM-24/29   France 1924 7.5×54mm French 9.1 kg (20.1 lb) Box magazine 450 (cyclic)
Maxim-Tokarev   Soviet Union 1924 7.62×54mmR 12.9 kg (28.4 lb) Belt
Lmg 25   Switzerland 1925 7.5×55mm Swiss 8.65 kg (19.1 lb) Box magazine ≈500
Lahti-Saloranta M/26   Finland 1925 7.62×53mmR 9.3 kg (20.5 lb) Magazine 450–550
Degtyaryov machine gun   Soviet Union 1927 7.62×54mmR 9.12 kg (20.1 lb) Various 550
Mendoza RM2   Mexico 1928 7×57mm Mauser
.30-06 Springfield 		6.3 kg (13.9 lb) Box magazine 450–650
Breda 30   Italy 1930 6.5×52mm Mannlicher–Carcano 10.6 kg (23.4 lb) Stripper clip fed, internal magazine 500 (cyclic)
ZB vz. 30   Czechoslovakia 1930 7.92×57mm 9.1 kg (20.1 lb) Box magazine 550–650
Bren   United Kingdom 1935 .303 British 10.35 kg (22.8 lb) Various 500–520
Type 96 light machine gun   Japan 1936 6.5×50mm Arisaka 9 kg (19.8 lb) Box magazine 450 (cyclic)
Type 99 light machine gun   Japan 1939 7.7×58mm Arisaka 10.4 kg (22.9 lb) Box magazine 800
RPK   Soviet Union 1960 7.62×39mm 4.8 kg (10.6 lb) Drum or box magazine 600 RPK-74

RPK-16

Stoner 63   United States 1960s 5.56×45mm NATO 5.3 kg (11.7 lb) Drum or box magazine 1000 (cyclic)
Colt Automatic Rifle   United States 1970s 5.56×45mm NATO 5.78 kg (12.7 lb) Drum or box magazine 750 (cyclic) Diemaco LSW (CAN)
L86 LSW   United Kingdom 1970s 5.56×45mm NATO 6.58 kg (14.5 lb) Box magazine 775 (cyclic)
FN Minimi   Belgium 1974 5.56×45mm NATO (standard)
*7.62×51mm NATO 		6.85 kg (15.1 lb) Belt fed or box magazine 1150 (cyclic) M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (USA)
MK 46 machine gun (USA)
CETME Ameli   Spain 1974 5.56×45mm NATO 5.3 kg (11.7 lb) Belt fed 1200 (cyclic) MG82 (Spain)
Ultimax 100   Singapore 1977 5.56×45mm NATO 4.75 kg (10.5 lb) Drum or box magazine 600 (cyclic)
Steyr AUG H-BAR   Austria 1977 5.56×45mm NATO 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) Box magazine 750 (cyclic)
Negev   Israel 1985 5.56×45mm NATO (standard)
7.62×51mm NATO 		7.4 kg (16.3 lb) Belt fed or magazine 1150 (cyclic)
Heckler & Koch MG4   Germany 1990s 5.56×45mm NATO 8.55 kg (18.8 lb) Belt fed 885 (cyclic)
Heckler & Koch MG36   Germany 1990s 5.56×45mm NATO 3.83 kg (8.4 lb) Drum or box magazine 750 (cyclic)
INSAS LMG   India 1990s 5.56×45mm NATO 6.7 kg (14.8 lb) Box magazine 650 (cyclic)
SAR-21 LMG   Singapore 1996 5.56×45mm NATO 3.82 kg (8.4 lb) Box magazine 650 (cyclic)
Ares Shrike 5.56   United States 2000s 5.56×45mm NATO 3.4 kg (7.5 lb) Belt fed or magazine 800 (cyclic)
Type-81 LMG   China 2008 7.62×39mm 5.15 kg (11.4 lb) 100-round drum or 30-round STANAG 750 (cyclic) BD-08 LMG (Bangladesh)
M27 IAR   Germany 2008 5.56×45mm NATO 3.6 kg (7.9 lb) Drum or box magazine 640 (cyclic)
QJB-95   China 1997 5.8x42mm 3.25 kg (7.2 lb) 60 900 (cyclic)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Fusil mitrailleur Chauchat. FM modèle 1915 C.S.R.G." Les mitrailleuses du premier conflit mondial (in French). mitrailleuse.fr. 2003. Retrieved December 18, 2011.

August 12, 2023
light, machine, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, july, 2018,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Light machine gun news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message A light machine gun LMG is a light weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman with or without an assistant as an infantry support weapon LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the same combat unit are often referred to as squad automatic weapons The Belgian Minimi M249 light machine gun one of the most widespread modern 5 56 mm light machine guns amongst NATO countries This one is an M249E3 Para model IWI Negev of the Israeli ArmyBren light machine gun 30 06 Browning Automatic Rifle Model 1918 Contents 1 Characteristics 1 1 Ammunition feed 2 History 3 Selected examples 4 See also 5 ReferencesCharacteristics EditWhile early light machine guns fired full powered rifle cartridges modern light machine guns often fire smaller caliber rifle cartridges than medium machine guns generally the same intermediate cartridge fired by a service s standard assault rifle and are usually lighter and more compact Some LMGs such as the Russian RPK are modifications of existing designs and designed to share the same ammunition Adaptations to the original rifle generally include a larger magazine a heavier barrel to resist overheating a more robust mechanism to support sustained fire and a bipod A light machine gun is also defined by its usage as well as its specifications some machine guns notably general purpose machine guns may be deployed either as a light machine gun or a medium machine gun Deployed on a tripod and used for sustained fire it is a medium machine gun if deployed with a bipod with the operator in a prone position and firing short bursts it is a light machine gun Light machine guns are also designed to be fired from the hip or on the move as a form of suppressive fire intended to pin down the enemy Marching fire is a specific tactic that relies on this capability Lighter modern LMGs have enabled them to be issued down at the fireteam level with two or three at the section squad level Ammunition feed Edit Many light machine guns such as the Bren gun or the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle were magazine fed Others such as the Hotchkiss M1922 could be fed either from a belt strip or from a box magazine Modern light machine guns are designed to fire smaller caliber rounds and as such tend to be belt fed from a container attached to the gun or from a detachable high capacity drum magazine but some such as the FN Minimi will also accept standard rifle magazine feeding as an auxiliary measure when belted ammunition has been exhausted History EditIn 1903 French military theorists noticed that the heavy machine guns of the day were of little use in infantry assaults They determined that the machine gun must learn to walk 1 They researched the possibility of a light machine gun which could be carried by troops A marching fire tactic was theorised using incidental suppressive fire with the advancing troops considered a deadlier threat than the un aimed bullets causing the enemy to fall back The prototype guns were not approved for production and none were in service when World War I began 1 The French quickly brought the prototypes to mass production to boost the firepower of advancing infantry By the end of World War II light machine guns were usually being issued on a scale of one per fire team or squad and the modern infantry squad had emerged with tactics that were built around the use of the LMG to provide suppressive fire citation needed Selected examples Edit A Chinese soldier with a ZB vz 26 light machine gun The early INSAS LMG a weapon of Indian origin A Romanian soldier instructing a U S Marine in clearing a RPKThe following were either exclusively light machine guns had a light machine gun variant or were employed in the light machine gun role with certain adaptations Model Country of origin Design date Caliber s Weight base model Feed system Rate of fire rounds min Model variantsMadsen machine gun Denmark 1883 Various 9 07 kg 20 0 lb Box magazine 450Chauchat Fusil Mitrailleur Mle 1915 CSRG France 1907 8mm Lebel 9 07 kg 20 0 lb Magazine 240 360Hotchkiss M1909 Benet Mercie United States United Kingdom 1909 8mm Lebel 303 British 30 06 Springfield 12 kg 26 5 lb Feed belt 400 600Bergmann MG15 nA Gun Germany 1910 7 92 57mm Mauser 12 9 kg 28 4 lb Belt 500 600Vickers Berthier France United Kingdom 1910 303 British 11 07 kg 24 4 lb Box 450 600Lewis Gun United States United Kingdom 1911 303 British 30 06 Springfield 7 92 57mm Mauser 13 kg 28 7 lb Drum magazine 600 cyclic Huot automatic rifle Canada 1916 303 British 5 9 kg 13 0 lb Drum magazine 155 475M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle United States 1917 30 06 Springfield 6 5 55mm 7 92 57mm Mauser 8 8 kg 19 4 lb Box magazine 650 cyclic Wz 1928 Poland Hotchkiss M1922 France 1922 Various Feed magazine 450Type 11 light machine gun Japan 1922 6 5 50mm Arisaka 10 2 kg 22 5 lb Hopper magazine 30 rounds 500 cyclic ZB vz 26 Czechoslovakia 1923 7 92 57mm Mauser 10 5 kg 23 1 lb Box magazine 500FM 24 29 France 1924 7 5 54mm French 9 1 kg 20 1 lb Box magazine 450 cyclic Maxim Tokarev Soviet Union 1924 7 62 54mmR 12 9 kg 28 4 lb BeltLmg 25 Switzerland 1925 7 5 55mm Swiss 8 65 kg 19 1 lb Box magazine 500Lahti Saloranta M 26 Finland 1925 7 62 53mmR 9 3 kg 20 5 lb Magazine 450 550Degtyaryov machine gun Soviet Union 1927 7 62 54mmR 9 12 kg 20 1 lb Various 550Mendoza RM2 Mexico 1928 7 57mm Mauser 30 06 Springfield 6 3 kg 13 9 lb Box magazine 450 650Breda 30 Italy 1930 6 5 52mm Mannlicher Carcano 10 6 kg 23 4 lb Stripper clip fed internal magazine 500 cyclic ZB vz 30 Czechoslovakia 1930 7 92 57mm 9 1 kg 20 1 lb Box magazine 550 650Bren United Kingdom 1935 303 British 10 35 kg 22 8 lb Various 500 520Type 96 light machine gun Japan 1936 6 5 50mm Arisaka 9 kg 19 8 lb Box magazine 450 cyclic Type 99 light machine gun Japan 1939 7 7 58mm Arisaka 10 4 kg 22 9 lb Box magazine 800RPK Soviet Union 1960 7 62 39mm 4 8 kg 10 6 lb Drum or box magazine 600 RPK 74 RPK 16Stoner 63 United States 1960s 5 56 45mm NATO 5 3 kg 11 7 lb Drum or box magazine 1000 cyclic Colt Automatic Rifle United States 1970s 5 56 45mm NATO 5 78 kg 12 7 lb Drum or box magazine 750 cyclic Diemaco LSW CAN L86 LSW United Kingdom 1970s 5 56 45mm NATO 6 58 kg 14 5 lb Box magazine 775 cyclic FN Minimi Belgium 1974 5 56 45mm NATO standard 7 62 51mm NATO 6 85 kg 15 1 lb Belt fed or box magazine 1150 cyclic M249 Squad Automatic Weapon USA MK 46 machine gun USA CETME Ameli Spain 1974 5 56 45mm NATO 5 3 kg 11 7 lb Belt fed 1200 cyclic MG82 Spain Ultimax 100 Singapore 1977 5 56 45mm NATO 4 75 kg 10 5 lb Drum or box magazine 600 cyclic Steyr AUG H BAR Austria 1977 5 56 45mm NATO 3 9 kg 8 6 lb Box magazine 750 cyclic Negev Israel 1985 5 56 45mm NATO standard 7 62 51mm NATO 7 4 kg 16 3 lb Belt fed or magazine 1150 cyclic Heckler amp Koch MG4 Germany 1990s 5 56 45mm NATO 8 55 kg 18 8 lb Belt fed 885 cyclic Heckler amp Koch MG36 Germany 1990s 5 56 45mm NATO 3 83 kg 8 4 lb Drum or box magazine 750 cyclic INSAS LMG India 1990s 5 56 45mm NATO 6 7 kg 14 8 lb Box magazine 650 cyclic SAR 21 LMG Singapore 1996 5 56 45mm NATO 3 82 kg 8 4 lb Box magazine 650 cyclic Ares Shrike 5 56 United States 2000s 5 56 45mm NATO 3 4 kg 7 5 lb Belt fed or magazine 800 cyclic Type 81 LMG China 2008 7 62 39mm 5 15 kg 11 4 lb 100 round drum or 30 round STANAG 750 cyclic BD 08 LMG Bangladesh M27 IAR Germany 2008 5 56 45mm NATO 3 6 kg 7 9 lb Drum or box magazine 640 cyclic QJB 95 China 1997 5 8x42mm 3 25 kg 7 2 lb 60 900 cyclic See also EditMedium machine gun Heavy machine gun Automatic rifle Squad automatic weapon General purpose machine gun Assault rifleReferences Edit a b Fusil mitrailleur Chauchat FM modele 1915 C S R G Les mitrailleuses du premier conflit mondial in French mitrailleuse fr 2003 Retrieved December 18 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Light machine gun amp oldid 1167825584, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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