What is an Automatic Weapon?

  Automatic weapons are weapons which generally use the power of escaping gases to expel the empty cartridge case and reload another cartridge into its chamber. There are two types of automatic weapons. They are semiautomatic and fully automatic weapons.

With a semiautomatic weapon you have to pull the trigger each time that you want to shoot. The result of this is a slower rate of fire but more accuracy because the shooter has better time to aim after each shot to place the next one.

With a fully automatic weapon you pull the trigger and hold it. The weapon will continue to fire until you release the trigger. Semi automatic weapons can be converted in most cases and as I'm sure you can see fully automatic weapons are much more deadly which is why they are outlawed in the United States. they are less accurate but they will kill more because of the sheer number of bullets that they pepper the target area with.

Fully automatic weapons are useful also for suppressing the enemy. They cause him to have to keep his head down because of the sheer number of bullets coming at them. Automatic weapons are best used to provide covering fire while your forces advance.

They are also useful when there is a large enemy force advancing on your position that has to be stopped.

If any of you military ring customers grew up in a neighborhood like I did you were introduced to fully automatic weapons years ago.