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HomeMachine GunsLight MGs

Light MGs

Light MGs

DSA’s Modernized Mini-RPD at the Range

February 10, 2024 Ian McCollum 18

Full video available at all of these sites: History of Weapons & War Patreon Playeur Floatplane Today I am at the range with one of DSA’s mini-RPDs. The RPD is a nearly 80-year-old design (doesn’t […]

Conversion

Making Do: South Africa’s 7.62mm NATO Bren Gun Conversions

December 23, 2023 Ian McCollum 3

During World War Two, the South African military used a lot of .303 caliber Bren guns. When 7.62mm NATO became the standard cartridge after the war, the Bren guns were put into storage, as converting […]

Light MGs

Hotchkiss Portative: Clunky But Durable

November 27, 2023 Ian McCollum 11

The Portative was an attempt by the Hotchkiss company to make a light machine gun companion to their heavy model (which had found significant commercial success). The Portative used the same feed strips, albeit loaded […]

Light MGs

FN Model 30: The First Belgian BAR

November 22, 2023 Ian McCollum 4

FN played a role in the production of Polish wz.28 BARs, and in the process obtained a copy of the technical package for the weapon, and converted it to metric measurements. Under the supervision of […]

Light MGs

The Gun Science Says Can’t Work: Madsen LMG Mechanics

November 21, 2023 Ian McCollum 14

The Madsen LMG is generally considered an extremely complex and confusing system – but is it really? Today we are taking one apart to see just how it actually works. Because in fact, it’s a […]

Commentary

Madsens in the Favelas: The LMG Still Going Strong With Rio’s Military Police

November 8, 2023 Ian McCollum 2

The Madsen LMG was first introduced in 1902, and it is still in use with police forces in Brazil today. The Madsen was not very popular with major European armies, but it sold extensively in […]

Light MGs

AMELI: Spain’s Not-Mini-MG42 in 5.56mm

August 26, 2023 Ian McCollum 25

The AMELI (which is a contraction of “ametralladora ligera”, or light machine gun) was introduced by CETME in 1981, and adopted by the Spanish military as the MG82. It was a counterpart LMG to the […]

Light MGs

Last Gasp of the German Maxim: the Air-Cooled MG 08/18

June 7, 2023 Ian McCollum 21

The MG 08/18 was developed at the very end of World War One as a lighter alternative to the MG 08/15. It used an air-cooled barrel, and between not needing water and having lighter parts […]

Light MGs

Yugoslav M72: The Early Balkan RPK

February 3, 2023 Ian McCollum 29

When the Yugoslav Peoples’ Army began AK development, they produced the M64 infantry rifle and the M65 support weapon. The M65 had a longer and heavier profile barrel and a bipod – and in its […]

Conversion

From Aircraft to Improvised Infantry: the Vickers MkI No2

December 21, 2022 Ian McCollum 21

The Vickers MkI No2 was an improvisation of the British Royal Air Force. They needed arms for airbase defense, without unduly impacting the production of weapons for the infantry. Wheat they had a good supply […]

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