| From: | Paul J. Adam Paul@********.demon.co.uk |
|---|---|
| Subject: | squad automatic rifle |
| Date: | Tue, 10 Aug 1999 00:38:48 +0100 |
Suderman <suderman@*****.ocean.fsu.edu> writes
>I've been perusing 'Theory and Dynamics of Tactical Operations' [can anyone
>recommend better reading?] and I realized I don't know what a 'squad
>automatic rifle' is.
Complicated question! :)
But, basically, a "squad automatic weapon" is a machine gun. Meaning, a
weapon capable of sustained automatic fire - which tends to require a
quick-change barrel, a good bipod, either belt fed or convenient magazine
feed, that is able to deliver sustained accurate automatic fire at ~70-100
rounds per minute for 10-15 minutes.
>The M-16 is a rifle and can fire on automatic, but
>everyone carries one (don't they?).
Well, all the Yanks do :) And the M16A2 can't fire full-auto: single shots or
three-round bursts only.
Our L85A1 rifle can also fire on full-auto, but almost never does. Aimed
singles are better for a rifleman most of the time.
A rifle shouldn't have to sustain more than 20 rounds a minute in a
firefight over time (occasional brief excursions of 60-120 rounds/min may
occur but are rare and confined to desperate bouts of CQB)
More than that is a remake of Zulu, or a bad case of buck fever.
>The M-60 is an automatic, but not a
>rifle (is it?).
The M60 is a "general purpose machine gun", meaning it fulfils the role of
squad automatic as well as doing other jobs. I've never met the beast but I
hear from many sources that it's a POS and the role's much better filled by
weapons like the M240 /L7 (the Belgian FN-MAG) or by the MG3.
>The B.A.R. has the right name, but it's kinda achaic
>(isn't it?).
20-round magazine and a fixed barrel. It's "sort of" a squad automatic, in
the way that the fUSSR RPK was.
The _best_ squad automatic rifle ever was, IMHO, the Bren. 30-round
magazine, top-mounted for fast changes, solid and robust bipod, quick-
change barrel, simple and reliable and efficient.
The M249 SAW is a close competitor. (My Bren bias is because I carried
and used it, and because I'm from the 7.62mm NATO era) The M249 is
chambered for the same round as the M16, but can deliver much more
and more accurate sustained fire.
> Sorry for the newbie question...
if you never ask, you'll never learn.
--
Paul J. Adam
