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Machine Gun
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Production information
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Type |
Ballistic (Anti-Infantry)
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Tech Base |
Clan / Inner Sphere (IS)
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Year Introduced
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Clan = 2825 CDS
IS = Pre-Spaceflight[1]
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Technology Rating
|
B
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Availability Ratings
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A[2]/A[2]/B[2]
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Technical specifications
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Heat
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0 [3]
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Damage
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2 + 2D6 vs. Infantry[3][4] OR 8B/6B[5]
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Minimum Range
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0[3]
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Short Range
|
1[3]
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Medium Range
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2[3]
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Long Range
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3[3]
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Tons
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Clan = 0.25[6]
IS = 0.5[3]
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Critical Slots
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1[3]
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Ammo Per Ton
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200[3]
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Cost (unloaded)
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5,000[2]
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Ammo Cost (per ton)
|
1,000[7]
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BV (2.0)
|
Clan = 5[8] 1 (Ammo)[8]
IS = 5[9] 1 (Ammo)[9]
|
Description[edit]
The Machine Gun is the quintessential anti-infantry weapon, issuing a stream of bullets at a high rate of fire to cut down opposing soldiers, while still being effective at damaging BattleMechs. Vehicular-scale machine guns mounted on BattleMechs can lay low entire platoons in just a few passes thanks to their high rate of fire, though they are more commonly found on Combat Vehicles and ProtoMechs.[1] These weapons are much heavier than those typically carried by infantry, but can be used by them when placed on a static mount, where they are called Support Machine Guns.[10][11] Battle armor can also carry machine guns, typically upgraded versions of infantry-support weapons, which can rival their larger vehicular-scale cousins.[12]
Beyond the "standard" models Clan Smoke Jaguar was the first to create Light Machine Guns and Heavy Machine Guns, which the other Clans and the Inner Sphere eventually fielded as well. The Federated Suns were also the first to mount multiple machine guns on the same linked platform creating the Machine Gun Array.[1]
Additionally, to their feature of being brutally effective against infantry units, Machine Guns can be reconfigured to spray a significantly higher amount of bullets at the cost of heat. This by default consumes triple the amount of ammo measured against the actual damage applied (regardless of if this hits or not). This in turn enables them to do a notable amount of damage to armor as a result of simply throwing more bullets at the problem. This unfortunately doesn't make these types of weapons any more damaging against infantry however.[13]
Ammo Handling[edit]
BattleMechs and vehicles (massing more than 5 tons) allot Machine Gun ammunition in half-ton (100 "round") as well as full ton (200 "round") lots. Powered armor (of all types, including battle armor) and vehicles massing less than 5 tons are allotted ammo in 5 kg lots that are consumed in a single "round" or turn of fire. This sheer amount of stored ammunition is exceptionally dangerous to have loaded into a 'Mech or Vehicle, and many MechWarriors will opt to forgo the use of Machine Guns on their 'Mech especially if the 'Mech doesn't have CASE.
The Machine Gun is manufactured on the following planets:
20mm Gatling Gun[edit]
Armstrong Minigun[edit]
Blackwell B75[edit]
Borman-A5C[edit]
Bulldog Minigun[edit]
Coventry Light Autogun[edit]
Double-Gun[edit]
General A70 Model[edit]
General Motors MiniGun[edit]
Usually called the GM MiniGun.
Grizzly-3 Minigun[edit]
Used on the Maxim Hover Transport, the brand name leads to confusion with the advanced Heavy Machine Gun
Johnston MiniGun[edit]
LFN Lindblad[edit]
M100 Heavy[edit]
The M100 Heavy Machine Gun is a 12.5mm[32] weapon typically used to deter infantry attacks against Phoenix Hawk, Crusader and Exterminator BattleMechs.[33]
The M100s is powerful enough to punch right through any body armor, though Elemental armor could withstand multiple hits with no problem.[34]
MainFire MiniGun[edit]
Maxi Mini[edit]
Mydron Mini-Gun[edit]
Scatter Gun Light[edit]
Sperry Browning[edit]
SureFire MiniGun[edit]
Voelkers 200[edit]
Some weapons are occasionally described as .50 Cals but this is likely to be more a generic terminology for machine guns. One instance of this is the M100, described in different sources as being a .50cal[34] (12.7mm[52]) and a 12.5mm,[32] the figure expressed in mm would be considered the canon as BattleTech Universe officially uses the metric system. Vehicular machine guns in BattleTech can be anywhere from caliber 12.5mm, up to 20mm, (30mm enters into the range of Autocannon territory in BattleTech) depending on the model. Infantry scale models are usually smaller, but there are support weapon variant guns firing larger caliber shells above 20mm as well.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 TechManual, p. 228: "Machine Gun"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 TechManual, p. 290: "Heavy Weapons And Equipment - Table"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 TechManual, p. 341: "Inner Sphere Heavy Weapons And Equipment Table"
- ↑ Total Warfare p. 217: "Burst Fire Weapons Versus Infantry Table
- ↑ A Time of War, p. 211: Anti-Infantry Weapons Table
- ↑ TechManual, p. 343: "Clan Heavy Weapons And Equipment Table"
- ↑ TechManual, p. 294: "Heavy Weapon Ammunition - Table"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 TechManual, p. 318: "Clan Weapons and Equipment BV Table"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 TechManual, p. 317: "Inner Sphere Weapons and Equipment BV Table"
- ↑ MechWarrior: Third Edition, p. 137: "Machine Guns"
- ↑ MechWarrior: Third Edition, p. 143: "Battle Armor Primary Weapons"
- ↑ TechManual, p. 258: "Machine Gun"
- ↑ Tactical Operations p. 102: "Rapid Fire Machine Guns"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, p. 26
- ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, pp. 200–201
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade, p. 64
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 211: "T-12 Tiger Medium Tank"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade, p. 92
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, p. 62
- ↑ Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 48: "Burrower/Ground Pounder MODs"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3067, p. 52: "RZK-9S Razorback"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3067, p. 50: "OSR-3D Osiris"
- ↑ Era Digest: Age of War, p. 23
- ↑ Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 20: "Pompier PoliceMech"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3039, pp. 64–65: "Maxim Hover Transport"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, p. 48
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, p. 54
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3025, p. 13
- ↑ Objectives: Periphery, p. 5
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3055 Revised, p. 10
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3050, p. 173
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Ghost of Christmas Present, p. 3
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Technical Readout: 3039, p. 294: "Produced Crusader 3R Components"
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Lethal Heritage, ch. 16
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, p. 8
- ↑ Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 26: "Carbine ConstructionMech MODs"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade, p. 100
- ↑ Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 18: "Guard SecurityMech"
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Technical Readout: Clan Invasion, p. 138
- ↑ Era Digest: Age of War, p. 24: "Estevez"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, p. 60
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3067, p. 58: "CMA-1S Chimera"
- ↑ Technical Readout: Succession Wars, p. 8
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 76
- ↑ Technical Readout: Succession Wars, p. 64
- ↑ Technical Readout: Succession Wars, p. 112
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 Technical Readout: Succession Wars, p. 158
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3025, p. 97
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, p. 52
- ↑ Objective Raids, p. 162
- ↑ Technical Readout: Succession Wars, p. 124
- ↑ https://www.convertunits.com/from/mm/to/caliber
Bibliography[edit]