FN MAG
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| Caliber: | 7.62x51 mm NATO | |
| Action: | Gas-Operated | |
| Mass: | 10.5 kg (22 lbs 6 oz) | |
| Length: | 125 cm (49.2 in) | |
| Barrel length: | 54.60 cm (21.45 in) | |
| Rate of fire: | about 850 rounds/min | |
| Magazine: | Belt | |
The FN MAG is a machine gun manufactured by Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium. It was developed in the 1950s, in production since 1958, and has become a widely adopted 7.62 mm NATO-firing machine gun, used by more than 20 countries. MAG stands for Mitrailleuse d'Appui General, translated as 'general purpose machine gun' (GPMG).
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Design
Chambered for the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO cartridge, it shares a locking system similar to the Browning Automatic Rifle and has made use of some other work by John Browning (who had worked on other, earlier designs in Belgium). The downward locking bolt drives the belt feed system, which was style adopted from the MG42 (which had taken it from an even earlier design); it also influenced the trigger mechanism. The belt feed is a similar type, but it is not exactly the same, as the MAG works with the standard NATO belt type, which was a capability not added until a 1968 redesign of the MG3; a descendent of the MG42.
The FN MAG has proven to be extremely reliable under all conditions. In U.S. Army testing it could fire, on average, 26,000 rounds until a failure (such as a part breaking). Mean rounds to a stoppage, such as jam, was lower.
Operators
It has been adopted by more than 80 countries worldwide, and is license-produced in the US, UK, Argentina, Egypt, India, and Singapore.
- Canada
- As C6 GPMG
- Indonesia
- Pindad SPM2-V2 GPMG
- Japan
- Sumitomo Heavy Industries T-62 GPMG
- UK
- Officially designated by the British Army as the L7A2 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun), but affectionately nicknamed "Gimpy" by British soldiers.
- US
- As M240. The Army mainly uses the M240B, and the Marine Corps the M240G, though there are other types used by them and other branches, such as for use in AFVs. The Army first adopted the M240 in 1977 for use in tanks, the Marine Corps adopted it in the 1980s for general use on vehicles. The Marines adopted it for additional use in 1991 (after the 1991 Gulf War), and the Army adopted it for infantry in the 1990s after it beat out the M60E4 in trials. It has also been adopted in many roles by other branches, and is gradually replacing the M60 family.
The M240B model also has a internal recoil buffer and some other changes over the MAG, other versions also vary. A new lightweight version will make use of titanium for some components. The M240 and remaining M60, as well as some M249 are planned to be replaced by under a program for a new lightweight machinegun in the early 21st century.
- Sweden
- As Ksp 58. Early Ksp 58 were chambered in 6.5x55 mm Swedish. These were later converted to 7.62 mm NATO to create the current Ksp 58B standard.
- Israel. (However, it is being superseded by the newer, Israeli made Negev Light machine gun).
- Australia
- The FN MAG is officially designated as the MAG 58 in the Australian Defence Force, in particular, the Australian Army.
External links
See also
- Mk 48 Mod 0 LWMG - FN Minimi in FN Mag calibre for US SOCOM
fr:FN MAG he:מאג ja:MAG (機関銃) pl:Karabin maszynowy FN MAG sv:Ksp 58
