Yes you are correct, the majority of shots especially from issued M4A1s are trained and fired on semi-auto as it reduces muzzle climb and you can keep your sights on the target accurately and for longer.
The automatic fire should be down the Squad Gunner with a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) such as M249 light machine gun (5.56mm round) or the older M60 (7.62mm round) which is still used by Navy SEALs, US Army and US Marine Corps which use the M60E3 and M60E4 mainly because of the greater range. Marine Corps doctrine states that it is capable of suppressive fire on area targets out to 1,500 meters if the gunner is highly skilled.
After experiences in the Vietnam War there were new recruits who would fire on automatic and after that first shot the rest of the rounds are going to go straight over the enemy's head!
The action was also modified, replacing the fully automatic setting with a three-round burst setting. When using a fully automatic weapon, inexperienced troops often hold down the trigger and "spray" when under fire. The U.S. Army concluded that three-shot groups provide an optimum combination of ammunition conservation, accuracy and firepower. Several Marine units utilise modified rifles that support fully automatic fire capabilities. The USMC has retired the M16A2 in favour of the newer M16A4. However, many M16A2s remain in US Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard service
These days the M4 is Semi/Burst and the M4A1 is Semi/Auto with the onus on the shooter not to spray everywhere.
What is ridicules is the when the British PMC gets onto the M2 .50 cal Crew Served Weapon on the Humvee and just starts firing wildly into the desert aiming at nothing, wasting ammo with an active sniper taking out your colleagues. He is easily picked off and should have found cover and worked out where the bullets are coming from!
If you watch Black Hawk Down you will notice that the Rangers are carrying M16A2s which have three options, safe, semi, 3 round burst. The automatic fire is left to the Squad Gunners carrying the (7.62mm) M60 or the (5.56mm) FN Minimi standing in for the M249-E1 SAW.
If you are not willing to give up everything, you have already lost
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saniainen-748-829141
10 years ago
Full auto is used during assaults, when it is not possible to aim, to suppress enemy and in close combat. For example, when rebel fired shot form balcony and ignited car, US soldiers would very likely go full auto. SAW man didn't have chance to set up firing position, they had to suppress the rebel!BTW some of soldiers fired semi in the scene!
Over all they used full auto correctly, with exception of PMC firing his stock less AK full auto while actually trying to hit prisoners.
As for .50 cal "wasting ammo", Firing at random positions in ambush is actually something used in real combat!
In real combat hitting enemy is not that important, suppressing the enemy is much more important, especially in situations showed in movie! BTW in Iraq and Afghanistan US troops fired 250k bullets for every killed insurgent.
Long story short, full auto/burst fire is used correctly, when soldier doesn't have time to line up the shot, doesn't know exactly where enemy or tries to create volume of fire to suppress the enemy.
Ammo is cheap, life is expensive!
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