Editing General-purpose machine gun

{{Short description|Machine gun adaptable for several light and medium roles}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Missing information|general development, date of use, non-military use etc|date=July 2011}}
{{Update|inaccurate=yes|date=March 2017}}
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[[File:MG42-Display.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The [[MG 42|MG-42]] type general-purpose machine guns in both bipod and tripod configurations. The tall tripod on the right is for anti-aircraft use.]]

A '''general-purpose machine gun''' ('''GPMG''') is an [[air-cooled]], usually [[ammunition belt|belt]]-fed [[machine gun]] that can be adapted flexibly to various tactical roles for [[light machine gun|light]] and [[medium machine gun]]s.<ref>{{cite book|author=James H. Willbanks|title=Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VWkYoAkoMHIC&pg=PA226|year=2004|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-480-6|page=226}}</ref> A GPMG typically features a quick-change [[gun barrel|barrel]] design [[caliber]]ed for various [[fully powered cartridge]]s such as the [[7.62×51mm NATO]], [[7.62×54mmR]], [[7.5×54mm French]], [[7.5×55mm Swiss]] and [[8x57mm IS|7.92×57mm Mauser]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/support-weapons/1463.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130110080630/http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/support-weapons/1463.aspx |title=General Purpose Machine Gun|archive-date=January 10, 2013|website=UK Army}}</ref> and be configured for [[weapon mount|mounting]] to different [[weapons platform|stabilizing platforms]] from [[bipod]]s and [[tripod]]s to [[vehicle]]s, [[aircraft]], [[boat]]s and [[fortification]]s, usually as an [[infantry support weapon]] or [[squad automatic weapon]].

==History==
The general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) originated with the [[MG 34]], designed in 1934 by [[Heinrich Vollmer]] of [[Mauser]] on the commission of [[Nazi Germany]] to circumvent the restrictions on [[machine gun]]s imposed by the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. It was introduced into the [[Wehrmacht]] as an entirely new concept in [[Automatic firearm|automatic]] firepower, dubbed the ''Einheitsmaschinengewehr'', meaning "universal machine gun" in [[German language|German]].<ref>Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. Ian Hogg & Terry Gander. HarperCollins Publishers. 2005. page 375</ref><ref name="autogenerated326">Military Small Arms of the 20th Century. 7th Edition. Ian V. Hogg & John S. Weeks. Krause Publications. 2000. page 326</ref><ref name="autogenerated245">The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Chris Bishop. Sterling Publishing Company. 2002. page 245 & 246</ref> In itself the MG 34 was an excellent weapon for its time: an [[air-cooled]], [[recoil-operated]] machine gun that could run through belts of [[7.92×57mm Mauser]] ammunition at a rate of 850 [[rounds per minute]], with lethality at ranges of more than 1,000 [[meters]].<ref name="autogenerated326"/><ref name="autogenerated245"/> The main feature of the MG 34 is that simply by changing its mount, [[Gunsights|sights]] and feed mechanism, the operator could radically transform its function: on its standard [[bipod]] it was a [[light machine gun]] ideal for [[infantry]] assaults; on a [[tripod]] it could serve as a sustained-fire [[medium machine gun]]; mounting on [[aircraft]] or [[vehicle]]s turned it into an [[air defence]] weapon, and it also served as the [[coaxial machine gun]] on numerous German [[tank]]s.<ref name="autogenerated326"/><ref name="autogenerated245"/>

During [[World War II]], the MG 34 was supplemented by a new GPMG, the [[MG 42]], although it remained in combat use.<ref 
  name="autogenerated376">
  Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. Ian Hogg & Terry Gander. HarperCollins Publishers. 2005. page 376
</ref><ref name="autogenerated329">
  Military Small Arms of the 20th Century. 7th Edition. Ian V. Hogg & John S. Weeks. Krause Publications. 2000. page 329
</ref><ref name="autogenerated247">
  The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Chris Bishop. Sterling Publishing Company. 2002. page 247
</ref> The MG 42 was more efficient and cheaper to manufacture, and more robust, as well as having an extremely high [[Rate_of_fire#Cyclic_rate|cyclic rate of fire]] of 1,200 to 1,500 rounds per minute.<ref name="autogenerated376"/><ref name="autogenerated329"/><ref name="autogenerated247"/> One of the ''Einheits Maschinengewehr'' GPMG roles was to provide low level anti-aircraft coverage. A high cyclic rate of fire is advantageous for use against targets typically exposed to fire for a limited time span, like aircraft or targets minimizing their exposure by quickly moving from cover to cover. It was nicknamed "[[Hitler]]'s [[buzzsaw]]" by [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] troops, and alongside the MG 34 it inflicted heavy [[casualties]] on Allied soldiers on all [[European theatre of World War II|European]] and [[North African Theatre (World War II)|North African]] fronts of World War II.<ref name="autogenerated376"/><ref name="autogenerated247"/><ref>
  Military Small Arms of the 20th Century. 7th Edition. Ian V. Hogg & John S. Weeks. Krause Publications. 2000. page 328 & 329
</ref>  Following the war the victorious Allied nations took an interest in the MG 34 and MG 42, influencing many post-war general-purpose machine guns, many still in use today. They lent design elements to the Belgian [[FN MAG]] and the American [[M60 machine gun|M60]], while spawning the Zastava M53, Swiss M51, and Austrian MG 74. The MG 42's qualities of firepower and usability meant that it became the foundation of an entire series of postwar machine guns, including the MG 1 and [[MG 3 machine gun|MG 3]]; the latter, {{as of|2023|lc=y}}, is still in production.<ref 
  name="autogenerated376"/><ref 
  name="autogenerated329"/><ref name="autogenerated247"/><ref>
  MG 34 and MG 42 Machine Guns. by Chris McNab. Published by Random House Publishing Group. Oct 23, 2012. Quote taken from leaf.
</ref>

==Post-WWII examples==

* [[Germany|German]] [[Rheinmetall MG 3]], a direct descendant of the [[MG 42]], still in service with the [[German Army]] and others and widely exported.
* German [[Heckler & Koch HK21]], is based on the [[Heckler & Koch G3]] rifle and widely exported.
* German [[Heckler & Koch MG5]], the new standard machine gun of the German Army.
* Italian [[:it:Beretta MG 42/59|MG 42/59]], a direct descendant of the MG 42 and a licensed MG 3 variant, is still in service with the [[Italian military]]
* [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[FN MAG]], which copied the MG 42's feed-system and trigger-mechanism. It is the most widely used GPMG among western armies.
* Belgian/American [[Mk 48 machine gun|Mk 48]]/[[FN_Minimi#Minimi_7.62|Minimi 7.62]], is a GPMG based on the [[FN Minimi]] [[light machine gun]] and [[M249 squad automatic weapon|M249 SAW]].
*[[United States|American]] [[M60 machine gun|M60]], which is based on the German [[FG 42]] and uses the MG 42's feed system and stamp-steel construction.<ref>Military Small Arms Of The 20th Century. Ian Hogg & John Weeks. Krause Publications. 2000. p379</ref><ref>Weapons: An International Encyclopedia From 5000 B.C. To 2000 A.D. Diagram Visual, p. 217. {{ISBN|0-312-03950-6}}.</ref> 
* American [[M240 machine gun|M240]], itself an FN MAG variant. It replaced the M60 in U.S. service.
* [[France|French]] [[Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne|MAS]] [[AA-52]], which more or less copies the MG 42 feed-system. It has been largely phased out in favour of the FN MAG and FN Minimi.
* [[Czechoslovakia]]n [[Uk vz. 59]], is based on the Vz. 52 and Vz.52/57, and originating with [[ZB vz. 26]] and [[Bren gun]] designs.
* [[Russia]]n [[PK machine gun|PK/PKM]], family of multi-purpose machine guns, is based on the [[AKM]] assault rifle featuring stamped receivers, widely exported.
* Russian [[AEK-999]], is an improved version of the PK/PKM.
* Russian [[Pecheneg machine gun|Pecheneg]], is a variant of the PK/PKM with a fixed barrel and cooling jacket. 
* [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] [[Zastava M84]], is a direct copy of the Russian PK machine-gun.
* [[Poland|Polish]] [[UKM-2000]], is based on the Russian PK machine-gun.
* [[People's Republic of China]] [[Type 80 machine gun|Type 80]], is based on the Russian PK machine-gun.
* People's Republic of China [[Type 67 machine gun|Type 67]], and later improved models.
* People's Republic of China [[QJY-88|Type 88 Machine Gun]]
* People's Republic of China [[QJY-201]]
* [[Japan]]ese [[Sumitomo Type 62|Sumitomo NTK-62]], is a GPMG based on the [[FN MAG]].
* [[South Africa]]n [[Vektor SS-77]], is based on the Russian PK/PKM.
* South African [[Denel DMG-5]], is based on the Vektor SS-77 and Russian PK/PKM.
* [[South Korea]]n [[S&T Motiv K16]], is based on the [[Daewoo Precision Industries K3|K3]] light machine gun.
* [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[MG 51]], a direct descendant of the [[MG42]].
* Swiss [[SIG MG 710-3]]
* Swiss [[SIG MG 50]]
* Austrian [[MG_42#MG_74|MG 74]], a direct descendant of the MG 42/59 and since 1974 the standard machine gun of the [[Austrian Armed Forces]].
* Israeli [[Negev NG7]], is a GPMG based on the [[IWI Negev]] light machine gun.
* Canadian [[C6A1 FLEX]], an improved version of C6 that is a Canadian version of FN MAG.
* Belgian [[FN EVOLYS]], is a multi-caliber, 3D printing and polymers material lightweight machine gun.

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:MG34.jpg|[[MG 34]] belt-fed tripod version (top) and saddle-[[drum magazine]] bipod version (below)
File:Poligono Mg.jpg|MG 42/59
File:BundeswehrMG3.jpg|[[MG3]]
File:MG74 Dreibein und ZF.jpg|MG 74 mounted on its tripod
File:Machine gun p1040625.jpg|[[AA-52]]
File:M60 Medium Machine Gun (7414626098).jpg|[[M60 machine gun|M60]]
File:FN MAG white background.jpg|[[FN MAG]]
File:7,62 KK PKM Helsinki 2012.JPG|[[PK machine gun|PKM]]
File:HK 21 LMG RIGHT SIDE.jpg|[[Heckler & Koch HK21|HK21A1]]
File:Japan Type 62 General Purpose Machine Gun.jpg|[[Sumitomo Type 62|Type 62]]
Image:ChineseType672MG.jpg|[[Type 67 machine gun|Type 67]] on a tripod field mount
File:QJY-201Zhuhai.jpg|[[QJY-201]] at airshow china 2022
File:PEO M240B Profile.jpg|[[M240]]
File:Демонстрация стрельбы из пулеметов ПКП Печенег - 4-й гвардейской Кантемировской танковой дивизии 01.jpg|[[Pecheneg machine gun|Pecheneg]]
File:UKM2000P REMOV.jpg|[[UKM-2000|UKM-2000P]]
File:Mk 48 PEO Soldier.jpg|[[Mk 48 machine gun|MK48 MOD 0/1, 7.62mm Lightweight Machine Gun]]
File:S&T Motiv K12.JPG|[[S&T Motiv K12|K12]]
File:Heckler & Koch MG5.jpg|[[Heckler & Koch MG5|MG5]]
File:Latvian soldiers with machine guns.jpg|[[Latvia]]n soldiers with MG3, FN MAG and HK21 machine guns
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Light machine gun]]
* [[Heavy machine gun]]
* [[Squad automatic weapon]]
* [[List of firearms]]
* [[Fully powered cartridge]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{General Purpose Machine Guns}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:General Purpose Machine Gun}}
[[Category:Machine guns]]
[[Category:General-purpose machine guns|*]]