21.10.

2017 Medium machine gun - Wikipedia

Medium machine gun

A medium machine gun (MMG), in modern terms,
usually refers to a belt-fed automatic firearm firing a full-
power rifle cartridge.

Contents
1 History
1.1
Early 20th century: medium, heavy and light
1.2 Mid 20th century U.S. Marines firing an M240G at Camp Hansen,
1.3 Late 20th century Okinawa
1.3.1
Smaller-caliber light machine guns
1.4 21st century
2 See also

History
In the late 19th century, Gatling guns and other externally powered
types, such as the Nordenfelt, were often made in different ranges of
calibers, such as half-inch and one-inch. Thanks to their many
barrels, overheating was not a major issue, and they were also quite
heavy, being, essentially, heavy machine guns.

When Hiram Maxim developed his recoil-powered machine gun that

used a single barrel, the first main design was a modest 26 pounds
(11.8 kg) in weight, firing a .45-inch rifle caliber bullet (from a 24 inch
long barrel). As depicted in a famous photo of Maxim, it could be U.S. Army soldiers firing an M60 during a
picked up complete with its 15-pound (6.8 kg) tripod with one arm. It live-fire training exercise.
was similar to later-design medium machine guns, but it could not be
fired for extended periods. As a result, he created a water-jacket
cooling system to enable it to fire for extended periods. This added significant weight, as did changes to more powerful
cartridges. This class of heavy, water-cooled machine gun would eventually be regarded as the classic heavy machine
guns. However, the much lighter total weight possible by using recoil to power automatic loading was not lost on the
firearms designers of the day, resulting in other automatic firearms that used this concept, such as the Borchardt
pistol, the Cei-Rigotti rifle, the Madsen 1902, as well as lighter, gas-operated, air-cooled designs.

Early 20th century: medium, heavy and light

Many new designs were developed, some powered by air or recoil, or a combination of the two (e.g., the Colt 1895 and
M1895, and the Hotchkiss). Also, instead of the rather heavy water jacket, new designs introduced other types of
cooling, such as barrel replacement, metal fins, and/or heat sinks or some combination of all of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_machine_gun 1/5
21.10.2017 Medium machine gun - Wikipedia

Machine guns then diverged into heavier and lighter designs.

The later model water-cooled Maxim gun and its derivatives
(the MG 08 and the Vickers gun, as well as the American
Browning Model 1917 machine gun), were all substantial
weapons. The .303 inch Vickers, for example, weighed 33 lb
(15 kg) alone and on its tripod mount the total weight was
50 lb (22.7 kg). The heavier designs could, and in some cases
did, literally fire for days on end. The need was to be able to
cut down, potentially, thousands of charging soldiers. The
heavy machine gun was mounted on a tripod and was often
water-cooled; a well-trained and well-supplied crew could
fire for hours on end. Carefully positioned heavy machine
guns could stop an attacking force before they reached their US Marines with the water-cooled M1917 during
WW2
objectives.

The first machine guns in use before World War I covered a

wide range of characteristics. In addition to these heavier
designs, there were also a number of lighter types. During the
same period, a number of new air-cooled designs were
developed that, instead of weighing well over 30 lb (15 kg),
were lighter and more mobile. In World War I, they were to
be as important as the heavier designs, and were used to
support squads and infantry on the move, on aircraft, and on
many types of vehicle, including some tanks. The two that
would become critical were new medium and light machine
guns. The new medium machine guns offered less, or more
difficult-to-use, cooling than the heavier designs, but more
than the lightest. The air-cooled Browning M1919 during WW2.

Light machine guns were introduced as lighter, more

portable automatic weapons. They still fired the same full-power rifle caliber ammunition, but used lighter barrels
without extra cooling and were fired from a bipod. Light machine guns were not intended to be fired for extended
periods of time. The lightest of the new designs were not capable of sustained fire, as they did not have extra cooling
features and were fed from a comparatively small magazine. Essentially a machine rifle with a bipod, weapons like the
Chauchat or the Madsen 1902 were the most mobile, but were made for single and burst fire. These were used in
assaults to great effect by infantry, but were less effective in vehicle-mounted and other applications.

The medium designs offered greater flexibility, either using a bipod and being used like lighter designs, or being put
on a tripod, or on heavier mounts. The Hotchkiss Mark I (e.g. BentMerci M1909) was a 27.6 lb (12.2 kg) MG that
normally used a mini tripod and linkable 30-round strips or in vehicles, but there was also a belt-fed version of it. Not
be confused with heavier Hotchkiss models (such as the M1914), the design proved a useful intermediate and would
serve even to the end of World War II in some jobs. The design would be followed by lighter machine rifles and better
medium types. They also shared a common characteristic: they fired full power rifle caliber ammunition such as 8mm
Mauser or .30-06 Springfield.

The Lewis gun, which weighed 27 lb (12.3 kg), was commonly used with a 50-round drum and bipod; it was used on
the move in support of squads, and on vehicles and aircraft as well, or on a tripod (either for anti-aircraft use, or to fill
in for a heavier MG). What made it very useful was that it was significantly lighter than water-cooled weapons, but
could fire nearly as much due to a very large cooling assembly. These sort of multi-purpose machine guns, would be
further developed, and later given names like Universal Machine gun or general-purpose machine gun, and would
eventually supplant the water-cooled designs. Later designs have mostly switched to fast barrel-replacement as an

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_machine_gun 2/5
21.10.2017 Medium machine gun - Wikipedia

alternative to cooling, which further reduces the weapon's weight (but can increase the total weight carried by a
soldier). Some earlier designs, like the Vickers, provided for the replacement of worn barrels. It was in the 1920s and
1930s that barrel replacement as a means of cooling became more popular (e.g., in the ZB 1930, and later the MG34
and the Bren gun).

Mid 20th century

The heavier water-cooled designs continued to be used throughout World
War II and into the 1960s, but were gradually phased out in favor of the
lighter air-cooled designs. The mediums are now used both as heavy
machine guns, while mounted on tripods, and as light machine guns, while
mounted on bipods. This was possible, in part, because a heavy static MG
position was not a very effective tactic in vehicle centered warfare, and the
lighter air-cooled designs could nearly match the capabilities of water-
cooled designs with a combination of other, lighter cooling features. This
Light variants of the M60 machine
resulted in the widespread use of medium weight machine guns by
gun (foreground) and a M240B
infantry, but also on tanks, aircraft, and on tripods.
(back) in use with the US Navy,
2010.
The practice of using medium-weight machine guns continued into the
1930s. The French made a version of their infantry machine gun, the
Chtellerault M1924, with 150-round magazine and internal water cooler. The German requirement for a new medium
machine gun, a Einheitsmaschinengewehr (standard machine gun), resulted in a Universelle Maschinengewehr
(universal machine gun) that was to not only be a medium machine gun that was used in many roles, but was
specifically named so. It was similar to older mediums in that it was a medium machine gun intended to replace older
light and heavy machine guns of the same caliber, though Germany would continue using a variety of heavier and
lighter automatic machine guns to a limited extent. The use of medium machine guns to replace other types would
later be called a General Purpose Machine Gun by the Belgians in the 1950s. The actual practice of using medium
machine guns in different roles dates back to World War I, whatever the name given by different countries. The trend
toward replacing more types with mediums would receive a great boost as tactics using heavy water-cooled MGs were
slowly phased out, but suffered a loss when there was shift back to lighter caliber automatic infantry support weapons.

Late 20th century

The Belgian name Mitrailleuse d'Appui General, or general-purpose
machine gun (GPMG) became popular for describing medium
machine guns used in multiple roles. The mediums fired full-power
rifle-caliber ammunition, but had some concessions for more
extended firing and more general usage. This generally included both
bipod and tripod/pintle mounting options and quick-change barrels.
Water-cooled machine guns of the same caliber as the existing
Soviet medium machine gun SG-43.
mediums were no longer useful, as the situation in which they
excelled (non-stop firing) was regarded as no longer being needed in
modern warfare. This is because mass charges by infantry are rarely done, replaced by ARV-based thrusts, and that a
static MG position is a high-priority target for infantry rocket launchers. Modern medium machine guns do not match
the sustained firing ability of many older mediums; there is no longer a need for it. Most medium machine guns that
use barrel replacement overheat after about 200 rounds, and then a quick barrel replacement is needed (such as was
done on the Bren). They can only keep firing if they have spare barrels. However, barrels are expensive and heavy, so
only a limited amount are kept. As a result, even if 2-3 barrels were carried and rotated in and out, it would not allow
non-stop fire; the removed barrel does not cool down before the next must be replaced. This has become a moot point,
since situations where non-stop fire is needed is rare, and other tactics and weapons can deal with an emergency.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_machine_gun 3/5
21.10.2017 Medium machine gun - Wikipedia

Smaller-caliber light machine guns

The 1960s and 70s saw the introduction of new families of automatic
weapons using smaller cartridges than the full-power rifle caliber
cartridges previously in use. These weapons were called Squad
Automatic Weapons (SAW). They have taken roles away from the
previous medium machine guns, as well as lighter machine guns of
the same caliber. The medium machine guns continue to be used in
many of their previous roles however, especially on tanks and
vehicles. Often countries field a mix of medium-caliber medium
American M240G (foreground) and an
machine guns, and smaller-caliber light machine guns. Iraqi PKM (background)

These weapons typically fired the 7.6239mm cartridge fired by the

AK-47 series or the 5.5645mm NATO standard cartridge first used in the AR-15/M-16 rifles. These very lightweight
machineguns were designed for more sustained fire than normal infantry rifles, several hundred rounds worth of
extended firing. They were similar in weight to an empty older light machine gun and several pounds lighter than
mediums, but offered a much higher volume of fire due to their smaller caliber and lighter round; lower cartridge
weight allows a greater total amount of ammunition to be carried by a gunner and/or other squad members carrying
additional ammunition for the weapon. Many models were scaled-down medium caliber designs or heavier, longer-
barrel versions of infantry standard Assault rifles. Examples include the FN Minimi, M249 (US designation of the FN
Minimi) or the RPK.

21st century
The term "medium machine gun" is used to refer to the ubiquitous full-power rifle-caliber machine gun designs, which
are alternatively called general-purpose machine guns or universal machine guns.

They essentially all have provisions for quick-change barrels and the ability to be fired from a bipod, tripod, or pintle
mount, and weigh between 20-30 pounds. Modern Western MMG/GPMG weapons almost always fire 7.6251mm
full-power rifle ammunition; modern Eastern MMG/GPMG weapons usually fire 7.6254mmR full-power rifle
ammunition with a rimmed cartridge.

For example, the US Army and Marines now use the FN MAG (as the M240 machine gun), which is generally called
the "M240 medium machine gun". It was originally adopted for vehicle mounting in the late 1970s, but its higher
reliability resulted in the infantry adopting it for use over the M60 machine gun, despite its being several pounds
heavier. They both have quick-detachable barrels, bipods in their light infantry model, tripod and pintle mount
options for other models, and similar weight and size. The M60 was typically referred to either as a light machine gun
or a general-purpose machine gun.

See also
Light machine gun
Heavy machine gun
Squad automatic weapon
General-purpose machine gun
Automatic rifle
Submachine gun

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medium_machine_gun&oldid=784146832"

This page was last edited on 6 June 2017, at 18:43.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_machine_gun 4/5
21.10.2017 Medium machine gun - Wikipedia

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_machine_gun 5/5