Machine Guns!

[ohbeeeeee]

The machine gunner doesn't carry enough boxes. I know this is probably supposed to encourage teamwork (giving ammo to the machine gunners) but the tiny amount they have now just isn't enough, you can't, for example, suppress the office building on Hue City for long enough to allow some people to actually get there. There was also a post about randomized fixed machine guns. This could work, but you'd still need them in places where you could defend the objectives. Why not just put them in more dug in positions, that are harder to hit from the air? Also the machine gun at C in Hue city is pretty overpowered. A nice thing to do would to make it jam. It would take a few seconds to clear it, meaning people could use that time to attack.

[Chaunsey]

its not just to encourage team work, ammo is heavy.

a machine gunner already has to carry a heavy MG, the m60 weighs 23 pounds.

[ohbeeeeee]

As a former US Navy SEAL I have great respect for the M60 Machine Gun. Vietnam era SEALs made numerous modifications to the weapon in house and with the help of China Lake Naval Weapons Center. We had the barrel shortened so that the flash suppressor was even with the front end of the gas system. Bi-pods were removed as was the carrying handle. Sometimes the front and rear sight were removed as well. Some SEALs replaced the forearm/barrel shroud with an M16 rifle pistol grip. The butt stock was often replace with a rubber or sheet metal aircraft stock. There were a couple SEALs who fashioned a backpack from cardboard and fiberglass this was attached to PRC25 backpack frame. A length of aircraft flex tube was was then attached to the backpack which was attached to the tray and hanger assembly.The back pack held around 400 rounds of ammunition. Only really strong operators tried this. It worked rather well although it could be cumbersome. China Lake designed a large sheet metal drum that was designed to be carried on the back and utilized the aircraft flex tubing.It held 500 or more rounds but was deemed to heavy and the some of the older M60s just couldn't pull the ammo through the feed tray. Most of the M60 machine gunners carried 800 to 1000 rounds of ammo themselves. The carried the extra ammo bandoleers in canteen pouches and wrapped around their torsos Bandito style. The M60 was an ideal weapon for laying down a devastating amount of firepower on the enemy. My14 man platoon in Vietnam had five M60 machine guns. In addition we had 4 Stoner 63A Commando machine guns. These were belt fed 5.56mm weapons. The rest of the platoon had one Ak-47 and several CAR-15s with M203 grenade launchers or M16s with M203 grenade launchers. Lots of firepower in a very small group.

Source: http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/m60-machine-gun-was-loved-hated-by-gis/
comments section.

I only put the rest in to show the comment's legit, but 800-1000 rounds is a lot more than we get now...

[Necramonium™]

Don't see the need for more ammo pouches or belts, the maps are littered with ammo caches and friendlies can give you ammo as well. And weapon jams are incredibly annoying in real life, even more in videogames, i don't remember much from Far Cry 2, but what i remember the most is the damn weapons jamming and i hated it!

[ohbeeeeee]

I know, it's just it feels stupid that a machine gunner, carrying a really reliable gun that could fire loads of rounds at the enemy, and suppress them really effectively, just wouln't carry as many as he could. I mean, a rifleman carried about 600 rounds...

[=(e)= Lemonater47]

A rifleman didnt carry 30 magazines lol.

And these aren't navy seals.

[ohbeeeeee]

A light infantryman in the Vietnam war carried two to four bandoliers of rifle ammunition. 7 mags to each belt, 18 rounds in each mag. 4*7*18=504.

[=(e)= Lemonater47]

Originally posted by Colonel.E.Kurtz:

A light infantryman in the Vietnam war carried two to four bandoliers of rifle ammunition. 7 mags to each belt, 18 rounds in each mag. 4*7*18=504.

I dunno, you look at pictures. Most only got 1 bandolier.

[Some Duck With an Ultimax]

Since when were you a Navy SEAL? Royal Marine Logistical Support Cooking corps doesn't count....... Although I must agree that I would prefer a bit more M60 ammo.

[Some Duck With an Ultimax]

And the M60 is pretty bad. I don't know why you'd respect it, even if you did more than cook fish and chips for the SAS. And M203s weren't exactly standard issue equipment, and the whole idea of the game to me is that you aren't some 720 noscopin' super soldier who can survive several hits from a .50 cal, but an ordinary guy, who wouldn't get an M203.

[ohbeeeeee]

The M60 was reliable enough, and the only weapon the US had that could put such a large amount of firepower down on the enemy. The M60 gunner in the game can shoulder the damn thing whilst standing, meaning he's easily strong enough to carry the extra ammo. And no machine gunner would be stupid enough to not carry enough ammo to complete one engagement.

[Some Duck With an Ultimax]

Just because you didn't buy better guns doesn't mean your guns are suddenly good. The M60 was more reliable than some things, although the the feed mechanism tended to jam, and it was heavy, awkward, had an abysmal barrel change and the bipod was in the wrong place. Like I said, more ammunition would be nice, an in the previous games the machine gunner could be carrying an MG-42, two spare barrels, and two 200-round belts, yet in this you only get an M60, no spare barrel, and one 200-round belt.

[Jagdwyre]

The M60 was a decent machinegun in application. On the technical and mechanical side however is was fairly poorly designed.

Though I will say calling the M60 "heavy and akward" is a bit disiengenous, it wasn't really either of those things compared to other GPMG's. The only notable "light" GPMG that saw a lot of use is probably the PKM. Light in this case is still around 16 or 17 lbs unloaded.

[FlashBurn]

Considering an M60 gunner got an assistant gunner to carry more ammo maybe that would be a better solution than than 1 guy hualing around 60 pounds of machinegun and ammo. Or just let the team give you ammo by spamming I need ammo. Oh wait....

[petiatil]

Originally posted by GLaDOStheFrog:

in the previous games the machine gunner could be carrying an MG-42, two spare barrels, and two 200-round belts, yet in this you only get an M60, no spare barrel, and one 200-round belt.

In RS2, you can still carry 400 rounds, you just don't spawn with it. After you spawn, just go to an ammo box and resupply - you'll have a 200-round belt in your inventory and another 200-round belt hanging off your gun.

[ohbeeeeee]

Good point.