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[rcorporon]

Atomic weapons are suppose to be scary, especially in the Fallout universe in which they ruined the world to begin with.

I wish that this one thought was put back into the Fallout world.

 

[Barrett]

...
it's just that it has seen very little practical and widespread use for various reasons.

Can you elaborate please? You mean back in 'nam or nowadays?
Not that it has much to do with the topic, I am just curious.

 

[SuAside]

Can you elaborate please? You mean back in 'nam or nowadays?
Not that it has much to do with the topic, I am just curious.

Today, it sees more widespread use.
But a few decades ago, while practically possible, it was used more as a fast firing indirect fire short range mortar.

In the end, it was more cost effective to field a bunch of M2's with EI rounds (today APEI mostly) and have mortar or artillery support.

Today's 40mm belt feds are more practical, but the US armed forces are still one of the only armies deploying it in large numbers.

 

[Barrett]

In todays battlefield which one is more practical? A .50cal HMG or a 40mm GMG? My layman opinion would go with the first one as I find it more versatile and ammo is more plentiful (both in stock and what can be brought to the battlefield) at least coming from what I read and saw in different media. But the latter with logistics put aside .... short ranged downscaled automatic cannon of destruction? Yes please. It's no wonder it is only used by the USA in large numbers, it is just too cool to be used by others.

 

[SuAside]

In todays battlefield which one is more practical? A .50cal HMG or a 40mm GMG?

It's a bit silly to compare them, since they both fit a different role.

They can complement eachother, though i'd strongly suggest you keep the M2/M3 as the most common heavy weapon.

 

[Crni Vuk]

I remember someone who mentioned in a documentation about firefights in either Iraq or Afghanistan (I think Iraq) that one of the most versatile weapons is still the 50cal heavy machinegun cause it has a great power in penetrating most surfaces and buildings so you can hit targets behind cover even from some biger distance but its colateral damage is relatively small compared to heavier weapons like grenades or even guns of biger caliber.

 

[cronicler]

.50 Cal, Nato 7.62, WP 14.7 are all killer calibers that are effective in a lot of diverse envirolments. Their main drawback is their dammed weight. A box of 50 cal ammo weighs a bit less than a Lada and you can burn trough it in about a minute or one and half with controlled low rate fire.

If you are mechanized or fixed location, it is not a very big deal but for foot infantry (light or heavy) the weight matters a lot.

It's a similar deal with new gen. grenades. A smart special munition grenade is a beautiful, elegant and precise tool but when your grenade costs more than the whole kit your target is carrying, it becomes a problem.