<XMP><BODY></xmp> Correct use of three round bursts and automatic fire.

The principal value of the M.P. 44 lies in its accuracy and high rate of fire (22 to 28 rounds per minute) as a semiautomatic weapon, and in its alternate use as an automatic weapon, when it is fired in short bursts of 2 to 3 rounds (40 to 50 rounds per minute). Generally, the weapon is set for single fire. Bursts will be fired only when beating off an enemy assault, making a counterthrust (against a penetration, in close combat), or at very short ranges during combat in trenches, towns, or woods. Strict fire discipline must be observed. Conserve ammunition!”

General Hans Guderian's instructions to Fortress Infantry Battalions

Recent Thoughts on Fully Automatic Fire

Mounted Machine Guns

A higher rate-of-fire may make a mounted machine gun more accurate. Recoil is experienced as a constant push rather than a staccato rocking. An analogy would be to compare a fire-hose to a jack-hammer.

The GAU-21 is claimed to have twice the cyclic-rate for only a third of the dispersion of a “standard” .50 machine gun. The GAU-19 is claimed to put 80% of its rounds within 3 mrad.

In modern combat targets may be fast-moving or fleeting. High rate-of-fire vehicle-mounted machine guns may use ammunition more efficiently and effectively.

Early articles on the GAU-19 mention an option of a ten-round burst setting. A burst-fire mode for high rate-of-fire vehicle mounted weapons is worth testing.

Dismounted Machine Guns

A machine gun team that stays in the same firing position too long is likely to be targeted by RPGs, grenade-launchers, loitering munitions and various other weapons.

The dismounted machine gunner will need to frequently change location. This necessity with favour the lighter models of machine gun, and firing from the bipod. Tripod-mountings are likely to be seldom used. During the Second World War, issue of tripods for Bren guns was reduced to one for every three guns. They seldom seem to have been used in practice.

A machine gunner and the section they are with can only carry a finite mass of ammunition, so ammo conservation is another priority for dismounted machine guns.

Weapons with selective fire should be used semi-automatically for accurate and fast controlled fire. Single, aimed shots may be walked onto the target and the target then subjected to rapid, semi-automatic fire. Fully automatic fire should be reserved for appropriate situations and targets.

On page 47 of “Small Arms Manual” (1942-4) Brigadier Jj.A. Barlow and Lt-Col R.E.W. Johnson, is some interesting advice on using the M1917 BAR: “Normally the weapon should be used for firing single shots, the fully automatic capability only being employed in an emergency. Besides avoiding waste of ammunition, this disguises the fact that an automatic weapon is present, until the enemy is too close to do anything about it.”

For machine guns that can only be fired automatically, short bursts are often advocated. This may be difficult to achieve in the heat of action. The value of adding a burst-fire mode needs to be investigated.

For a machine gun that will be used dismounted and fired from a bipod a cyclic rate of between 600 and 750 rpm is probably the best compromise for control and efficient ammunition use.

Hyperburst and Burst

The G11 rifle was designed to fire a three-round burst at around 2,000 rpm. This was at a considerably higher rate than its fully automatic cyclic rate.

The AN-94 rifle is able to fire a two-round burst at 1,800 rpm. This is considerably higher than its fully automatic cyclic rate.

The objective of hyperburst is to have all rounds leave the weapon before the effects of firing have any influence on the weapon.

When the G11 and AN-94 first appeared there was some theorizing that bullets hitting with a such a small interval of time and space might increase terminal effects. For example, the temporary cavity from the first hit might still be expanding when the subsequent rounds arrived, augmenting it.

Hyperburst requires a mechanically more complex mechanism, yet does not seem to increase actual practical hit-probability. All the rounds are fired in such a small interval that either they all hit, or they all miss.

While the AN-94 was adopted for service, it is notable that no subsequent models of rifle have attempted to replicate this feature.

For more conventional rifles, two- or three-round burst is at a similar cyclic rate to fully-automatic mode. For the M16-series, at least, dispersion is too great for burst-mode to increase hit-probability at longer ranges. This makes burst-fire only useful for conserving ammunition under the same ranges and conditions that fully automatic fire is practical.

Whether this capability for a rifle or carbine is worth the added complexity and mass of the burst-mechanism is open to debate.

The mechanism used on the M16A2 gives the weapon three different trigger-pressures, which does not contribute to accurate semi-automatic fire.

Reducing the basic cyclic rate of rifles and carbines to 420 to 480 rpm may significantly improve accuracy and ammunition consumption during fully automatic and burst fire. Trails of the LMR and a modified M16 confirm that a rate of fire this low allows correction of shots during a burst.

For rifles, aimed semi-automatic and rapid semi-automatic fire are the only modes practical for ranges beyond 15 metres.

Correct Use of Three-Round Bursts and Automatic Fire

Probably the most major difference between the M16A2 and nearly any other assault rifle is that it has a three-round burst capability but no fully automatic mode. The intention is obviously to limit ammo wastage by troops “spraying and praying” and as is often the case the US military has opted for a technological solution rather than a training one.

Burst fire is a useful tool but when I heard about the M16A2, I and many others thought the rifle should retain a full-auto option for emergencies.

Suppose you turn into an alley or drop into a trench and there is a big cluster of hostiles?

Wouldn't this be a situation where it would be desirable to open up with full “Rock and Roll”? We'll come back to this question.

This page http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/4356/burst.html has an interesting article on burst fire and some good suggestions. While for the most part I agree with the author, there is one statement I'd dispute:

“Why shoot someone three times when 1 will do just fine?”

No small arms round can be guaranteed to take out a man every time with a single hit, so in many situations multiple hits are desirable.

It will often not be apparent if your round has hit or not.

In real combat, troops tend to keep firing at a target until they drop or are in some other way obviously not a threat. Unless at close-range, semi-automatic fire is usually a more effective way to do this when using a rifle.

It probably is the case that burst fire is often used inappropriately. The two main situations when burst fire is needed are:

For all other shots the rifle should be set to semi-automatic. “Double tap” a target if you have to but aim both shots.

Suppressive fire poses a problem. It is understandable to want to hose the target in lead but a rifle lacks both the weight and the ammo capacity to do this as effectively as a machine gun.

The USMC Rifle Manual suggests that each rifleman laying down suppressive fire should only expend 12-15 rds per minute. The current US Army manual suggests one round every 3-10 seconds.

Use single aimed shots and fire at: