Ranger Machine Gun Team

A Ranger with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment handles an ammo belt for a M240G medium machine gun during task force training, January 2014.

Ranger gun teams typically consist of 2 men: machine gunner, assistant machine gunner (AG) and, sometimes, a third member: ammunition bearer.

The AG carries the tripod, helps set up the machine gun position and swaps its barrel as needed.

There are 3 machine gun crews per machine gun squad.

There is a machine gun squad in each of the 3 Ranger rifle platoons in a Ranger rifle company.

A single team is assigned to each of the 3 rifle squads in a rifle platoon.

Machine guns are a Ranger platoon's most effective weapon against dismounted infantry.

The machine gun can lay down sustained fires at greater range and with better accuracy than an individual Ranger's personal weapon.