Okay, so I know the "if you could only have X guns..." threads are really old news, but I've actually been thinking about this for a while (and the limited quantity premise is a lot more realistic, thanks to the prices). If you could pick 3 pre-86 machine guns - one SMG, one bipod-mounted LMG/GPMG, and one tripod-mounted GPMG/HMG - what would you pick? The purpose would be general shooting enjoyment, so important factors would include reliability, durability, ammo availability, etc.
My tripod-mounted choice is/was (it's the one MG I actually own) a Vickers. It has a world-class record for reliability and parts durability, and it will let me play with things like indirect fire (when I have appropriate range facilities). It's also pretty easy to change calibers to use the least expensive ammo possible - I have it set up in 7.62x54R right now, plus conversions for 8x57 and .303. I could add .30-06 and .308 as well, if that ammo was cheap.
For an LMG, I'm thinking an 8mm Bren gun. The Bren is without a boubt one of the classic excellent LMG designs, and in 8mm you can convert to 7.62x39 and .308 as well. A normal .303 can change to 7.62x54R, but the mags are a bit tricky to work out. A ZB-26 or ZB-30 would be really cool for the same basic reasons.
For the SMG, I feel like I have to go with the Sterling (and I really didn't plan to make this all British). Sterlings are very durable guns, and have an excellent magazine design (unlike the Sten). They're very compact and also comfortable to shoot.
What do you think?
My tripod-mounted choice is/was (it's the one MG I actually own) a Vickers. It has a world-class record for reliability and parts durability, and it will let me play with things like indirect fire (when I have appropriate range facilities). It's also pretty easy to change calibers to use the least expensive ammo possible - I have it set up in 7.62x54R right now, plus conversions for 8x57 and .303. I could add .30-06 and .308 as well, if that ammo was cheap.
For an LMG, I'm thinking an 8mm Bren gun. The Bren is without a boubt one of the classic excellent LMG designs, and in 8mm you can convert to 7.62x39 and .308 as well. A normal .303 can change to 7.62x54R, but the mags are a bit tricky to work out. A ZB-26 or ZB-30 would be really cool for the same basic reasons.
For the SMG, I feel like I have to go with the Sterling (and I really didn't plan to make this all British). Sterlings are very durable guns, and have an excellent magazine design (unlike the Sten). They're very compact and also comfortable to shoot.
What do you think?