An M249 light machine gun, with several triggers and sound .. The M249 light machine gun (LMG) previously designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is an american version of the belgian fn minimi .. the M249 is manufactured in the united states and is widely used by the armed forces .. the weapon was introduced in 1984 after being judged the most effective of a number of candidate weapons to address the lack of automatic firepower in small units .. it provides infantry squads with the heavy volume of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle .. it is a belt-fed light machine gun that fires the 5.56-45 mm nato cartridge, usually a combination of one M856 tracer and four M855 ball cartridges fed from M27 linked belts .. belts are typically held in a hard plastic or soft canvas box attached to the underside of the weapon .. it fires from an open bolt and is gas operated .. when the trigger is pulled, the bolt and bolt carrier move forward under the power of the recoil spring .. a cartridge is stripped from the belt, chambered, and discharged, sending a bullet down the bore .. expanding propellant gases are diverted through a hole in the barrel into a chamber .. this pressure moves a piston providing the energy to extract and eject the spent casing as well as advance the belt and compress the recoil spring, thus preparing for subsequent shots .. it's 41 inches long and weighs 17 lbs (22 lb with a 200-round belt and plastic ammo box) .. the M249 is a cumbersome weapon, but gets the job done..
An M249 light machine gun, with several triggers and sound .. The M249 light machine gun (LMG) previously designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is an american version of the belgian fn minimi .. the M249 is manufactured in the united states and is widely used by the armed forces .. the weapon was introduced in 1984 after being judged the most effective of a number of candidate weapons to address the lack of automatic firepower in small units .. it provides infantry squads with the heavy volume of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle .. it is a belt-fed light machine gun that fires the 5.56-45 mm nato cartridge, usually a combination of one M856 tracer and four M855 ball cartridges fed from M27 linked belts .. belts are typically held in a hard plastic or soft canvas box attached to the underside of the weapon .. it fires from an open bolt and is gas operated .. when the trigger is pulled, the bolt and bolt carrier move forward under the power of the recoil spring .. a cartridge is stripped from the belt, chambered, and discharged, sending a bullet down the bore .. expanding propellant gases are diverted through a hole in the barrel into a chamber .. this pressure moves a piston providing the energy to extract and eject the spent casing as well as advance the belt and compress the recoil spring, thus preparing for subsequent shots .. it's 41 inches long and weighs 17 lbs (22 lb with a 200-round belt and plastic ammo box) .. the M249 is a cumbersome weapon, but gets the job done..