M249 Light Machine Gun

The M249 light machine gun (LMG), previously designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal (FN). The M249 is manufactured in the United States by the local subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC in South Carolina and is widely used in the U.S. 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. The M249 provides infantry squads with the heavy volume of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle.

Specifications
Weight	7.5 kg (17 lb) empty, 10 kg (22 lb) loaded
Length	40.75 in (1,035 mm)
Barrel length	465 mm (18 in)
Cartridge	5.56×45 mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire	Sustained rate of fire: 50 RPM Rapid rate of fire: 100 RPM Cyclic rate of fire: 775 RPM
Muzzle velocity	915 m/s (3,000 ft/s)
Effective range	800 m (870 yd) (point target) 3,600 m (3,940 yd) (maximum range)
Feed system	M27 linked belt, STANAG magazine

FULL M249 SPECS HERE