Donmai

Deprecate belt_feed

Posted under Tags

BUR #19246 has been approved by @evazion.

deprecate belt_feed

This BUR is somehow related to the previous forum #242610 regarding trigger deprecation and topic #23881 (nuke iron sights), all were done due to redundancy. Potentially controversial.

Nearly all belt-fed firearms IRL which obviously use ammo belt are indeed machine guns, including Gatling guns and miniguns - except several light machine gun designs based on its previous automatic rifle counterpart (e.g. the RPK). So to be honest, having "belt_feed" as a tag is as pointlessly redundant as having "magazine-fed" for virtually entire type of modern rifles, semi-auto handguns, submachine guns, shotguns and so on. Even if the magazines are not visible to the viewer due to integrated non-removable design.

Furthermore, we do not use subtags for gun type classification based on the feed system, but the most distinguishable mechanism of cycling the round sustainably - such as bolt action for rifles with prominently long bolt handles, lever action guns with a wide ring-like stuff behind the trigger, break action for double-barrelled shotguns that feature a pivoted hinge between the barrel and receiver, or such.
Regarding the feeding devices, ammunition belt, ammunition box and magazine (weapon) as separate gentags still make more sense.

Not because this term is rather uncommon, while belt-fed is a more appropriate terminology.

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