General-purpose machine gun facts for kids

An American M60 machine gun

A general-purpose machine gun (often called a GPMG) is a type of machine gun. It gets its bullets from a long strip called a belt. GPMGs are very versatile. This means they can be used in many different ways. For example, soldiers can use them to support their team from a bipod (a two-legged stand) or a tripod (a three-legged stand). They can also be put onto a helicopter or an armoured vehicle. This allows them to provide strong fire support for troops or vehicles.

A general-purpose machine gun is usually a medium machine gun. It fires powerful rifle cartridges. Examples include the 7.62×51mm NATO or 7.92x57mm Mauser bullets. Because these guns are usually quite heavy and powerful, they are often used from a bipod, tripod, or mounted on a vehicle. It is generally too difficult to fire them accurately while walking or moving on foot.

Famous GPMG Examples

Here are some well-known general-purpose machine guns:

• The German Maschinengewehr 34.
• The German Maschinengewehr 42.
• The American M60.

GPMG in Action

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  A general-purpose machine gun used by the Australian army.

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  A GPMG set up on a tripod.

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  Mounted on a vehicle in Dutch service.

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  A GPMG on a U.S. Navy destroyer.

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  A GPMG used on a helicopter.

Related pages

• Light machine gun
• Heavy machine gun
• Squad automatic weapon

Images for kids

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  The MG-42 type general-purpose machine guns. One is on a bipod, and the other is on a tall tripod for anti-aircraft use.

See also

In Spanish: Ametralladora de propósito general para niños