How do you use a machine gun?
At it's most basic, you attach the ammunition feeding device,
which can be a belt, a magazine or a clip, charge the gun and press
or pull the trigger.
The way a machine gun is used depend on what type of a machine
gun it is and what attachments and controls it has. Machine guns
are generally divided into light and heavy. The FN Minimi/M249 is
an example of a Light Machine Gun (LMG), and the Browning M2 .50
caliber machine gun is an example of a heavy machine gun.
Machine guns can be portable or mounted. Mounts can be mobile or
stationary. Machine guns can also be mounted on vehicles, boats and
planes.
LMG are used to provide fire support for a team of soldiers and
are usually carried by one solder. The amminition is split among
the rest of the team.
Vehicle mounted machine guns can be a secondary defensive
weapon, like on a tank, or the main armament, like on some
airplanes.