What makes a machine gun automatic?

While technical use of the term “machine gun” has varied, the modern definition used by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute of America is “a fully automatic firearm that loads, fires and ejects continuously when the trigger is held to the rear until the ammunition is exhausted or pressure on the …

What automatic weapons does the military use?

The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW, is an individually portable, gas operated, magazine or disintegrating metallic link-belt fed, light machine gun with fixed headspace and quick change barrel feature. The M249 engages point targets out to 800 meters, firing the improved NATO standard 5.56mm cartridge.

What exactly is cannon?

Canon (one “n”) refers to a collection of rules or texts that are considered to be authoritative. Shakespeare and Chaucer are part of the canon of Western literature, so you might read their work in an English class. The literary canon can change with time, and so can the cultural canon.

What is the difference between an autocannon and a machine gun?

Autocannons have a longer range and a larger calibre than a machine guns (e.g., 20 mm or greater, most often in the range of 20–75mm, but bigger also exist), but are usually smaller than tank guns, howitzers, field guns or other artillery. When used on its own, the word “autocannon” indicates a single-barrel weapon.

What is the difference between a cannon and a gun?

All cannons can be called guns, but not all guns can be called cannons. It is a difference in calibre – AFAIK, from 20 mm and up is cannon, while a heavy MG would be 12.7 mm.

What is a 20mm cannon equivalent to in real life?

Commander Monroe noted that, from a gun “horsepower” standpoint, one 20 mm cannon was equivalent to three .50-caliber machine guns. “The 20 will go through .75 inch of armor at 500 yards, while the .50 cal will go through only .43.” He also noted that the cannon barrel was not as susceptible to being damaged with long bursts like the machine gun’s.

What is the difference between a machine gun and a submachine gun?

Machine guns use rifle ammunition, and are basically dressed up rifles. Rifles are larger than handguns, so naturally machine guns are larger than submachine guns. This holds true most of the time, but it doesn’t necessarily mean every submachine gun is smaller in length or weight than machine guns.