Medium/General Purpose

The AA-52 (Arme Automatique Transformable Modele 1952) is a French general-purpose machine gun developed after World War II by Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne. It was chambered in 7.5x54mm French and used a unique delayed blowback operating system with a lever-delay action. The AA-52 served as the standard French machine gun for over five decades.

The Browning M1917A1 is a heavy machine gun designed by John Browning. It is a recoil-operated, belt-fed weapon chambered in .30-06 Springfield. The gun uses a water-cooled barrel jacket to allow sustained fire over long periods. It served as the standard heavy machine gun of the US military through World War II and the Korean War. The M1917A1 was also used by many allied nations around the world.

The Browning M2 .30 caliber is an aircraft variant of John Browning's M1919 machine gun series. It was designed for fixed and flexible mounting on American military aircraft. The AN/M2 differs from the ground M1919 in having a thinner profile barrel for cooling and a higher rate of fire. It fires the .30-06 Springfield cartridge from a disintegrating metal link belt. The AN/M2 was the standard American aircraft machine gun at the start of World War II.

The M240 is the U.S. military designation for the Belgian-designed FN MAG (Mitrailleuse d'Appui General), a belt-fed, gas-operated, air-cooled general purpose machine gun chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. Widely considered one of the finest GPMGs ever built, the M240 is renowned for its exceptional reliability under adverse conditions, robust construction, and sustained fire capability. It fires from an open bolt at a cyclic rate of 650 to 950 rounds per minute with an effective range exceeding 1,100 meters with the tripod mount. The M240 is deployed in multiple configurations including the M240B infantry variant with a buttstock and bipod, the M240C coaxial tank version, and the M240D helicopter door gun. The weapon traces its lineage to the original FN MAG designed by Ernest Vervier in the 1950s.

The Hotchkiss M1914 is a heavy machine gun designed by the French Hotchkiss company and used extensively by the French Army during World War I and World War II. It is an air-cooled, gas-operated machine gun fed by metal feed strips rather than fabric belts. The M1914 was known for its ability to sustain long periods of continuous fire due to its heavy barrel design. It was chambered in 8x50mmR Lebel and later adapted for other calibers for export customers. The weapon was mounted on tripods, vehicles, and aircraft.

The Kk 62 is a Finnish general-purpose machine gun chambered in 7.62x39mm, designed and manufactured by Valmet. It uses a unique delayed blowback action with a toggle-lock mechanism similar to the German MG 42. The weapon features a top-feeding non-disintegrating belt system and a quick-change barrel.

A Swedish license-built version of the Belgian FN MAG general-purpose machine gun. It has been the standard Swedish machine gun for decades.

The M1919 Browning is an American .30-06 Springfield (later 7.62×51mm NATO) medium machine gun used extensively throughout World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. An air-cooled evolution of the water-cooled M1917, it served as the standard U.S. infantry, vehicle, and aircraft machine gun.

The M1919A6 was an American lightened variant of the M1919A4 Browning machine gun, developed during World War II for mobile infantry use. It featured a bipod, a shoulder stock, and a lighter barrel to serve as a squad automatic weapon. The weapon was an attempt to create a more portable machine gun without developing an entirely new design.

The M240B is a belt-fed general purpose machine gun used by the United States military. It is the US version of the FN MAG, which has been one of the most widely used machine guns in the world. The M240B fires the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge from disintegrating metal-link belts. It features a quick-change barrel, a bipod, and a fixed stock. The M240B replaced the M60 machine gun as the US standard medium machine gun. It is used as an infantry support weapon, coaxial vehicle gun, and helicopter door gun.

The M60 is an American 7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun. Known as 'The Pig', it served as the primary U.S. squad-level machine gun from the Vietnam War through the Gulf War, where it gained a mixed reputation for firepower and reliability issues.

The M60E3 was a lightweight variant of the M60 general-purpose machine gun, developed by Saco Defense in the 1980s. It featured a lighter barrel, new handguard, and a folding bipod mounted on the receiver.

The M60E4, also designated as the Mk 43 Mod 0, is the final and most refined version of the M60 general-purpose machine gun. It fires the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge from a disintegrating-link belt feed. The M60E4 features a redesigned bipod attached to the receiver rather than the barrel, a shorter barrel with a new flash suppressor, and improved handguards. The weapon weighs less than its predecessors and has a collapsible buttstock on some variants. It uses a long-stroke gas piston system with a rotating bolt head.

The MG 34 was a German general-purpose machine gun chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser, widely regarded as the world's first true general-purpose machine gun. It could serve as a light machine gun with a bipod or a medium machine gun on a tripod mount. The weapon used both belt feed and drum feed systems and had a distinctive streamlined receiver.

The MG3 is a German general purpose machine gun chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, a direct evolution of the legendary MG42 of World War II. It retains the MG42's signature roller-locked short recoil operating system, quick-change barrel, and extremely high cyclic rate of approximately 1,200 rounds per minute, giving it a distinctive ripping sound that soldiers describe as 'ripping canvas.' The MG3 features an improved bolt design, a more durable feed mechanism, and a polymer buttstock and pistol grip. It is belt-fed from 50- or 120-round belts and can be mounted on a bipod for the light machine gun role or a tripod for sustained fire. Despite being a design from the 1960s, the MG3 remains in frontline service with the German Bundeswehr and over 30 other national armed forces.

The MG5 is a modern German general-purpose machine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch. It was designed to replace the aging MG3 in Bundeswehr service, offering improved ergonomics, a lower cyclic rate, and modern mounting options. The MG5 uses a roller-delayed blowback action inherited from the G3 family and feeds from disintegrating belts.

The Minimi 7.62 is a belt-fed light machine gun manufactured by FN Herstal, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. It is a larger-caliber variant of the successful 5.56mm Minimi/M249 SAW. The Minimi 7.62 was developed to provide greater range and stopping power than the 5.56mm version. It uses the same gas-operated action and feed mechanism scaled up for the larger cartridge. The weapon is used by special operations forces for sustained fire support at longer ranges.

The PKM is a Soviet-designed 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun. Modernized from the original PK design, it is lighter, more reliable, and widely regarded as one of the best GPMGs ever made. It is the standard squad and vehicle machine gun for Russian and many allied forces.

The PKP Pecheneg is a Russian 7.62x54mmR general-purpose machine gun developed as an improved version of the PKM. It features a forced-air barrel cooling system that allows sustained fire without changing the barrel. The weapon retains the proven PKM action with a new heavy barrel design.

The SG-43 Goryunov is a Soviet medium machine gun designed by Peter Goryunov to replace the aging Maxim PM1910. It fires the 7.62x54mmR cartridge from either 200-round or 250-round belts. The SG-43 used a gas-operated system with a vertically tilting bolt and was mounted on a distinctive wheeled mount for infantry use.

The SGM Goryunov is a Soviet medium machine gun developed as a modernization of the SG-43 Goryunov. It was designed in the 1940s by Pyotr Goryunov and was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1943. The SGM features an air-cooled barrel and a gas-operated action. It was typically mounted on a wheeled or tripod mount for sustained fire roles. The weapon is chambered in 7.62x54mmR and was widely used by the Soviet Union and its allies.

The SIG MG 338 is a lightweight general purpose machine gun developed by SIG Sauer. It is chambered in .338 Norma Magnum, offering extended range and lethality compared to 7.62mm machine guns. The MG 338 uses a short-stroke gas piston system with a multi-lug rotating bolt. It features a receiver made from lightweight materials including aluminum and polymer. The weapon is designed to bridge the gap between 7.62mm GPMGs and .50 caliber heavy machine guns in weight and performance.

The SIG MG 710-3 was a Swiss general-purpose machine gun chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. It used a roller-delayed blowback system derived from the German MG 42 design. The weapon was known for its exceptional manufacturing quality and reliability under adverse conditions.

The Schwarzlose MG M.07/12 is a medium machine gun designed by Andreas Schwarzlose. It uses a unique delayed blowback action instead of the recoil or gas operation used by most other machine guns. The gun is chambered in 8x57mm Mauser and uses a water-cooled barrel. It served as the standard machine gun of the Austro-Hungarian military during World War I. The Schwarzlose was also widely used by Italy and other European nations.

The UK vz. 59 (Univerzální Kulomet vzor 59) is a Czechoslovak 7.62×54mmR general-purpose machine gun. It combines elements of the Soviet PK and Czech SA vz. 58 designs and remains the standard GPMG of the Czech and Slovak armed forces.

The UKM-2000 is a Polish general-purpose machine gun manufactured by Zaklady Mechaniczne Tarnów. It is a deep modernization of the Soviet PKM machine gun, adapted to fire 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. The modernization includes a new buttstock, railed handguard, and modern sighting systems.

A South African general-purpose machine gun chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO. It was designed for reliability in harsh African conditions.

The Vickers machine gun is a water-cooled, recoil-operated medium machine gun that served as the standard British machine gun for over 50 years. It was adopted by the British Army in 1912 and remained in service through World War I, World War II, and beyond. The Vickers was a development of the earlier Maxim gun, incorporating design improvements by Vickers Armstrong. It was chambered in .303 British and fed from fabric belts. The weapon was legendary for its reliability and the ability to fire continuously for hours with adequate water cooling.