"5 to 8 rounds sounds like a lot of recoil dawg"
With the rate of fire the kick doesn't set in until the last round.
"And dawg, what if the guy is behind hard cover and scared shitless? It's almost impossible to get him unless you flank his position."
Then, the riflemen maneuver to him.
"Semi-automatic fire on a machine gun sounds dumb lol"
It's more accurate than a standard rifle with nearly the same optic. Single fire has it's use but it's rare you ever get to use it like this.
5 to 8 rounds sounds like a lot of recoil dawg, even when the weapon system is supported by a tripod or bipod. And yeah, when a machinegunner has to reload, his buddy takes over the suppressing.
And dawg, what if the guy is behind hard cover and scared shitless? It's almost impossible to get him unless you flank his position. Semi-automatic fire on a machine gun sounds dumb lol
"During suppressive fire, the automatic rifleman / machinegunner is generally taught to fire 3-5 shots per trigger pull"
I was an 0311 but one of my friends from boot was an 0331 and taught me some tricks when our platoons met up briefly. I believe the burst is between 5-8 rounds and machine gunners almost always go in pairs. They implement a tactic called talking guns. One gunner fires that 5-8 round burst and then the next gunner goes after him providing constant suppression.
"Since an M16A4, M4, and M4A1 will most likely come with a magazine containing 30 cartridges, how were you taught to fire with these weapon systems to suppress the enemy?"
If you have any of these weapon systems you aim to kill, not to suppress. It's standard issue for you to have a 4x optic which can range out to 800 meters, so even at a distance it's better to try hitting the target than to suppress.
It makes sense to add longer burst to longer magazines but note that machine gunners can suppress with single fire as well. Most SAW's came with 3.5x optics and the range and accuracy of the saw(especially if it's supported by a bipod) beats out the M16/M4's range by 200-300 meters(if i remember correctly). So if you have a singular or just a low amount of targets that need suppressed you can just close your grouping. Meaning less ammunition with the same suppresion effect.
During suppressive fire, the automatic rifleman / machinegunner is generally taught to fire 3-5 shots per trigger pull, and these shots must be accurate enough to severely intimidate a cowering enemy. A regular machine gun belt in a box holds 100 cartridges, correct? So if you assume that the LMG or GPMG is letting off 4 projectiles per trigger pull, you would have 25 of these "projectile groups" flying at the enemy in a certain time span, before the machine gun has to be reloaded. Since an M16A4, M4, and M4A1 will most likely come with a magazine containing 30 cartridges, how were you taught to fire with these weapon systems to suppress the enemy? Also, let's say you picked up a compatible drum magazine holding 75 cartridges for your weapon system. Do you alter how much you fire every trigger pull or not? If anyone else knows, please tell me.
I did some shitty calculations, and this is what I came up with:
25 cartridges (basically any assault rifle cartridge from M16A1 to M4s, etc.): Semi-automatic fire
50 cartridges (a long-ass magazine or a smaller drum): 2 round burst
75 cartridges (generally a drum magazine will hold this many, but maybe belts too): 3 round burst
100 cartridges (generally belts): 4 round burst
125 cartridges (a longer belt than normal): 5 round burst
150 cartridges (ex. IMI Negev): 6 round burst
Next time spell my fucking name properly. As Systematic stated there is a difference between suppressive fire and assault fire. M249 doesn't have bad recoil and it is usually used to allow the remainder of the rifle squad to outflank the enemy. Typical capacity is a 200 round box of disintegrating M27 linked belt, though they will take standard mags also. Nice weapon, basically replaced the M60 which was too heavy and also had heavier recoil.
"Nice weapon, basically replaced the M60 which was too heavy and also had heavier recoil."
And now the SAW is being phased out by the M27 IAR. It's a awesome weapon system that has the accuracy and build of an M16 with the reliability of an AK. It's only 2 or 3 pounds heavier than an M16A4.