We've been going around on what does "high power" mean in the context
of rifles - and I thought of another term which is also used as a
comparison.
"small arms" is a military term, and some of the firearms in this
category are kind of not-small. (But they are being compared with
larger weapons, not with .22 rimfire rifles.)
I'm drawing from the well known reference book Small Arms of the World
12th ed by Edward Clinton Ezell, 1983 Stackpole Books.
There is a section on machine guns, including hand held ones, such as
the Bren Gun and the US M60. There are also the "heavy machine guns" of
12.7mm/.50 caliber which are typically tripod or carriage mounted. The
3 basic types covered in the book are the US M2, the US M85 and the USSR
DShK-38 series. Even when 4 of them are mounted together on a carriage
("quad" configuration) these are still considered "small arms."
By any comparison with the "high power rifles" we've been discussing
these "small arms" are *much* more powerful. (Comparison below.) Yet
the labels continue to be used because they are the technical names.
--
--henry schaffer
Typical Military Loads
Type Bullet wt. grains Muzzle velocity fps Energy ft-lbs
7.62x51mm NATO 150 2750 2520
.50 BMG 720 2810 12,600
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