This is how M249 light machine gun works | WOG |

The M249 light machine gun, formerly designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon 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. 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 high rate of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle.

Type:
Light machine gun
Place of origin:
Belgium (Minimi), United States (M249)
In service:
1984–present
Used by:
See Users
Wars:
Invasion of Panama, Gulf War, Unified Task Force, Bosnian War, Kosovo War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War, Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Insurgency, Iraqi Civil War (2014–present), Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir
Designed:
1976
Manufacturer:
FN Herstal
Unit cost:
US $4,087
Produced:
Late 1970s–present
Variants:
See Variants
Effective firing range:
700 m (2296.59 ft) (point target, 465 mm barrel), 800 m (2624.67 ft) (point target, 521 mm barrel), 3600 m (11811.02 ft) (maximum range)
Feed system:
M27 linked disintegrating belt, STANAG magazine