M249

• M249 SAW
• MK 46 Mod 0
• MK 48 Mod 0

The automatic rifle is a squad leaders weapon. The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is a lightweight, gas-operated, magazine or disintegrating metallic link-belt fed, individually portable machine gun capable of delivering a large volume of effective fire. Fielded in the mid-1980s, the SAW filled the void created by the retirement of the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) during the 1950s and the failure of interim automatic weapons (M14 Series/M16A1 Rifles) as viable "base of fire" weapons.

The SAW is an air-cooled, belt-fed, gas-operated automatic weapon that fires 750 rounds per minute from the open-bolt position. Although the M249 is primarily used as an automatic rifle, it can also used as a light machine gun. It can be fired from the shoulder, hip, or underarm position; or from the bipod-steadied position. When employed as a machine gun, it normally has a tripod with a T&E mechanism and a spare barrel. In it's Naval role, the M249 can also be fired from a variety of mounts with the appropriate adaptors.

The standard ammunition feed of the M249 is by 200 round disintegrating belts however, it is also capable of firing ammunition from standard M16 magazines inserted in a well in the bottom of the receiver. Ammunition is fed into the weapon from a 200-round ammunition box or a 100 round soft ammunition pouch holding a disintegrating metallic split-link belt. The SAW has become the standard automatic rifle of the infantry squad and has proven useful with the changing of the M16 to a three round burst weapon.