Quote Originally Posted by Blah View Post
I wasn't referring to full-auto per se, although I can tell you hate it with a passion. I was referring to really rapid semi-auto fire.

An example can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwDZUa01go
If my counting ability is accurate, he expended 65 - 70 rounds in 2 - 3 minutes. Not sure if that's considered "fast".
It is not so much fast as it is an immediate reaction to enemy contact. That soldier (and not unlike many Marines and other soldiers) has it ingrained in his head to "seek cover and return fire". That's exactly what the schoolhouse textbooks say. Where those texts fail is in not describing it as "aimed fire."

There is a lot of full-auto fire going on, and it looks as though they really had not idea where to send it, as evident in the POV guy's lack of any commands or orientation until more rounds crack overhead and he finally calls out a direction. it's pretty clear that he isn't even achieving the stock weld necessary He alsi starts out firing at the hillside that looks to be close to 500m so that appears to be an attempt to satisfy some notion that getting rounds out - any rounds - is better that waiting to ID the threat target. That's an example of our training problem.

This also shows how, despite cracking closely overhead, close calls do not in fact always suppress. They could have walked off that hillside with probably little effect from further enemy fire.