Weapon mount
The term cupola also describes rotating turrets that carry no weapons but instead are sighting devices, as in the case of tank commanders.Due to the stability offered by the mount, the gun typically does not need a shoulder stock, with many modern examples using two-handed spade grips.Early single-shot examples referred to as swivel guns were commonly mounted on the deck rails of naval vessels in the Age of Sail to deter boarders at close range.Such mountings are typically used on armoured fighting vehicles for anti-personnel weapons to avoid exposing a crewmen to return fire, and on naval vessels for self-contained CIWS systems."Pack howitzers" are a special case where the carriage can be completely dismantled and split into a series of loads for transport over rough terrain, typically by mules.The plate is usually square, rectangular or circular, and designed to spread out the weapon's recoil force to prevent it from being piledriven into the ground: it is often, though not always, used with a two-legged stand to elevate the barrel at a desired angle.Tripods have the disadvantage of being heavy and bulky, but provide far superior stability and do not require the user to exert any force in order to keep the mount balanced.Tripods are typically used on support weapons such as heavy machine guns, repeating grenade launchers, recoilless rifles and large infantry anti-tank missiles systems such as BGM-71 TOW.The tripod permits the operator to rest the weapon on the ground and thus the gun feels lighter to the shooter and accuracy is increased.These saddles began to appear in the late 2000s as a solution to provide a stable shooting platform for snipers and marksmen who may need to take a shot from somewhere other than the prone position.The Bari mount was used in trench raids, and was integral to the doctrinal purpose of the so-called 'pistollettieri' sections who were effectively grenadier-submachine gunners.
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