Because they make a light gun heavier and if you had more than a couple of guys with them, everyone would have to carry a boatload more grenades to feed them. Fuck that.

>>29834899
The standard infantry units (but believe me this can vary for a lot of reasons), is that in a fire team of 4, one man will have the M203 or M320

The downside to an M203 is that it makes your rifle heavier and more awkward, and of course you have to carry a bunch of grenades somehow on your person. In a firefight, you are usually more concerned with launching grenades than laying traditional suppression. Grenades are a good multiplier for suppression, but suppression still needs a stream of bullets. Combined arms is best.

In a fireteam, you've usually got the grenadier, the automatic gunner (SAW or MK46), the rifleman/assistant gunner (carrying more SAW ammo), and the team leader.

Spread between them you still often need to carry extra things that take priority over the weight of a grenade launcher and grenade ammo.

Depends on what is available and the number of guys willing to add an extra 4 lbs to their rifle.

Canadian infantry sections carry 2x m203, 1 per non c9 fireteam

When you're keeping a rifle on your person for a dozen hours straight, or whipping it around a doorway, you do not want an extra three pounds out on the front of it.

Do you have any idea how awkward and front heavy a m203 makes a rifle? Have you tried proning, shooting then standing and running with a rifle/m203?
Then maybe you will understand why they tend to limit the number of people with them.
Also with 1 per section at least you get a lot of fire power. A company will have at least 12 grenadiers.

Because grenade launchers are heavy
Duh

>>29835017
>Do you have any idea how awkward and front heavy a m203 makes a rifle? Have you tried proning, shooting then standing and running with a rifle/m203?
no, bruh

Usually isn't it that there's 2 riflemen with m4s, somebody with a SAW (either an m240, or an m16 and the like), the squad leader, and a grenadier?

>>29835046
The template for a 4 man team:

>Team leader. High speed Corporal or an E5. Using an M4 or M16. Possibly with a radio (MBITR or Harris). Directs his team, passes information to and from squad or platoon leadership.
>Rifleman. M4 or M16. Often acts as assistant gunner to carry more SAW ammo. Can be repurposed to carry other heavy equipment nobody else is free for.
>Grenadier. M4 or M16 with an M203 or M320. Same as rifleman but with grenade launcher and a belt of grenades. Responsible also for signal and smoke for the team in many cases.
>Automatic rifleman. Carries an automatic rifle or LMG chambered in 5.56mm. M249 or Mk46. Suppresses.

M240s are medium/GP machineguns which are heavier and less maneuverable. They are in their own specific weapon teams and not part of normal fireteam organization.

>>29835087
Ah, yeah I mixed up the m249 and the m240. That's actually really helpful and interesting to know. Thanks. The m240s chambered in 7.62x51, right? It was the m60s replacement I recall.

>>29835128
M240s are real fuckin NATO, yes. They are a bear to carry and shoot dismounted, though the M240L is a bit lighter than the old M240B.

A conventional infantry unit will rarely patrol in less than a platoon size, and for deviated operations often a while company (3 platoons) working with dedicated air and specialist support. It's not like in the movies where a squad just does its own thing.

>>29835152
I know that much, aren't machine gunners supposed to work in at least groups of 3 so they can 'talk' and shit?

>>29835219
Yes. Weapon sections are supposed to "talk" in order to lay unbroken fire.

I was a Grenadier for one my Iraq deployments.

I had to carry 12 grenades every time I left the wire.

while everyone else had M16ar4s and ACOGs. Me and my fellow grenadiers had M16a2s and no optics.

you never got to use your own judgement when it was time to use a grenade. only got to shoot them when team or squad leader said to.

I was really good with it though. put a HE grenade through a third story window across a street in some shit hole village just outside Taji.

I also "accidentally" dropped a a tree every m203 range. we always fired one he round at the end of the range. we were supposed to fire it 300m out and there are trees at 350-400 meters. Every time I shot into the trees and a 50 foot pine tree would fall.

hey guys, OP here thanks for all the answers!