POLL: MG36 as acceptable lmg yay or nay?
 

Theres been talk about not liking the idea of a g36 with a drum mag as an acceptable lmg for games. I see both sides argument, but thought we might as well have a poll for.

I only see the pro side as long its the right length, no g36c and a drum mag nonsense.

Id love to hear everyones thoughts on this.

So long as it's Long (if possible heavy) barrel with the correct integrated bipod and still has a stock installed then yes it counts.

If it doesn't count then neither should the RPK, or if it's a case of standard issue then the stoner lmg shouldn't count.

Seeing as an MG4 would be exceedingly difficult to make (German version of M249), the MG36 is really the only option for a German SAW even if the BW don't use it. I run one and it's big, heavy and awkward.

I would consider full E length and drum mag acceptable.. if you want to deal with the extra length, just like a stoner, I don't see an issue.

Getting a heavier outer barrel can sometimes be an issue, the E length kits just have a standard light barrel, and some of them don't have that shitty integrated bipod.

If 249ers can take their bipod off cause it's a cheap pos, a mg36er should have the same option. The mount for the bipod is very flimsy on that full length handguard.

Like I said in the other thread, I don't think this classification problem is limited to only the MG36. If you have AK, throw on 2 two inch barrel extensions, bipod, and a long AK mag or drum mag, is it a LMG (RPK)? What about if you have a Type 95 and you add barrel extensions, bipod and drum mag to that?

my only thing here is m249's are heavier than a g36, taking a bipod off a m249 is still heavier than a mg36 with a bipod... Its more like a concession to make up for the dual functionality.

Nope. You can't change out a hot barrel, so it's not a LMG.

true enough, but it seems to me modern fighting forces are leaning towards a rifle based support weapon over a specific heavy duty gun like a m249 or m60, how does that argument hold up against the other mentioned 'questionable' support weapon conversions in current usage?

Take the m27 iar for example, basically a 416 with a heavier barrel that weighs just a bit more than a standard m4 or 416, with the capability to use a 100 round drum mag that equals a belt of 100 on an m249 that probably weighs twice as much.


so you're arguing that an issue of maintenance/engineering defines the role of a weapon more than it's overall ability to perform in it's designated role?

The RPK has a noticeably different, thicker receiver. It is very hard to make a good looking air soft RPK without buying an LCT or CYMA. Takes more than a barrel and a drum mag!

I think that would be hard to notice. But I mean with longer barrel and bipod added to an AK, you are getting the same weight and difficulty of manoeuvring as a RPK.

Oh, and the AUG LMG too..

I love mg36,

Light and you get 2 aeg for one, mg36 and g36. Is it legit? Yes. It is a rare sight in real life, yes, but so are ares lmg (knight armament), m4 shrike and so forth...

Legit in my game,
But it has to be full size, no C or K bullsh....t

http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...9216925jpg.jpg

I guess a RPD isn't a LMG either.

There are quite a few LMGs that can't change barrels...

Aek999 is another Russian belt fed machine gun that would be excluded if a quick swap barrel is a required feature.

Yep, a changeable barrel is a moot point for defining a LMG, especially for airsoft.

So long as an MG36 is primarily used in a suppressive role with a C-MAG I don't see any reason it can't be used. Arguing that the sole reason it's not an LMG is because the German Army didn't adopt it is a very weak argument against it.

My criteria is easy.

Is the weapon in question in use or was it in use by any military in the world? The MG36 was not, only had a short production lifetime and has been discontinued. I ran one for a year many years back, I loved it but yeah I felt it was like cheating compared to people running M249/M60s so I stopped and got rid of it.

M27 IAR is not a LMG and it wasn't designed to use a beta C mag.

To each their own though...

I do respect the rational here, but applying this rule would drasticaly reduce the weapons availables in game for player :(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M27_IAR


IF you showed up to afghanistan in 2002 with a handful of IARs with drum mags and said to a bunch of saw gunners which they'd rather have, I think you'd have a quick answer.

Who doesn't want a lighter weight, more accurate platform that can do the same thing?


but that's neither here nor there, this is airsoft. There's no need to change out barrels or clear jams... only to shoot bitches.

Ya this is airsoft, run what you want at a skirmish and clear any questionable guns with the game host first before showing up. I have to admit, I loved the "dual role" myself and when I ran into hosts that said no to the MG36 I just used mid cap mags which isn't as big a liability frankly.

This is airsoft, no need to bring Iraq or anything into this, it's totally irrelevant to the subject matter.

As per your Wiki link, I don't see where they say C mags are standard issue, they're being explored.

The new double stack 60 rounds surefire mags will somewhat chage a lot of perspective.

Going by that logic, weapons such as Masadas, and a number of other odd weapons and variants would be excluded from use at games.

That said, what you posted is statedly your opinion and I fully respect that as you're not trying to force it on other people. In an ideal world, I'd agree. In an ideal world, I'd also have an entire team at a game standardised and organized ;)

As far as my opinion on this poll goes, yes, I'm fine with it so long as it's a proper MG36 and not just a random G36 series rifle with a beta mag. Same with the Colt LMG, I'd accept that as what it is, an LMG. An M16 with beta mag is not a colt LMG. RPK is the same thing, an LMG, an AK with drum mag is not :P.

So long as one has a true MG36, I don't think one will have any issues

Haha fair enough, though it really only applies to LMGs specifically since these weapons give its users an advantage in terms of amount of ammo carried and ready to fire. Personally I think this should be balance out with a negative (like a much heavier gun).

My opinion is formed by my personal experience with the MG36. I had a CA with a drum mag and bipod that was only heavier than a standard G36 because of the drum mag. After a while it just didn't feel fair please note though that these are my personal thoughts, I don't care if someone else runs one.

I'm going to pick at your statements now, because this is what I don't get.


You will say that the mg36 is not admissible in airsoft because no real military force adopted it into use.

And then you turn around and say this is airsoft, and that real world testing of a weapon system using something that it wasn't designed for but being tested to use, is not admissible?

Which one is it going to be? You can't have both.

That's a fair point. Still the drum mag is not standard equipment, perhaps it will be but it's not yet. You do see people running M4s with beta C mags in real life too yet those are not allowed at games.

http://www.surefire.com/tactical-equ...magazines.html

M4 support anyone...

having handled those, if not something similar, but I think it was those, I'll tell you this, 30rd mags are substantially heavier than airsoft mags, THOSE fuckers can be used as a bludgeoning tool.

Also, forget going prone :P

This MG36 topic definitely seems a bit split personality.

You have a group that wants to use the most realistic fake guns with accurate gear in a team based environment with tactics and all the other "real" procedures.

But then you throw in the AEG in question which isn't a MG36. It's regular G36 with a part changed. Most opinion would be you might as well add a couple guys with aliens pulse rifles and a guy with a flintlock into the mix if you're going down that road.

This being airsoft you see MP5s with drum mags and Soviets carrying M4s and all the other individual choices so at the end of it the answer will have to be if it's OK with who you're playing against and OK with your team then it's OK.

That's a double edged sword of course because if you give this a mulligan then the opposing team may decide to run something you don't like.

sure. It's not standard issue kit.

What about pmc? They can use whatever the hell they want as long as it works for them. They can grab a standard m4 and put whatever mag they think will work best in their task.

You're approaching this from a rigid military issue perspective. If we play by your definitions, we'd all be using m4s with stanags with m249s that oorah, semper fi, yes sir, no sir, have standard issue kit and everything. Not saying you force it upon us, but that's the direction you're arguing from.

The thread isn't arguing about sticking a giant mag onto a rifle, it's arguing that weapons designed to be support weapons should be allowed to be used as such, as long as they look/feel the part, real life military usage aside. If it's airsoft, and at some point it was made to be used in prototype or in practice to fill a role, we should be able to have some fun with it.

Of course, the day people start carrying phaser rifles around, I'm out. There are some really silly roundabout arguments being used to deter the usage of these light weight platforms designed to be support weapons.

It's pretty clear though, if it's a g36c with a betamag, it doesn't classify it as a mg36. If it's a 416d with a betamag, it's not a m27.

RPK is excluded from this since there's an actual rpk you can buy, but obviously you can't stick a drum on an AK and call it RPK.

It's clear what this thread is asking for in terms of clarification between a rifle and a support weapon.

Yes I accept it's the direction I'm arguing from. From a skirmisher perspective it doesn't matter what the gun is, let's go and have some fun. From a mil simmer perspective though the MG36 gun configuration might not be allowed, which is a valid point to bring up.

I have over 20 guns, one for anything I want to do (hmm I'm missing WW2 now that I think of it) so for me it's not a big deal. I don't know what type of games CR0M plays so I posted to give him my thoughts (which he asked for) from a rigid perspective so that he's aware of the potential pitfalls of getting building a MG36.

When I ran the MG36 there have been times I've been told flat out that a drum mag is not acceptable. Didn't bother me one bit, I understand and agree (now) and feel that anyone who plays airsoft and wants to get a MG36 should know before spending the money.

And as you mentionned before, worst case, leave the drum mag in the car and get regular mags for the game.

Yes that's what I did. That can suck too, when I'm told sometimes I'm looking forward to suppressing the hell out of op-for.

30rnd = 1lb
60rnd = 2lb
100rnd = 3.25lb

Give a little more for the alluminium construction, it's not back breaking, but it leaves a lot to be desired for under gun to ground clearance for prone.

another option is the Colt Automatic rifle which is used by the Danish army:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Automatic_Rifle

Every support gunner should have at least a few backup mags anyways... if it's a SAW, have emergency stanags... if it's mg36, have extra g36 mags... just in case your box runs out.

I just feel that the weight argument (as well as that hot barrel one) is a bit dated. As weapons get older and time passes, there will be new innovations that make stuff lighter to carry/use. That's the nature of warfare arms racing... there's always going to be something better and advantageous.

And to carry on to digress in that direction,

That's where this ideal of organized military force simulation starts to fall apart in my mind. You got guys whining that because they're kitting towards let's say a 'typical' US squad/fireteam kit and he gets himself a m249, but then bitches at a player who will kit with a more lightweight option that can do the same thing, but is following a different gear model to kit towards.

Who's fault is it? That's personal choice, if you want to larp as a US serviceman, that's fine, but if the game is allowing the other guy to make a loadout that is more advantageous in gear selection, why does the larper get to bitch? He chose his gear. Is it any less of a simulation that other player has just as viable a loadout based on real world equipment that's available?

I run a p90, my squadmates run 4 m4s, a g36, a 416, 3 mp5s and AK. Our tac gear is tan, green, auscam, black, multicam..... so if someone is going to criticize our uses of a non conventional military weapon system, it's not going to bother us. :P

Is someone going to comment that because I run a p90 and no frontline military unit uses a p90 as a primary weapon, that I'm somehow not doing it right? Are they going to bitch at us that we should all have m4s and the same colour kit? Where is that kind of ridiculousness going to start or stop?

The mg36 vs g36 also:
Drum mag with pressure switch feeding do not make a big difference vs 2 regular mags side by side (140 rounds each). Both can suppress for quite a while.

In real cap game, different story...

Play with REAL CAP, I got no problem, The bulkyness of magazine would over come it.

i dont think theres a right or wrong here, but its good to get the discussion going to get different perspectives.

a new perspective i have is whats stopping people from using nothing but 300rd flash mags on a m4? at least with a drum mag it makes it cumbersome so there is a trade off.

its almost like using a riot shield... is it a thing? yes, is it fair? hmmm no, whats stopping the other team from using them? nothing but i dread the idea of players in juggernaught armour running around with nothing but machine guns lol

Flashmag is a highcap... dont see how it would be permissible if you follow the no highcap logic. The discussion is focusing more on representationof a weapon designed for a purpose. Were not talking about putting a highcap on a g36 and calling it a mg36

i think though that is the focus... nobody cares when you see a xm8 at a game. i think the issue is your getting the best of both worlds and if that poses an unfair advantage.

as long as its a proper mg36, i have no problem with it

No, not back breaking, but considering the bitching in regards to weight I hear over airsoft items that aren't their real weights, I can only imagine how airsofters would complain if left to carry real weight items in a fair quantity.

I was going to convert my G36 into an MG36, but the lack of realcap C-mags was a deal breaker. If I could find a spring fed (not winding) C-mag, no more than 200 BBs, then I'd have no problem with people using the MG36. Those mags are a nightmare to change and carry, especially while prone.

Seeing a SAW with 1000+ rounds bugs me. Reloading under fire is half the fun to me.

So I could basically turn my g36c into an lmg, or does it matter what the upper receiver,top rail and stock looks like? I agree that it most definitely has to be a full sized version. Good thread.

lurkingknight I don't know why you're being so hostile, perhaps someone crapped in your corn flakes but it's not necessary. Obviously we have differing opinions is it necessary to get into a pissing match about it?

If you're not into mil sims that's fine and I never said anything about imposing my thoughts on skirmishers, rather I said the opposite run whatever the hell you want as it's just for fun. Mindless mayhem gets boring after a while so people often try different things but with that said if mil sims aren't your cup of tea that's fine. These types of games do have requirements/restrictions, camo, gear (rigs/camping) and yes gun & ammo limits. Don't like it don't go to that game simple enough.

If you want to bring up your P90 situation fine, if I was playing a game with no limitations and saw you running with your boys armed with a diverse range of weapons it wouldn't bother me one bit. On the flip side, I think it'd be wrong to use a P90 at say a WW2 game or show up in modern camo as that's takes away from the host's desired theme.

Anyway I'm done with arguing with you, if you'd like to flame on I'd gladly entertain you through PMs. We're all adults here so let's act like it.

dude, I'm just discussing, I'm not being hostile. If you're taking offense or feeling put off about it, I apologize, but it's not my intent. I just have a tendency to lay it on.

I would say you could have it but you had better be wearing M-84 pattern and the gun better look like that.

The poll speaks for itself.

Most rule makers agree that only real world LMG's are allowed to be LMGs
The LMG36 was never actually adopted or used by the Bundeswehr, and was only made as a possibility for a cost effective squad support weapon.
case and point, it's not a real world LMG
And light support weapons like the RPK and M1918BAR typically use magazines and not drums/Cmags

I don't really mind using either mags or drums. The thing I'm wondering about is that milsim games normally let support gunners carry more ammo. Like for example, 300 rounds for riflemen, 600 for support gunners. So if I show up with a 650mm barrelled AK with a bipod, do I get to carry 600 rounds? Or is it still just an AK and i'm still considered as a rifleman?

Yes just like how many COD player are there....

Ask the guy putting on the game. But I'm supposing this is just a hypothetical question so you won't have anyone to ask.

I would hope that if it was an experienced host they would pay attention to the way the teams were stacking up.

If your team had a SAW with every other player he'd call you a rifleman.

If you were facing a group with a dozen support weapons with none on your side then the organizer would want to grant you LMG status.

There is no hard and fast rule on this; I have played games though with stacked rules and a not very aware host as I'm sure many other players have too. Throw in teams that are built on the day of the game you can be in for a tough grind.

if it were me, I've always been a fan of;
If it doesn't use belts, use mags
if it uses belts, use a box mag

Because if it's belt fed, it typically has a quick change barrel, and is usually a purpose built LMG. Not just a rifle with a heavy barrel shooting from an open bolt

The Bundeswehr did use the G36 with a C-Mag during ISAF deployments in 2003-2005.

A G36 with a Cmag isnt a LMG though.

Picture or it didn't happen. Never seen it.

armies are looking to supplement lmgs with lighter weapons, even the 417 has an option of a drum mag. with all the irregulars and pmcs in the world, its not at all unlikely that someone right now is using an m4 with a bipod and a cmag as a lmg right now. i own an m249, lugging it around all day can be a bitch, but i'm not going to complain about someone using a rifle with a drum for the same role. especially considering that even midcaps have 3-4 times more ammo than the average actual rifle and can duel almost any lmg already. and prototype/discontinued and extremely rare rifles are a main stay in airsoft. not a single army in the world uses a wa 2000 but no one would tell an air soft player he couldn't use it. the line between lmg and ar is kinda blury, since both are weapons meant to be carried by one man, using a intermediate cartridge and capable of firing in full auto.lmgs tend to be heavy and belt fed, but just because that was the design philosophy that caught on.

considering the efficiency of a high cap rifle, lmgs sort of look like the equivalent a barret in airsoft, awesome to look at, fun to use. but ultimately outdone by lighter weight weapons. that being said, id be more likely to take my m249 to a game than my m4 and cmag because the saw looks and feels better.

M249s ARE heavy, that's why they made the MK46 lol

Also, I've seen a picture of a german soldier, before being kicked out of afghanistan, using a G36 with a Cmag. That doesn't mean they had LMG36s, it just means they had G36's with Cmags.

...

http://www.military-info.de/Sonstige...fghanistan.jpg

"KSK in Kandahar, Afghanistan (Der Spiegel, 13.05.2002)"

so i have a question that sort of falls into this pole, if i run a full sized 416 (not a cqb or carbine length, it has a 455mm inner) should i be alloud to stick a bipod on it, call it an m27 and carry 1000 round instead of 300?
id love to, but even tho its a prety heavy gun i figure the guys with the 249's would feel a lil cheated even if i am a skinny lil short guy lol

There already is a thread discussing this: http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=161801

Just as an FYI the VFC HK416 M27 IAR weighs: 3215g and the Ares Stoner LMG weighs: 3400g, so in this case weight is not an argument as it is basically the same.

i guess i should say, its a we 416 gbbr, so the mags weigh a crap load lol

Regardless of whether or not it was ever used, it's still nothing more than a rifle with a heavy barrel. It's a G36 RPK.
far as im concerned the only guns we shhhould allow drums are belt fed MG's. It's really the best criteria and makes the most sense.

I believe the MG36 should qualify as an LMG.

This being said I think the rules for a support weapon should require a quick change barrel & belt fed. A classification such as "automatic rifleman" could be introduced for guns such as the RPK, L85 LSW, MG36, etc.

LMG?

http://www.gunslot.com/files/gunslot/images/55393.jpg

You're gonna have a hard time finding one.

Finding a shrike really isn't the problem. It's accepting that you can almost buy 3 M249s for the cost of one.

But in airsoft, what would make an automatic rifle such as an rpk or m27 any different than a normal aeg?
We already have the issue of the dmr and rifle performing the same. When an sr25 doesnt even perform as well as a 10" mk18 ptw.
Bolt action rifles are more prized for silence than accuracy.
Id love to force people to be in the roles they want but unfortunately some roles just dont transfer over.

In a Milsim game, if I saw that the person had actually put some work into it, more than just slapping a C mag in it, I would be fine with it. It would need at least a heavy barrel or something like that.

That said Ive really never been to a Milsim game where people were critiqued on their weapon, so I've never had to put thought into it

To be more realistic, we'd have to limit muzzle energy and ammo weight based on realsteel counterparts.
.36s allowed only on .408s
7.62s use .28s
5.56 is .25
Would be really annoying. Everyone would just run an SR25K though lol

Automatic rifle classification would be limited to midcaps but allowed to use automatic function while rifleman is not allowed to use automatic.

This is debated for so long and its whatever the game organzer put it.
Personally, if the AR (automatic riflemen)'s is running a non-belt fed but magazine fed gun, I expect the the inidividual to run standard magazine -just allowed to carry more.
The USMC's M27 IAR runs on 30 round box magazne, the AR just carry more standard standard trooper.

This would also work on MG36, AUG-HBAR, L86 LSW, M27 IAR (an M27 w/ bipod not hk416, there are some differences), RPK, RPK-74

What prevents a guy in the army from switching his m4 to full auto?
Would have to be ammo restrictions. Theyre otherwise the exact same gun anyway.
Rifles allowed 300 rounds on them, automatic rifles allowed 600?

The consequences being fined or given extra duties for insubordination.

Airsoft isn't real, it's a simulation or a combat based sport. The idea behind running or not running an LMG is the extra ammo capacity. Box mags, drum mags, high-caps, etc are usually banned. If they are allowed mostly it's in an LMG to be properly used as a support weapon. From here there are two trains if thought to consider; firstly is your gun competitive against what's on the field, can it do its job, or are you just trying to look cool and/or have more ammo than everyone else? Second is the ammo capacity. Those magazines are banned for a reason, basically sportsmanship. So if there is a heavy gunner/support class that allows them, the big, heavy, cumbersome LMG comes with it as a balancing point. There is no clever way to make an ultra-light proper LMG, or turn your not LMG into a bullshit variant. That would all defeat the purpose of the sportsmanship rules. Essentially you'd be running a nice light gun with a massive ammo capacity, having a lot more than everyone else. Get a full sized or run standard 30/40 round magazines. Those are your two options.

Due to wind, leaves and very short engagement distances I would say in outdoor play it takes four bbs to accomplish the intended outcome on average. This is why midcaps don't bother all but the most hardcore milsims.

How would you guys feel about the Galil ARM being used as an LMG ? It's another mag fed LMG which, like others wasn't very successful or widespread. some countries still use it as such though.

http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/media/cat...-wd_1_mark.jpg

C-mags are bulky, hard to carry extras, finicky (at least the ones I've seen), and they rattle. Similar down sides to carrying an actual LMG except the weight of the gun itself, but then you look at the Ares Stoner, it weighs less than many regular AEGs, so maybe that's a moot point. I don't like the idea of a field full of kids with M4's and G36's with C-mags in them, but there are real life equivalents of these guns, and there are still disadvantages to carrying this kind of weapon. If I were organizing a game with magazine limits I would allow any LMG that the real life equivalent can be belt fed, if someone showed up on a game day with a C-mag I would assess the number of support guns already on each team. If the ratio of support guns to regular guns was low (less than one per 5) and the number of support guns was higher on one team, I would allow a c-mag fed gun to play on a team that is short on support gunners.

This is of course my own opinion on the matter, and personally I would caution people away from even bothering with C-mag's merely because this opinion is going to change from game to game and if you really want to play the support gunner role you should probably pick up a traditional LMG to ensure game organizers will let you use it. I wouldn't want to show up to a game with a c-mag fed gun and have to argue with a game organizer to get it onto the field.

I'd love to see more LMG guns hit the market, I do like drunkenTeddy's description of allowing c mag guns only if a team is short support gunners.

I kind of deal that way about DMR's, there not snipers, but if the role is vacant and there gun isn't firing to hot, then why not right?
I don't feel that dmr should be aloud to shoot any hotter than assault rifles, but there are people with loadouts that do just fine out ranging via scope and longer tightbore barrel


I'm just glad that this is nothing like CallOfDuty, where LMG's can fill in for marksmen in a pinch

What if we limit aegs to lowcaps and allow midcaps only for mag fed LMGs?

A smart gunner rolling with a regular squad only loads 300-400 in the drum, fills out the rest of the ammo allowance with regular mags for his squad, and only engages when directed to do so anyway. While I see and accept all arguments here, I'm afraid I don't really understand the problem.

It sounds like another case for the platinum rule; 'Don't be a Dick'.
Are proper MG36s not gigantic, or is it really that proper MG36s don't really exist in airsoft? I'm pretty sure I've handled an Ares MG36, and it was like holding 4ft long alien manparts with an awkward aim-hole. That's less-worse than carrying around the clanky cinderblock that is any 249, the transmission block that is any m60, or the godless communist bullshit that is anything else, but I can't see it conveying any real advantage that isn't somehow offset by it being an HR Giger phallic symbol.

(Clarification for '36 lovers: I am bagging on you in good fun, not actually being a hater)

Half-joking pedantic argument:
Are accurate, ~400fps single-shot shotguns sniper weapons?
Answer:
Not when used 'properly', but yes, I've seen it.

But counter-strke put it as an assault rifle...(sarcasm)

Wind, leaves and everything else affect everyone the same way, therefor the effects are scaled evenly for everyone.

The major difference you experience in realcap games is people are shooting/spraying for nothing (or those that do run dry in a big hurry).

Having to conserve ammo changes the game dynamics significantly.

Im amazed how goddamn accurate some of those clear walmart shotties are. Downright upsetting. Throw a scope on that bitch and you're a sniper.

I remember one of the first games I ever went to a guy was sporting some pos walmart clearsoft and kicking butt with it. Sometimes the player is more important :P (that being said screw clearsoft lol)

I'd say yay.
I haven't seen MG36 at the games often. Can't say it's being abused. Full-sized G36 is a rare visitor on airsoft fields, people usually go with G36C.

About belt-feeding as a criteria of LMG/non-LMG. Okay, now we have Krytac LMG which is literally a belt-fed M4. And KAC Stoner. Much better candidates for "speedsofting". They weigh about the same as MG36 and way shorter. I'm not even talking about RPK, especially the full steel one by LCT...

This was more of an issue 3yrs ago when the last post was made lol

Airsoft compromise; assault rifles semi only, LSWs allowed full auto but still can't use highcaps, and belt fed MGs allowed box mags?
Shrike still has a quick change barrel, so it's close to being a legit LMG (was it the shrike or stoner 63 that got the military contract then failed to provide any guns?)
Fact of the matter is, new technology, new materials, new propellants; today's MGs just aint your grandpa's M1919 browning MG.
They're getting lighter, but the role is also changing to shoot less bullets and be more accurate.

LMGs in general don't seem to be very common anymore. I gave mine up for something much lighter that's just as effective.

I have this A&K 249 Para which at one time struck fear into the hearts of many a noob.
Now, unless I'm playing specific games with specific people in a specific style, I just couldn't be bothered.

The shitbox MP5 and the unicorn 33E are just far better options, unless there's an element present which makes lugging a microwave oven around fun.

The discussion is still sort of relevant because the role of "support gunner" is evolving and a dedicated gunner and weapon platform is starting to become obsolete. Where was it that I was reading that the marines might all get issued m27 IARs instead of having 2 LMGs that attract mortar fire once they set up, now everyone is capable of setting up support fire from anywhere on their line. And they were testing 50 round box mags in them when they first introduced them. Which are more than likely in service now if they're considering issuing all marines the IAR. If everyone is an ammo carrier they can all use the same ammo without needing belts and separate boxes of ammo. They can all carry boxes of ammo and load the box mags or their STANAG mags from the same source.

If you're the one holding the LMG and the enemy is capable of directing accurate mortar fire on a given position, you're fucked and your squad is fucked if you lose the firepower. If everyone has something that can take reasonable full auto abuse and have capacity to shoot sustained auto fire with more mobility, then you spread out the firepower and lower the risk of losing the one guy that's holding everything.