Whats the difference between LMG and battle rifle?

[Muton]

Are they a different class of weapon ? How do you know if it's an LMG or battle rifle like M14 or FN FAL? Are LMGs better somehow?

[AlliedMastercomputer]

LMG and assault rifles are entirely different weapon types.

LMG fires 8-10 bullets in burst mode, and you can "set" it on ground before shooting. Assault rifle fires 3-4 bullets in burst mode and can also shoot single bullets if you want.
Both M14 and FN FAL are assault rifles.

[Incunabulum]

LMG's are light machine guns that use *assault rifle* calibers - the same one the rest of the squad would be carrying.

A battle rifle is a select-fire, magazine fed, rifle firing a full-power round - contrasted with an assault rifle which fires an 'intermediate' round.

Battle rifles use the same ammo as GMPG's.

A M249 is an LMG, an M240 is a GMGP, and a FAL is a battle rifle.

[Incunabulum]

Originally posted by AlliedMastercomputer:

LMG and assault rifles are entirely different weapon types.

LMG fires 8-10 bullets in burst mode, and you can "set" it on ground before shooting. Assault rifle fires 3-4 bullets in burst mode and can also shoot single bullets if you want.
Both M14 and FN FAL are assault rifles.

Neither the M-14 nor the FAL are assault rifles - they are battle rifles.

[Dubar]

Here's the wikipedia definition for assault rifle, for what it's worth:

The U.S. Army defines assault rifles as "short, compact, selective-fire weapons that fire a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges." In this strict definition, a firearm must have at least the following characteristics to be considered an assault rifle:

It must be capable of selective fire.
It must have an intermediate-power cartridge: more power than a pistol but less than a standard rifle or battle rifle; examples of intermediate cartridges are the 7.92×33mm Kurz, the 7.62×39mm and 5.56×45mm NATO.
Its ammunition must be supplied from a detachable box magazine.
It must have an effective range of at least 300 metres (330 yards).

Rifles that meet most of these criteria, but not all, are not assault rifles according to the U.S. Army's definition. For example:

Select-fire M2 Carbines are not assault rifles; their effective range is only 180 metres (200 yd).
Select-fire rifles such as the Fedorov Avtomat, FN FAL, M14, and H&K G3 main battle rifles are not assault rifles; they fire full-powered rifle cartridges.
Semi-automatic-only rifles like the Colt AR-15 are not assault rifles; they do not have select-fire capabilities.
Semi-automatic-only rifles with fixed magazines like the SKS are not assault rifles; they do not have detachable box magazines and are not capable of automatic fire.

[Muton]

GMGP ?

A FN FAL and M1 Garand would both be battle rifles, full rifle caliber, even though 1 shoots bursts (select fire) and the other semi-auto.

So the LMG fires intermediate rounds in long bursts
The HMG fires full rifle caliber rounds in long burst

[breversa]

GPMG: General Purpose Machine Gun, also called Medium Machine Gun.
Examples include the FN MAG or M60.

They can usually be used either on a bipod or a tripod, where LMG use bipod only, and HMG tripod only.

[Farewell]

LMG uses pistol ammo
Assault rifles use rifle ammo

[breversa]

Originally posted by it wasnt programmed to harm the :

LMG uses pistol ammo
Assault rifles use rifle ammo

No: SMGs (submachineguns) use pistol ammo.

LMGs (light machineguns) and MMGs (medium machineguns)/GPMGs use rifle ammo.

HMGs (heavy machine guns) use dedicated ammo.

[uncle nick]

All machine guns are friggin heavy. Just ask infantry guys from any army from all over the world, it's a universal problem. LMG is just some fantasy-like classification used by army generals, dreamt up from someone's wet dream.

Nothing light whatsoever about any light machine gun. When designated to be light, this just means the army expects you to carry it around on your back. When the barrel is specially designed to be lighter, this means you got to swap out the barrel more often. And your entire squad now have to help carry the extra spare barrels. For light infantry, when you have to carry extra stuff on your back, your pack weight becomes heavy.

When the machine gun uses a smaller calibre, this just means the solders are required to carry a lot more ammo, because that is how it works. The advantage for using a smaller calibre bullet is the ability to throw a lot more rounds down range at the enemy. So your entire squad now have to also help carry all the extra ammo that you are expected to have. For light infantry, when you have to carry a lot more extra ammo on your back, it gets heavy.

However, when the machine gun gets a heavy classification, this means a bigger calibre, bigger heavier barrel, fixed to a platform or mounted onto a vehicle. When you get a vehicle to carry your gun and ammo around for you, now you have nothing heavy to carry on your back. Your back pack is lighter.

So, the generals have no idea. When you have light machine gun, you are actually heavy infantry. And when you have have heavy machine gun, you are actually light infantry.

[Midknight22]

Originally posted by uncle nick:

All machine guns are friggin heavy. Just ask infantry guys from any army from all over the world, it's a universal problem. LMG is just some fantasy-like classification used by army generals, dreamt up from someone's wet dream.

Nothing light whatsoever about any light machine gun. When designated to be light, this just means the army expects you to carry it around on your back. When the barrel is specially designed to be lighter, this means you got to swap out the barrel more often. And your entire squad now have to help carry the extra spare barrels. For light infantry, when you have to carry extra stuff on your back, your pack weight becomes heavy.

When the machine gun uses a smaller calibre, this just means the solders are required to carry a lot more ammo, because that is how it works. The advantage for using a smaller calibre bullet is the ability to throw a lot more rounds down range at the enemy. So your entire squad now have to also help carry all the extra ammo that you are expected to have. For light infantry, when you have to carry a lot more extra ammo on your back, it gets heavy.

However, when the machine gun gets a heavy classification, this means a bigger calibre, bigger heavier barrel, fixed to a platform or mounted onto a vehicle. When you get a vehicle to carry your gun and ammo around for you, now you have nothing heavy to carry on your back. Your back pack is lighter.

So, the generals have no idea. When you have light machine gun, you are actually heavy infantry. And when you have have heavy machine gun, you are actually light infantry.

so TL:DR light MG's are actually free standing infantry MG's and heavy MG's are vehicle mounted/hard mounted MGs, both are F. Heavy.

[breversa]

Originally posted by uncle nick:

When you have light machine gun, you are actually heavy infantry. And when you have have heavy machine gun, you are actually light infantry.

I love your post!! ^^
You’ve made perfectly clear the light/heavy infantry paradox and gave me a great smile. Thanks! ;-)