• merc@sh.itjust.works
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    5 days ago

    Hmm, I wondered so I looked up some prices. Retail ammo costs for 7.62x51mm (used in the M134 minigun) costs about $1 USD per round. In the movie Predator, the gun fired at 20 rounds per second. So, that’s $20/s or $1200 per minute. But, as soon as you start looting enemy bodies, you’re not the one paying that cost.

      • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        In bulk maybe. But my .308 rounds are generally ~$30 for 20 depending on certain factors.

      • merc@sh.itjust.works
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        5 days ago

        No idea. It would make sense though. It would be strange to use a standard NATO round specification but require special versions of that round. There’s nothing about how it works that suggests it should need special bullets. The rotating barrel and firing mechanism are different, but otherwise it’s just a machine gun.