A general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is a belt-fed weapon used in a variety of roles, from bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support to deployment as a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon. It can provide fire support for vehicles or infantry from a variety of mounts.
In modern practice, it is an air-cooled medium machine gun, firing rifle cartridges such as the 7.62×51mm NATO, 7.62×54mmR Warsaw pact, or 7.92x57mm Mauser. It is generally operated from a stationary position from either a bipod or tripod, or otherwise mounted on a vehicle, as it is usually too powerful and heavy to be fired effectively on foot from an unsupported standing position or on the move.
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—Edward Dahlberg (1900–1977)
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—Administration in the State of Colo, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)