Editing Automatic firearm (section)

==Automatic firearm types==
[[File:NARA 111-CCV-345-CC37981 25th Infantry Division soldier spraying tree line with M60 fire Operation Cedar Falls 1967.jpg|thumb|A [[United States Army]] soldier laying automatic [[suppressive fire]] with an [[M60 machine gun]] during the [[Vietnam War]]]]

Automatic firearms can be divided into six main categories:

;[[Automatic rifle]]: The standard type of [[service rifle]]s in most modern militaries, usually capable of [[selective fire]]. [[Assault rifle]]s are a specific type of select-fire rifle chambered in an [[intermediate cartridge]] and fed via a high-capacity detachable magazine. [[Battle rifle]]s are similar, but chambered in a [[rifle cartridge|full-powered cartridge]].<ref name="Cutshaw2011">{{cite book|last=Cutshaw|first=Charles Q.|title=Tactical Small Arms of the 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Small Arms From Around the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=npHP9aV5rBgC&pg=PA250|date=28 February 2011|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-2482-9|page=250}}</ref>
;[[Automatic shotgun]]: A type of [[combat shotgun]] capable of firing shotgun shells automatically, usually also semi-automatically.<ref name="Cutshaw2011"/>
;[[Machine gun]]: A large group of heavier firearms used for [[suppressive fire|suppressive]] automatic fire of rifle cartridges, usually attached to a mount or supported by a bipod. Depending on size, weight and role, machine guns are divided into [[Heavy machine gun|heavy]], [[Medium machine gun|medium]] or [[Light machine gun|light]] machine guns. The ammunition is often [[Belt (firearm)|belt-fed]].<ref name="Cutshaw2011"/>
;[[Submachine gun]]: An automatic, short rifle ([[carbine]]) typically chambered for [[pistol]] cartridges. Today seldom used in military contexts due to a rise in the use of body armor, they are commonly used by police forces and [[close protection]] units in many parts of the world.<ref name="Cutshaw2011"/>
;[[Personal defense weapon]]: A new breed of automatic firearms that combines the light weight and size of the submachine gun with the medium power caliber ammunition of the rifle, thus in practice creating a submachine gun with body armor penetration capability.<ref name="Cutshaw2011"/>
;[[Machine pistol]]: A [[handgun]]-style firearm, capable of fully automatic or [[burst fire]]. They are sometimes equipped with a foldable shoulder stock, to promote accuracy during automatic fire, creating similarities to their submachine gun counterparts. Some machine pistols are shaped similarly to semi-automatics (e.g., the [[Glock 18]], [[Beretta 93R]]). As with SMGs, machine pistols fire pistol caliber cartridges (such as the [[9mm]], [[.40]], [[.45 ACP]] etc.).<ref name="Cutshaw2011"/>