Non-static weapon mount
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A weapon mount is an assembly or
mechanism Mechanism may refer to: *Mechanism (engineering), rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a desired force and/or motion transmission *Mechanism (biology), explaining how a feature is created *Mechanism (philosophy), a theory that a ...
used to hold a weapon (typically a gun) onto a platform in order for it to function at maximum capacity. Weapon mounts can be broken down into two categories: static mounts and non-static mounts.


Static mount

A static mount is a non-portable weapon support component either mounted directly to the ground, on a fortification, or as part of a vehicle.


Turret

A gun turret protects the crew or mechanism of a weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions. A turret is a rotating weapon platform, strictly one that crosses the armour of whatever it is mounted on with a structure called a barbette (on ships) or basket (on tanks) and has a protective structure on top (gunhouse). If it has no gunhouse it is a barbette, if it has no barbette (ie, it is mounted to the outside of the vehicle's armour) it is an installation. Turrets are typically used to mount machine guns,
autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bull ...
s or large- calibre guns. They may be manned or remotely controlled. A small turret, or sub-turret on a larger one, is called a ''cupola''. The term ''cupola'' also describes rotating turrets that carry no weapons but instead are sighting devices, as in the case of tank commanders. A
finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...
is an extremely small sub-turret or sub-sub-turret mounted on a cupola turret. Typically the gun is fixed on its horizontal axis and rotated by turning the turret, with trunnions on the gun used to allow it to elevate. Alternatively, in an oscillating turret the entire upper section of the turret moves to elevate and depress the gun.


Casemate

A casemate is an armoured structure consisting of a static primary surface incorporating a limited-traverse gun mount: typically, this takes the form of either a gun mounted through a fixed armour plate (typically seen on
tank destroyer A tank destroyer, tank hunter, tank killer, or self-propelled anti-tank gun is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a direct fire artillery gun or missile launcher, designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often wi ...
s and
assault gun Assault gun (from german: Sturmgeschütz - "storm gun", as in "storming/assaulting") is a type of self-propelled artillery which uses an infantry support gun mounted on a motorized chassis, normally an armored fighting vehicle, which are designed ...
s) or a mount consisting of a partial cylinder of armour "sandwiched" between plates at the top and bottom (as with the sponson guns of early tanks and the secondary armament of Dreadnought-era battleships).


Coaxial

A ''coaxial mount'' is mounted beside or above the primary weapon and thus points in the same general direction as the main armament, relying on the host weapon's ability to traverse in order to change arc. The term ''coaxial'' is something of a
misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the name ...
as the arrangement is strictly speaking paraxial (i.e., parallel axes, as opposed to the same axis), though for ballistic purposes the axis is effectively the same in practical terms. Nearly all main battle tanks and most
infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forc ...
s have a coaxial machine gun mounted to fire along a parallel axis to the main gun. Coaxial weapons are usually aimed by use of the main gun control. It is usually used to engage infantry or other "soft" targets where use of shots from the main gun would be dangerous, ineffective or wasteful. Some weapons such as the M40 recoilless rifle and the
Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon The Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) is a smoothbore shoulder-fired rocket launcher. It is a portable assault weapon (i.e. bunker buster) and has a secondary anti-armor capability. Developed from the B-300, it was intr ...
have a smaller caliber '' spotting rifle'' mounted in ''coaxial'' fashion to the barrel or launch tube. These weapons fire special cartridges designed to mimic the ballistic arc of the host weapon's ammunition, using tracer or point-detonating rounds so that a gunner can easily determine where a shot will land in order to place fire accurately. Due to the adoption of more advanced systems such as laser rangefinders, they are rarely used on modern weapons.


Ground mount


Fixed

A ''fixed mount'' is incapable of horizontal movement (traverse), though not necessarily incapable of vertical movement (elevation). The entire mounting must be moved in order to change direction of fire. Fully fixed mounts (no traverse ''or'' elevation) are most commonly found on aircraft, and most commonly direct the weapon forward, along the aircraft's vector of movement, so that a pilot can aim by pointing the nose of the aircraft at the target. Some aircraft designs used different concept of fixed mounts, as found in Schräge Musik or AC-47 Spooky. The
Stridsvagn 103 The Stridsvagn 103 (Strv 103), also known as the Alternative S and S-tank, is a Swedish post-World War II main battle tank, designed and manufactured in Sweden. "Strv" is the Swedish military abbreviation of ''stridsvagn'', Swedish for chariot an ...
is an unusual turretless main battle tank with a fixed main gun that is aimed using the tank's tracks and suspension. Military aircraft also often used fixed mounts called ''
hardpoint A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the ...
s'' or ''weapon stations'' to attach disposable stores such as missiles, bombs and external fuel tanks: these devices mount a standardised set of locking lugs to which many different types of armament can be affixed. Fixed traverse mounts capable of only elevation are common on larger self-propelled guns, as well being the mounting method used by virtually all railroad guns.


Pintle

A ''pintle mount'' is a
swivel A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object, such as a gun, chair, swivel caster, or an anchor rode to rotate horizontally or vertically. Swivel designs A common design for a swivel is a cylindrical rod that can turn freely wi ...
ing mount that allows the gun to be freely traversed or elevated, while the base of the mount is still fixed keeping the whole system in one stable position: typically the mounting is either a rod on the underside of the gun (a pintle rod) that mates with a socket mechanism, or an intermediary cradle that mounts to the sides of the weapon's barrel or receiver. Due to the stability offered by the mount, the gun typically does not need a shoulder stock, with many modern examples using two-handed spade grips. It is most commonly found on armoured vehicles,
improvised fighting vehicle An improvised fighting vehicle is an ''ad hoc'' combat vehicle resulting from modified or upgraded civilian or military non-combat vehicle, often constructed and employed by civilian insurgents, terrorists, rebels, guerrillas, partisans, cri ...
s such as
technical Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data * Technical drawing, showing how something is co ...
s, side gun stations on
WW2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and earlier-era bomber aircraft, and the door guns of armed
transport helicopter A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to maintaining supply l ...
s. Early single-shot examples referred to as ''
swivel gun The term swivel gun (or simply swivel) usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun wi ...
s'' were commonly mounted on the deck rails of naval vessels in the
Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid- 19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of naval ...
to deter boarders at close range. Larger guns require a heavier mounting referred to as a pedestal, and even larger guns a turntable platform: a pedestal mount may be directly manipulated, but larger guns typically require the use of mechanical handwheels or hydraulic/ electric actuator assistance for traversing and elevation adjustments. Very large mounts might also include seats for the crew fixed to the gun cradle or the floor of the turntable. Unlike a turret, this type of mount typically has little or no armour protection, usually at most a frontal
gun shield A U.S. Marine manning an M240 machine gun equipped with a gun shield A gun shield is a flat (or sometimes curved) piece of armor designed to be mounted on a crew-served weapon such as a machine gun, automatic grenade launcher, or artillery piece ...
.


Remote weapon station/installation

This is a power-assisted mounting on the outside of whatever it is mounted on, usually bolted down to the surface and with only the control wires crossing the armour. Such mountings are typically used on armoured fighting vehicles for anti-personnel weapons to avoid exposing a crewmen to return fire, and on naval vessels for self-contained CIWS systems.


Swing arm

A ''swing mount'' is a fixed mount that allows a far greater and more flexible arc of fire than the simple pintle mount system. Utilising a system of one or two articulated arms the gunner can swing the weapon through a wide arc even though the gunner's position is fixed relative to the mount. These systems vary in complexity from a simple arm, to a double arm with the ability to lock the weapon in any firing position.


Mobile mount

A mobile mount is a weapon mount that is portable or can be transported around by infantry.


Carriage

Large weapons that cannot easily be lifted by infantry require a platform that can be moved around when mobility is needed.
Wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...
s are typically used to allow maneuverability, although skids are sometimes preferred in cold climates where icy/snowy surfaces become problematic for wheels, and some particularly heavy guns have historically used unpowered
track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
s. Small carriages can be pushed/pulled by hands in the manner of a small
cart A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...
or wheelbarrow, while larger ones require traction by animals or vehicles. Large weapons often use a deployable base to make them easier to transport and more stable in their firing position: split-trail mounts (where two long "trails" can be brought together to make a towing bar) and cruciform bases with two folding legs are examples. "Pack howitzers" are a special case where the carriage can be completely dismantled and split into a series of loads for transport over rough terrain, typically by
mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
s.


Baseplate

Typically used by infantry mortars, this is a flat plate mounted to the weapon directly or using a ball joint. The plate is usually square, rectangular or circular, and designed to spread out the weapon's recoil force to prevent it from being piledriven into the ground: it is often, though not always, used with a two-legged stand to elevate the barrel at a desired angle.


Monopod

A monopod has one leg and does not provide stability along the coordinate axis of motion. Monopods have the advantage of being light and compact although when used in firing mode it does not have enough stability to be used with large firearms. Monopods are typically used on short-barreled, precision-fire firearms. Many sniper rifles feature a monopod integrated into their stock, providing the effect of a tripod when it is combined with a frontal bipod.


Bipod

A bipod has two legs and provides stability along the left-to-right coordinate axis of motion. The bipod permits the operator to rest the weapon on the ground, a low wall, or other object, reducing operator fatigue and permitting increased accuracy. Bipods can be of fixed or adjustable length, and can either be an accessory mounted to the weapon or integral to it. Those of higher quality can be tilted and also have their tilting point close to the bore central axis, allowing the weapon to tilt left and right a small amount, allowing a quick horizontal sight picture on uneven ground and keeping the operator close to the ground.


Tripod

A tripod has three legs and provides stability along the left-to-right and fore-and-aft coordinate axis of motion. Tripods have the disadvantage of being heavy and bulky, but provide far superior stability and do not require the user to exert any force in order to keep the mount balanced. Tripods are typically used on support weapons such as heavy machine guns, repeating grenade launchers,
recoilless rifle A recoilless rifle, recoilless launcher or recoilless gun, sometimes abbreviated "RR" or "RCL" (for ReCoilLess) is a type of lightweight artillery system or man-portable launcher that is designed to eject some form of countermass such as propel ...
s and large infantry anti-tank missiles systems such as BGM-71 TOW. These tripods are often much larger than the weapon itself and may have mechanical elevation and traverse controls for indirect fire. The tripod permits the operator to rest the weapon on the ground and thus the gun feels lighter to the shooter and accuracy is increased.


Shooting saddle

A shooting saddle typically uses a tripod head but, instead of mounting the weapon directly to the tripod, the saddle is mounted to the tripod head and the rifle is cradled within the saddle. These saddles began to appear in the late 2000s as a solution to provide a stable shooting platform for snipers and marksmen who may need to take a shot from somewhere other than the prone position. Prior to their introduction, snipers had only shooting sticks or jury-rigged setups to use.


Fork rest/shooting sticks

Shooting sticks are portable weapon mounts used by field shooters, like hunters, snipers and metallic silhouette black-powder rifle shooters. They can be anything from purpose-built rests to constructions made from actual sticks, and have between one and three legs. They have existed since the days of early arquebusiers, when they would typically be a long thin stake with a U-shaped rest at the top, referred to as a fork rest. On
firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...
, shooting sticks are commonly used on
rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s to provide a forward rest and reduce motion. Shooting sticks permit the operator to rest the weapon on the ground, a low wall, or other object, reducing operator fatigue and permitting increased accuracy.


Underbarrel

This type of infantry weapon mount is used to mount a weapon beneath the barrel of a larger one, using either special mounting equipment or an accessory rail. This allows the user to have two weapons ready in hand and a simple change of grip is all that is needed to fire the accessory weapon. It is most commonly used to mount a single-shot
grenade launcher A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The mos ...
to a rifle or a cut-down
shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
to breach doors.


See also

* Firing port * Gun pod


References

{{Weapons Firearm components