Quote:
Originally Posted by wilconqr
If a faster cyclic rate for the crew served MG was the answer why then are most MG's today set for 600+/- rpm? Because they know that anything over this is simply a waste of ammunition.
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There doesn't seem to be any agreement over this. Just flipping through Jane's Infantry Weapons to pick out the faster ones reveals that Germany still uses the MG3 (the updated 7.62mm MG 42) at 1,000-1,300 rpm, as does Pakistan, Turkey and Greece. The widely-used FN MAG (M240) RoF ranges between 650-1,000 rpm, the FN Minimi (M249) between 700-1,000, French N AAT F1 hits 900 rpm, Negev 700-1,000, Ameli 900 rpm.
Germany obviously felt that the high RoF was worth it in WW2, because as a result of war experience they went from the fast-firing MG 34 to the very-fast-firing MG 42, and (with a change in calibre) have stayed with that ever since. I think this is an issue where the pros and cons seem fairly well balanced - there's no obvious right answer (not the only small arms issue to which this applies
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