Are looking for a best machine gun thread or best assault rifle thread? It appears as if you don't know how to answer your own question.

"Are looking for a best machine gun thread or best assault rifle thread?" Assault Rifle as I asked in my thread. Please note an assault rifle is a machine gun. I narrowed the thread by indicating assault rifle.

Please note an assault rifle is a machine gun. Is it? I thought an assault rifle was like an F88 and a machine gun was like an M-60. The assault rifle being generally 5.56mm and carried as an individuals gun, whilst machine guns were heavier at 7.62mm or the like and primarily operated with a few per section/company/platoon/whatever? As you can tell, I'm not big on army stuff ;) I think the F88 is pretty good, perhaps not the best, but still damn good.

The F88 is just a Steyr with (from what I have read) questionable modifications. The Steyr is supposed to be good, but may as well go for the newest, A3 varient. I think for best assault rifle, I would give my vote to the Kalashnikov. It is a mature design, and has been offered in 5.56x45mm, 5.45x39mm and 7.62x39mm, while coming in long rifles, short rifles, stubby rifles, rifles with folding stocks, LMG versions etc etc....

LK, The choices on a machine gun is whether to fire sustained, rapid, or cyclic, all of them being fully automatic (you can find some exceptions, for example, the M2 has a single round mode). For an assault rifle, you have choices other than fully automatic (semi, burst). Thus, an assault rifle is not a machine gun, but often does have a fully automatic function. A few other differences include: 1) machine guns are typically crew served weapons 2) machine gun gunnery typically involves a tripod 3) machine guns have interchangeable barrels to allow the weapon to operate at a higher sustained rate of fire 4) machine guns use linked ammunition 5) machine guns are an area weapon that typically have a greater maximum effective range than assault rifles I'm sure that there are some more defining characteristics, but I hope that I have defined the issue for you.

Just to be picky... 1) machine guns are typically crew served weapons Is a Minimi a machine gun? 2) machine gun gunnery typically involves a tripod Minimi again, Bren, GPMGs like the FN MAG or the MG3. Can be fitted to a tripod but certainly don't have to. 3) machine guns have interchangeable barrels to allow the weapon to operate at a higher sustained rate of fire So the Vickers and Maxim aren't machine guns? 4) machine guns use linked ammunition Bren? DPM? RPK? 5) machine guns are an area weapon that typically have a greater maximum effective range than assault rifles In British service, the Minimi has somewhat less effective range than the SA80 and LSW.

Just to be picky... 1) machine guns are typically crew served weapons Is a Minimi a machine gun? A Minimi, or an M249 in US parlance, is classified as an squad automatic support weapon, not a machine gune. 2) machine gun gunnery typically involves a tripod Minimi again, Bren, GPMGs like the FN MAG or the MG3. Can be fitted to a tripod but certainly don't have to. But all have a tripod phase of their weapons qualification 3) machine guns have interchangeable barrels to allow the weapon to operate at a higher sustained rate of fire So the Vickers and Maxim aren't machine guns? Those in fact are definitely machine guns...heavy machine guns since they were water cooled (hence no need to change barrels) and keep up high rates of sustained fire. 4) machine guns use linked ammunition Bren? DPM? RPK? Yes, those histoical examples used magazines or drums. And they would tend to be exceptions to the rule rather than the rule. 5) machine guns are an area weapon that typically have a greater maximum effective range than assault rifles In British service, the Minimi has somewhat less effective range than the SA80 and LSW. Well, the M249 in US service has a listed maximum effective range about 1000 meters. What's the max range of the SA80 and LSW? You'll see that in the following website, that in US service, the M249 is considered a machine gun only when its used with a tripod & T&E, something which is not too common. But I am old and can be wrong http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m249.htm

1)A Minimi, or an M249 in US parlance, is classified as an squad automatic support weapon, not a machine gune. Ah, but in British army service, the L110 is classified as a light machine gun. 2)Minimi again, Bren, GPMGs like the FN MAG or the MG3. Can be fitted to a tripod but certainly don't have to. But all have a tripod phase of their weapons qualification Again, the Minimi in British Service does not. 3)Regarding Vickers and Maxim:Those in fact are definitely machine guns...heavy machine guns since they were water cooled (hence no need to change barrels) and keep up high rates of sustained fire. Heavy machine guns would indicate calibre in excess of 8mm, in my book. If the Maxim class needs to be considered separately then it would a Medium Machine Gun (MMG) 4)Regarding the Bren, DPM, RPKYes, those histoical examples used magazines or drums. And they would tend to be exceptions to the rule rather than the rule. Bren was used up to 1991 in the British Army and the RPK is still in use. Additionally, the German MG36 (MG= Maschine Gewehr or Machine gun) feeds off a magazine. For a while, the LSW was technically a light machine gun. 5)Well, the M249 in US service has a listed maximum effective range about 1000 meters. What's the max range of the SA80 and LSW? 500 and 600m respectively. However, the L110 has a stated effective range of 300m. The L110 is not the same as the M249, but rather the short barreled Para version with a folding stock. The important point is that one military 'definition' may well be different to another, and is often dependent on what they use and how they use it.

Saying any Minimi is good to 1000m's is pushing it. The SA-80, by the book, is effective to 300m's individually, 600m's as a section.

whatever happened to kalashnikov? i heard he died penniless and never made a cent from his invention. can anyone confirm this?