The 8008 604

With a *sub*machinegun (loosely described as fully-automatic and larger than a pistol) that's mostly it; it's a "pointing" weapon rather than an "aiming" weapon and the ammunition is pistol cartridges. Those are the ones you see in the movies where they're fired "from the hip" (or stomach). People who get to carry these things are usually otherwise constrained for space (radio ops, drivers, tankers). Paratroopers carry either these or folding stock buttault rifles.

buttault rifles are the standard grunt weapons; some designs also fire full-auto... these are a relatively recent invention; the problem being that when you fire full-auto the barrel heats up and can distort which screws up any hope of long-distance accuracy. Usually one man in the squad carries an buttault weapon with a heavy barrel and bi-tripod which won't distort as easily. The most modern designs use a NATO 5.56mm (.223cal) rifle cartridge (somewhat smaller than the older 7.62mm (.308cal standard hunting size) as a trade-off.

Top of the food-chain are machine guns; very heavy MFs that can fire full-auto over a distance more or less accurately. Ammo is usually the same as a rifle (at the low end) up to .50 caliber, belt-fed.

rpl