Quote:
Originally Posted by jester
And what if you are using a T&E?  |
The T&E mechanism will make the base of the triangle of fire shorter. Effectively, more rounds will go into each linear meter at the base of the triangle. Were I to try to create a mechanism for T&E-based spray 'n pray, I'd go with something like that.
In reality, the T&E mechanism makes spray 'n pray difficult, though not truly impossible. A gunner can only crank the T&E wheel so far in one go before moving his hand for another wind. If the gunner were to depress the trigger until the belt ran out, the pattern of rounds will show tight concentrations right where he was moving his hand to adjust the T&E and looser concentrations where he was actually turning the wheel.
There are some other variables to bear in mind. The first is that gunners ought not to be in the habit of firing whole belts of ammunition in one go. Six to nine rounds per burst is the norm for a general-purpose machine gun. Squad automatic weapons are better kept to three rounds per burst, since their lighter barrels overheat more quickly. (Also, as I have discovered the hard way, you can burn up a 100-round drum in not much more time than it took me to write this sentence. Fire discipline is a must if you are the SAW gunner.) I was taught that when a gunner is using a T&E to move his fire across a designated field of fire, he fires a burst, moves the gun, and fires another burst. Gunners that follow this practice are going to create separate shotgun-type patterns along the length of their traverse. I know that some gunners traverse while firing a burst. In this case, the base of the triangle is a product of how far the gunner can turn whichever wheel he's using on the T&E mechanism while firing his burst.
I'm sure Law could provide better information than I can regarding the real world application of machine guns. I'm really just an amateur who has enough training to get onto the battlefield and live to tell the tale. I've used a T&E to fire from a static position several times in training exerises, but all my (very limited) gunnery in Iraq was from the cupola on top of a Hum Vee. There are some important differences, especially if the truck is moving as you're firing. Come to think of it, that's something that could be gamed out fairly easily. If your convoy is moving through the enemy's field of fire, it becomes difficult to aim the gun. I took the advice of another gunner; lay the gun behind the target and let the movement of the vehicle drag your fire forward across the target. In this case, the field of fire isn't a triangle--it's more like a cross between a parallelogram and a rectangle. Figure out how far the vehicle moves in a given time, then divide that by the number of rounds fired. From there, you can figure out a ratio of empty space to silhouette. Of course, this doesn't take elevation issues into account. Hajji is hard to hit when he's using the irrigation ditches for cover and only his head and right shoulder are exposed.
OT: SO many problems could have been solved with a little arty. A single air burst 155mm in the right place would have turned the logic of using the irrigation ditches for ambushes on its head. Sadly, in reaction to Vietnam the pendulum has swung entirely the other way--at least it did in greater Baghdad in 2005. I can't comment on what is happening or did happen anywhere else.
I'm sure Paul, too, could add more to my assessment
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