An automatic gun refers to any firearm which reloads itself and fires continuously when the trigger is squeezed. For example, an automatic gun with 20 rounds will be fully discharged with one pull of the trigger. This firing rate differs from semi-automatic weapons, which would require 20 trigger squeezes to empty the chamber. There are a few different classifications of automatic weapons:automatic pistols, assault rifles, machine guns, and automatic shotguns.
The term ‘machine gun’ carries two distinct definitions-both a military and civilian interpretation. The general public commonly refers to any automatic gun as a machine gun, while the military has classified such weapons as heavy artillery fired from a supported position. Specifically used in the military, machine guns are commonly belt fed and mounted on a tripod or on top of a vehicle. Machine guns are subdivided into 4 groups:light, medium, heavy, and general purpose.
Not to be confused with hand-held automatic guns, the term “light” refers to such firearms that fire bursts of 8-10 rounds from a tripod or other mounted position. Examples of light machine guns include: squad automatic weapons (SAWS), RPKs, and M60s. Medium machine guns are also belt fed and shot from a supported position, however, they fire a larger caliber of ammunition and are considerably heavier than the light machine gun.
Examples of medium machine guns include:the Gatling gun and the M240. The heavy machine gun fires a caliber of 12 mm or 12.7 mm, and was designed to penetrate large structures such as vehicles, buildings, or fortifications. The general purpose automatic gun is a multi-purpose weapon and can take on the role of any machine gun. General purpose machine guns are man-portable and are fired from a seated position, supported by a bi-pod or tripod.
The assault rifle is the most common form of automatic gun used for infantrymen in modern warfare. Assault rifles have detachable magazines that commonly contain a 5.65X45mm to 7.62X39 mm caliber cartridge. This form of automatic gun has selective fire, which allows the operator to switch between semi-automatic and fully-automatic firing modes. Common forms of assault rifles include:M16s, AK-47s, and the G36.
The automatic shotgun is perhaps the least common form of automatic gun. As oppose to a regular shotgun which requires a reload and cock-back, the automatic form is able to fire continuously while the trigger is held. The automatic shotgun uses gas to eject empty shells and subsequently reload the next cartridge. The weapon uses a 12 gauge cartridge, is fed through an 8 round box magazine or 20-32 round drum magazine, and can fire at a rate of 350 rounds per minute.
The automatic pistol is a small hand-held firearm capable of automatic or burst fire. The automatic pistol is magazine-fed and most commonly used by the SWAT team or as a sidearm weapon for infantrymen. The automatic pistol uses common hand-held ammunition and possess a rate of fire between 1000-1200 rounds per minute.
Common forms of automatic pistols include:Mac-10s, Tec-9s, and the Beretta 93r. Although automatic guns are classified into particular groups, there is considerable overlap between certain compact sub-machine guns and automatic pistols.
