M249 SAW

Overview
The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is a powerful, accurate, and mobile base of fire weapon whose purpose is to support small squads during offensive operations. Adopted by the US Army and Marine Corps in 1983 to replace the heavier M60 machine gun, the M249 is capable of producing a large volume of fire with accuracy and handling approaching that of a rifle. With a simple flick of a switch the M249's rate of fire can be set to 750 or 1,000 rounds per minute and it has a maximum range of approximately two miles. At 15 lbs, it can be fired from the shoulder, hip, or underarm position. In terms of firepower, one M249 is equivalent to 15 additional riflemen. While the M249's standard ammunition feed is by a belt, it is also capable of firing ammunition from an M16 magazine inserted into the bottom of the weapon. The M249's direct predecessor was the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). The BAR saw action during WWII and Korea before it was retired in the mid 1950s.