Substained Fire

[mattt_h]

also GPMG can do Map predicted fire up to 3km

[barryc]

Andy,

Was it your MMG section at Blairs Field that used to give us the fire works display. Incoming green tracer from the rag heads and the nice red stuff in reply, all very artistic really?

Barry

[El Prez]

Barry it's Andy's artistic side coming out. He just loves parabolas of mortar rounds intertwined with lazily arcing 7.62 tracer.
Rather like Terry Wogan's November the 5th..........'Shhtonk, bang, weeeeee...............ooooohhhhhhhhh..........berlam!!!'

[Andy O'Pray]

Andy,
The Vickers had quite a distintive sound, I think it was possibly the lower rate of fire than the GPMG that made it stand out.

The No 1 of each gun was responsible for packing their own barrels. Each barrel had a grove at the breach end which was packed with asbestos string. The barrel was also packed at the muzzle end. Some No 1's packed tightly, some packed loosely. After the guns were packed one painted oil onto the asbestos string which made it swell. The tightly packed gun would form a very tight seal, whereas the more loosely packed barrel would not have such a tight seal, therefore, would produce a higher rate of fire.

If I was out in front of my guns I could tell which one was firing, as one of my No 1's was a tight packer and the other not. All in all a very personal weapon.

Aye - Andy.

[Andy O'Pray]

Andy,

Was it your MMG section at Blairs Field that used to give us the fire works display. Incoming green tracer from the rag heads and the nice red stuff in reply, all very artistic really?

Barry

Barry, my section was attached to Z company,Major David Langley MC, OC. Wherever they went we went.

Aye - Andy.

[harry hackedoff]

Top posts, all round and always instructional from Mr O cheers Andy.
Rob, the sights on the GPMG, went out to 800 in the direct role and 1800 in the SF. By using the "watch my splash method," I could exceed both ranges. Both weapons have one thing in common. D`ya know what it is?
It`s the toggle joint invented by one Hiram Maxim and first used on his Maxim Gun. During the cycle, a round is held in the chamber by the toggle. It looks like a human leg when standing upright, it supports the weight of the body, just as the toggle keeps the bolt in the chamber as the round is fired. We`ve all tapped someones` knee joint from behind and seen the effect, so it is with both the GPMG and Vickers. Many others copied the toggle link idea, most famously, messrs Luger and Mauser.
Do I sound like an anorak

[anglo-saxon]

It`s the toggle joint invented by one Hiram Maxim and first used on his Maxim Gun.

With a name like that, he was destined so build something grand!

The first LMG I encountered was the 7.62mm-converted Bren. Mag-fed of course, but with a cyclic rate of only 540 rpm, that wasn't a huge issue. The tough part was keep theiving buggers away who'd try to nick your mages for their SLRs. The only down-side to the old LMG was that we used to get runaway guns on a regular basis.

Then there's the Browning .50. Talk about a weapon that has stood the test of time. Definitely an interesting shoot firing that beast from an ant-aircraft frame. Biggest range safety template I've ever seen for an MG!

[Artist]

Having watched a very impressive SF fire demo at Warminster many moons ago by two GPMG's I would not like to have to advance into the Killing Ground.

Ref Falklands: Only on the beach head. After that it was forwards and no time to set ranges. It is very much a defensive option.

Once in the Oman I saw the result of two .50 (half inch) cal Browning MG's set on SF. Even the road was in bits. Trucks were blown apart as were the poor beggars riding in said trucks.

Artist

[Dave.Mil]

gone

[Andy O'Pray]

I can back up HH's comments. The Vickers MMG was adapted and improved from the Maxim design.

Andy O'Pray.

[anglo-saxon]

I think that one of the reasons the "Minimi" (designated C9 in the CF) has been so succesful is that its guts are almost identical to the MAG58. We have them as section LMGs (2 per) and they are a damned fine little gun. The two things I'm not keen on is: 1. The 200 rd belt box which is very noisy; and 2. that "they" decided it was appropriate to add an optic sight to it. Appart from that it's a great pice of kit.

[Skiffle]

Harry's right about the Toggle joint, although the true term is the Locking Link .

To take explain this a little further (ither pullup a sand bag and listen , or take cover as this may be completly useless information ).

When the bullet passes the gas port, the gas enters the cylinder and the piston is driven back. There is a period during which the piston motion has no effect on the bolt wich remains fully locked. The Locking Link during this period of mechanical safety is approaching the vertical position and until this is achieved there is no force on the Locking lever and it remains firmly in contact with the Locking shoulder in the body.

Therafter the locking lever is progressivly lifted out of engagment with the locking shoulder until unlocking is completed. The bolt is then carried to the rear by the piston, extracting and ejecting the spent case.

For those looking for this in layman's term's (i know i used some long word's for you there at the back ).

The system reduces the risk of a seperated case, and the force the whole working parts assembly extract's at (less recoil )

[Andy O'Pray]

Skiffle, I also did 3" & 81mm mortars and 120mm wombats. Do you want a run down on these?

Aye - Andy.

[Skiffle]

You mean i have to spout off more useless infoemation

Don't get me started on 105 light gun's. You'll never here the end of it

As a vickers .303 MMG man Andy, you should know all about the Toggle joint lock and crank handle used in the weapon.

[cambridgebloke]

Is the Minimi as effective as the GPMG for a small squad as opposed to the SA80 LSW?

And heres one that should prove interesting what 3 weapons would the experienced guys here take with them into a warzone i.e. the balkans.

Cheers Si