Machineguns fire mode.

[leonpoi]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

While it's definately going to cool the barrel down, immersing it in water is certainly causing damage as I mentioned before.
Chances are it'll still be useable for that battle, but don't count on it after that. It may even screw it up so badly that it cracks when fired (and that's definately something in the BAD THINGS category).

As for sniping, why bother wasting the ammo on poor, hapless cadets, even if they are only blanks. I found waving a handaxe, or, better yet, charging with a SMLE bayonet on the end of my F88 did the trick quite nicely. (Yes, a hundred year old bayonet will fit after judicious application of no more than an allen key)

There's something to be said for cold steel.

are there really bayonets in a MILES training?

I've got a friend whose army career so far goes:
(Australia) Infantry -> sniper -> (Iraq) -> (Afghanistan) -> Commandos -> (Afghanistan)
when he was still training for the sniper course his group was the opposing force for a bunch of cadets. In one fight he snuck through long grass to pretty close (maybe 50m), popped up and shot, ducked down and moved, popped up and shot - repeat. He took out 16 guys before withdrawing back out of view. He said he could hardly contain himself from laughing because they just had no idea where he was.