RE: [SG,DS] Power Armour Weapon

At 12:15 PM +1100 3/11/03, Beth.Fulton@csiro.au wrote:
>
>OK excuse dumb Beth question, is this because they really aren't needed
full
>stop anymore or is it because they are bogged down by
weight/ammo/immobility
>and so other methods are better and combat abilities/tactics have
evolved to
>match those methods instead?

Machine guns in the heavy sustained fire roles were abandoned because 
the human wave tactics fell into rarity. I'm sure that at Korea many 
US troops were wishing they still had their water cooled M1919s over 
the air cooled ones.

In the sustained indirect role, Water cooled MGs have been replaced 
by mortars (as John would no doubt argue were he online).

I think, that given off world limitations on supply and that given a 
supply of brass (easy to mine), link or cloth, propellant (you need a 
fertilizer plant) and lead (also easy to mine) you could keep a water 
cooled MG in bullets for years. In fact, the surplus market for .303 
British is finally running out of belted .303 Mk VIIIz from the 40's.

In the infantry role, Water cooled MGs are bloody heavy. They aren't 
terribly good for attack, but are killer for defense. Your big 
problem being displacing quickly to alternate positions on the 
defense. If you have to hold a line they are good for a solid Final 
Protective Fire line.

For a powered trooper, a water cooled gun with a very streamlined 
jacket (and armored), a 400 rpm rate and given a good supply of ammo, 
could keep the heads down on a large number of fuzzy wuzzies or what 
ever you want to call a nasty group of low tech creatures/people you 
want to keep at bay.
-- 
Ryan Gill	       rmgill@SPAMmindspring.com
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