I have some proposed improvements to the definition for Light Machine Gun (https://www.commoncoreontologies.org/ont00000851), which would include caliber size, and some other tweaks based upon sources that are not Wikipedia. (note: It is likely that the other machine gun definitions could also use some refinement.)
Current Definition: "A Long Gun that is designed to fire bullets in quick succession from an ammunition belt or magazine and to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without assistance, and typically weighing 9-22 lbs."
Proposed Definition: "A long gun that is designed to deliver sustained automatic fire, to be operable by one or two individuals, to fire small-caliber ammunition not exceeding approximately .30 caliber or 8 millimeters, and to have a total weight system of up to approximately 30 pounds."
Sources:
United States, Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps. Marine Corps Tactical Publication (MCTP) 3-01C: Machine Guns and Machine Gun Gunnery. 9 Sept. 2022, https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/MCTP%203-01C%20REVISED%20(SECURED).pdf
“Light Machine Gun.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/technology/light-machine-gun. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
“Light Machine Gun, N.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, March 2026, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4892448379.
“Light machine gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light%20machine%20gun. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
I have some proposed improvements to the definition for Light Machine Gun (https://www.commoncoreontologies.org/ont00000851), which would include caliber size, and some other tweaks based upon sources that are not Wikipedia. (note: It is likely that the other machine gun definitions could also use some refinement.)
Current Definition: "A Long Gun that is designed to fire bullets in quick succession from an ammunition belt or magazine and to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without assistance, and typically weighing 9-22 lbs."
Proposed Definition: "A long gun that is designed to deliver sustained automatic fire, to be operable by one or two individuals, to fire small-caliber ammunition not exceeding approximately .30 caliber or 8 millimeters, and to have a total weight system of up to approximately 30 pounds."
Sources:
United States, Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps. Marine Corps Tactical Publication (MCTP) 3-01C: Machine Guns and Machine Gun Gunnery. 9 Sept. 2022, https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/MCTP%203-01C%20REVISED%20(SECURED).pdf
“Light Machine Gun.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/technology/light-machine-gun. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
“Light Machine Gun, N.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, March 2026, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4892448379.
“Light machine gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light%20machine%20gun. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.