Editing Machine gun (section)

==Human interface==
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[[File:M2m60c2.jpg|thumb|left|This M60 machine gun is part of an XM2 armament subsystem; it is aimed and fired from the aircraft rather than directly.]]
The most common interface on light machine guns is a [[pistol grip]] and [[trigger (firearms)|trigger]] with a buttstock attached. Vehicle and [[tripod (weapon)|tripod]] mounted machine guns usually have spade grips. Earlier machine guns commonly featured [[hand crank]]s, and modern externally powered machine guns, such as miniguns, commonly use an electronic button or trigger on a joystick. In the late 20th century, scopes and other complex optics became more common rather than the more basic [[iron sights]].

Loading systems in early manual machine guns were often from a hopper of loose (un-linked) cartridges. Manually operated volley guns usually had to be reloaded all at once (each barrel reloaded by hand, or with a set of cartridges affixed to a plate that was inserted into the weapon). With hoppers, the rounds could often be added while the weapon was firing. This gradually changed to belt-fed systems, which were either held by a person (the shooter or a support person), or in a bag or box. Some modern vehicle machine guns use linkless feed systems.

Modern machine guns are commonly mounted in one of four ways. The first is a [[bipod]], often integrated with the weapon, common on light and medium machine guns. Another is the tripod, usually found on medium and heavy machine guns. On ships, vehicles, and aircraft, machine guns are usually mounted on a [[pintle mount]], a steel post that is connected to the frame or body of the vehicle. The last common mounting type is as part of a vehicle's armament system, such as a tank coaxial or part of an aircraft's armament. These are usually electrically fired and have complex sighting systems, for example, the [[US Helicopter Armament Subsystems]].
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