Machine guns

The first self powered (not needing external power source like minigun) was invented in 1885. Heavier descendants, the first heavy machine guns, where first used in World War I, where they changed the face of warfare. Their purpose is mainly to provide suppresive fire, meaning letting bullets rain over the enemy, making him stuck behind his cover. Machine guns are divided into categories after caliber. Light and medium machine guns can be used by a single soldier, but heavy machine guns are always mounted, either stationary or on vehicles.

Light machine guns

Light machine guns are machine guns chambered in intermediate assault rifle calibers that are designed to be employed by a single soldier as a handheld weapon. These weapons are sometimes called the Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW. A light machine gun may be a variant of an existing rifle design (with modifications -- such as a larger capacity magazine, a heavier barrel, and a bipod for stability -- to make the weapon more suitable for sustained automatic fire) or a unique design specifically for the purpose.

Common Light Machine Guns

RPK

An Russian light machine gun, chambered with the 7.62x39mm cartridge. It was made by Kalashnikov for Soviet troops. It is almost identical to the AK-47 exept being heavier and with longer barrel. It was modified into the RPK-74 (alongside the AK-74) and then chambered for the lighter 5.45x39mm cartridge, and later modifed into the RPK-74M, wich uses polyesters

The RPK light machine gun, chambered in 7.62x39mm (.30)

and plastic parts instead of wood. It also exist in an version chambered in the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. If you for some reason want to carry an LMG the RPK and its many variants are exellent candidates. Although it can't hold as much ammo in its box magazine as belt-fed MGs can, it is much lighter. It can be found in the former Soviet Union and some Asian and African countries.

FN Minimi

An Belgium made, belt fed LMG, proabably most famous as the M249, the version used by the U.S army. It uses the 5.56x45mm NATO round. It has many variants, notable are the before-mentioned M249 and a more compact and lighter paratrooper version. They can be easily found in abandoned military bases of many countries, like the U.S, U.K, Belgium, Norway, Australia, Malasia and more.

FN MINI

Medium machine guns

Medium machine guns (also known as general-purpose machine guns) occupy the gray area between light machine guns and heavy machine guns, they are chambered in full-size rifle calibers, are man-portable, are usually belt-feld, and are designed to be fired from a stationary position mounted on a bipod or tripod, although it is possible for one man to carry a medium machine gun, though it is not advisable.

Common Medium Machine Guns

PK

Series of Soviet medium machine guns, firing 7.62x54 mmR round. The original PK was made in the 1960s by Kalashnikov, and was later modified to the PKM.

An M60 medium machine gun, chambered in 7.62x51 (.308)

FN MAG

An Belgium made belt fed GPMG first introduced in the 1950s.

American M60

A North-American medium machine-gun, most notably used in the jungles of Vietnam by the US army. The M60 fires a large round and can tear down a horde of zombies in little time.

German MG-42

Considered by many experts to be one of the finest machine-guns ever made, the MG-42 is belt-fed, pressed steel, air cooled, relatively low in recoil, and easily reloaded. The only drawback with the MG-42 is ammunition consumption, which its firing rate of 1200 RPM facilitates. Fully operational MG-42's can be found in museums, private collections all over the world, central/south American weapon housings, other third world-country armories, and barack's armories in Germany. The 7.62x51mm rechambered variant still used and manufactured today under the name MG-3, and most commonly found in the European Union.

MG-42 Machine Gun.

The MG-42, known for making the sound similar to a "buzz-saw" or tearing linoleum when firing, will bring you through the zombie invasion, easily shredding assailants into a "red mist".

Heavy machine guns

Heavy machine guns use large, sometimes 50 caliber, ammunition. Also they are built heavier and are mounted on tripods. They are also often mounted on vehicles. It is not possible to fire them unsupported.

Common Heavy Machine Guns

• American M2 Browning
• Russian DShK

The Gardner Gun, though rare, works well and though parts are nearly impossible to find, they're rather easy to improvise with the right materials and tools.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_17ij6cntgI http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xPnIIM4Il9U http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v-x7B-pj3_o http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vWtcp0BnOcs

M2 BROWNING

russian DShk heavy machingun

Pros and Cons

All machine guns, even those considered "light" machine guns, are heavy. For example, a loaded M249 SAW weighs roughly 10 kg (about 22 Ibs), so when you are traveling, these weapons are not the most comfortable. Also, very few have selective fire, which can be a problem when trying to save ammunition which there is no doubt you will. Another problem ammunition wise is that most models only use rare or expensive ammo and the ammo is usually big bulky and heavy to carry. Plus a fully loaded machine gun will run out of ammo in in a matter of seconds, and chances of an average survivor reloading in a quick and timely fashion is little to none. On the other hand, if the off chance you do have access to enough ammunition, they can be very valuable as mounted weapon to defend bases. But the most fatal flaw of all, machine guns were made for saturation fire and not for accuracy, it may take hundreds even thousands of rounds to take out a zombie with a randomly fatal shot. As seen in many war films machine guns are seen as this wonder weapon being able to mow down infantry like Swiss cheese. However these are zombies and not soldiers you are firing at with zombie capabilities, it won't simply go down with a shot to the chest no matter how many times you hit it. It will still come after you as long the brains intact and has a means to move itself. It should be noted that the constant sound of a machine gun firing will bring every zombie within a two mile radius. A little known fact about large Rambo like machine guns, is that they were made to purely annoy the enemy and force them to take cover while the troops move into tactical positions. And whoever gets caught in the hail of bullets are considered an extra bonus. With zombies that's a different story as they will not take cover and still push forward no mater how deadly and intimidating you are or look.

Some larger machine guns have the documented ability to shred a person to bits in a matter of seconds. Although this is great for dealing with bandits or other living enemies, it is not going to kill a zombie unless one of the bullets goes through the head. Machine guns can still be used for fighting the living, and even their ability to cut down zombies can be useful if the plan requires that they be significantly hindered.