21.10.

2017 Light machine gun - Wikipedia

Light machine gun

A light machine gun (LMG) is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier,
with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as
squad automatic weapons.

The M249 SAW, one of the most

Contents widespread modern 5.56 mm
light machine guns amongst
1 Characteristics NATO countries.
1.1 Ammunition feed
2 History
3 Selected examples
3.1 1900s1940s
4 See also

Characteristics
Modern light machine guns often fire smaller-caliber cartridges than medium machine guns, and
Heckler & Koch MG4 of the
are usually lighter and more compact. Some LMGs, such as the Russian RPK, are modifications of
German Army.
existing assault rifle designs and designed to share the same ammunition. Adaptations to the
original rifle generally include a larger magazine, a heavier barrel to resist overheating, a more
robust mechanism to support sustained fire and a bipod.

A light machine gun is also defined by its usage as well as its specifications: some machine guns -
notably general-purpose machine guns - may be deployed either as a light machine gun or a
medium machine gun. Deployed on a tripod and used for sustained-fire it is a medium machine
gun; if deployed with a bipod with the operator in prone position and firing short bursts it is a light
machine gun.

Light machine guns are also designed to be fired from the hip or on the move as a form of Bren light machine gun.
suppressive fire intended to pin down the enemy. Marching fire is a specific tactic that relies on
this capability.

Lighter modern LMGs have enabled them to be issued down at the fireteam level, with two or three
at the section/squad level.

.30-06 BAR Model 1918

Ammunition feed
Many light machine guns (such as the Bren gun or the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle) were magazine-fed. Others, such as the MG 34,
could be fed either from a belt or from a magazine. Modern light machine guns are designed to fire more rounds of a smaller caliber and,
as such, tend to be belt-fed from a detachable box magazine, some such as the FN Minimi will also accept rifle magazine feeding as an
auxiliary measure when belted ammunition has been exhausted.

History
Light machine guns were first introduced in World War I to boost the firepower of advancing infantry. By the end of World War II, light
machine guns were usually being issued on a scale of one per fire team or squad, and the modern infantry squad had emerged with tactics
that were built around the use of the LMG to provide suppressive fire.

Selected examples
The following were either exclusively light machine guns, had a light machine gun variant or were employed in the light machine gun role
with certain adaptations.

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1900s1940s
Madsen machine gun (various calibers)
Bergmann MG15 nA Gun (7.9257mm)
M1909 BentMerci (8mm Lebel, .303 British, .30-06 Springfield)
Hotchkiss M1922 (various calibers)
Bren (.303 British)
Vickers-Berthier (.303 British)
Fusil-Mitrailleur Mle 1915 'CSRG', 'Chauchat' light machine gun (8mm Lebel)
A Chinese soldier with a ZB vz.26
Lahti-Saloranta M/26 (7.6253mmR)
light machine gun.
Degtyaryov light machine gun (7.6254mmR)
Maxim-Tokarev (7.6254mmR)
Furrer M25 (7.555mm Swiss)
Lewis machine gun (.303 British, .30-06 Springfield)
Lewis automatic rifle (8mm Lebel / 6.555mm Mauser)
Huot automatic rifle (.303 British)
Mendoza RM2 (757mm Mauser, .30-06 Springfield)
Breda 30 (6.552mm Carcano)
ZB vz. 26 (7.9257mm)
ZB vz. 30 (7.9257mm)

The early INSAS LMG, a weapon of

Indian origin.

A Romanian soldier instructing a

U.S. Marine in clearing a RPK
during Exercise Rescue Eagle 2000
at Babadag Range, Romania, on
July 15, 2000.

A 7.6251mm NATO, Mk 48
machine gun on a foot patrol in the
mountains of Afghanistan, 2009.

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Weight
Country of Design Feed Rate of fire Model
Model Caliber(s) (base
origin date system (rounds/min) variants
model)
United *7.6251mm 8.51 kg
M60E3/E4 1950s Belt fed 550 (cyclic)
States NATO (18.8 lb)

*M249
Squad
*5.5645mm
Automatic
NATO Belt fed or
Belgium 6.85 kg Weapon
FN Minimi 1974 (standard) box 1150 (cyclic)
(15.1 lb) (USA)
*7.6251mm magazine
*MK 46
NATO
machine gun
(USA)
CETME Spain *5.5645mm 5.3 kg *MG82
1974 Belt fed 1200 (cyclic)
Ameli NATO (11.7 lb) (Spain)
100-round
Type-81 China 5.15 kg drum or *BD-08 LMG
2008 *7.6239mm 750 (cyclic)
LMG (11.4 lb) 30-round (Bangladesh)
STANAG
Drum or
Ultimax *5.5645mm 4.75 kg
Singapore 1977 box 600 (cyclic)
100 NATO (10.5 lb)
magazine

Vektor South *5.5645mm 8.26 kg

1977 Belt fed 900 (cyclic)
Mini-SS Africa NATO (18.2 lb)

*5.5645mm
NATO
7.40 kg Belt fed or
Negev Israel 1985 (standard) 1150 (cyclic)
(16.3 lb) magazine
*7.6251mm
NATO
Ares
United *5.5645mm 3.40 kg Belt fed or
Shrike 2000s 800 (cyclic)
States NATO (7.5 lb) magazine
5.56
Drum or
United *5.5645mm 5.30 kg
Stoner 63 1960s box 1000 (cyclic)
States NATO (11.7 lb)
magazine
Stoner United *5.5645mm 4.54 kg
2000s Belt fed 1000 (cyclic)
LMG States NATO (10.0 lb)

Colt Drum or
United *5.5645mm 5.78 kg *Diemaco
Automatic 1970s box 750 (cyclic)
States NATO (12.7 lb) LSW (CAN)
Rifle magazine
Heckler &
*5.5645mm 8.55 kg
Koch Germany 1990s Belt fed 885 (cyclic)
NATO (18.8 lb)
MG4
Steyr
*5.5645mm 3.90 kg Box
AUG H- Austria 1977 750 (cyclic)
NATO (8.6 lb) magazine
BAR
United *5.5645mm 6.58 kg Box
L86 LSW 1970s 775 (cyclic)
Kingdom NATO (14.5 lb) magazine

KRR *5.5645mm Drum

Australia 1985 N/A 3000 (cyclic)
Minigun NATO magazine
Heckler & Drum or
*5.5645mm 3.83 kg
Koch Germany 1990s box 750 (cyclic)
NATO (8.4 lb)
MG36 magazine
Drum or
*5.5645mm 3.6 kg
M27 IAR Germany 2008 box 640 (cyclic)
NATO (7.9 lb)
magazine

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Weight
Country of Design Feed Rate of fire Model
Model Caliber(s) (base
origin date system (rounds/min) variants
model)
INSAS India *5.5645mm 6.70 kg Box
1990s 650 (cyclic)
LMG NATO (14.8 lb) magazine
SAR-21 Singapore *5.5645mm 3.82 kg Box
1996 650 (cyclic)
LMG NATO (8.4 lb) magazine
Pecheneg Belt fed or
8.70 kg
machine Russia 1990s *7.6254mmR box 700
(19.2 lb)
gun magazine

France *7.554mm 9.10 kg Box

FM-24/29 1924 500 (cyclic)
French (20.1 lb) magazine
Stripper
*6.552mm
Italy 10.60 kg clip fed,
Breda 30 1930 Mannlicher 500 (cyclic)
(23.4 lb) internal
Carcano
magazine
Type 11
Hopper
light Japan *6.550mm 10.20 kg
1922 magazine, 450 (cyclic)
machine Arisaka (22.5 lb)
30 rounds
gun
Type 96
light Japan *6.550mm 9.00 kg Box
1936 500 (cyclic)
machine Arisaka (19.8 lb) magazine
gun
Type 99
light Japan *7.758mm 10.40 kg Box
1939 700
machine Arisaka (22.9 lb) magazine
gun
*.30-06
M1918
Springfield
Browning United 8.80 kg Box
1917 *6.555mm 650 (cyclic)
Automatic States (19.4 lb) magazine
*7.9257mm
Rifle
Mauser

*7.9257mm 10.50 kg Box

ZB vz. 26 1923 500
Czechoslovakia Mauser (23.1 lb) magazine

United *.303 British

*.30-06
Lewis States 13.00 kg Drum
1911 Springfield 600 (cyclic)
Gun United (28.7 lb) magazine
*7.9257mm
Kingdom
Mauser

See also
Medium machine gun
Heavy machine gun
Squad automatic weapon
General-purpose machine gun
Assault rifle

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This page was last edited on 9 September 2017, at 02:26.

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