Firearms from Belgium / United States

The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon is the U.S. military designation for the FN Minimi, a belt-fed light machine gun chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO. Designed to provide squad-level suppressive fire while maintaining parts commonality and ammunition compatibility with the M16/M4 family, the M249 operates on a gas-operated open-bolt system with a quick-change barrel feature. It can feed from both linked belts (stored in a 200-round box magazine) and standard M16-style 30-round box magazines, though the magazine feed is considered an emergency capability and is generally less reliable than belt feed. The M249 includes a folding bipod, a carrying handle, and a tripod mounting point for sustained-fire applications. At 7.5 kg loaded with 200 rounds, the SAW represents an ideal balance of portability and firepower for infantry fire teams.

The M240B is a belt-fed general purpose machine gun used by the United States military. It is the US version of the FN MAG, which has been one of the most widely used machine guns in the world. The M240B fires the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge from disintegrating metal-link belts. It features a quick-change barrel, a bipod, and a fixed stock. The M240B replaced the M60 machine gun as the US standard medium machine gun. It is used as an infantry support weapon, coaxial vehicle gun, and helicopter door gun.

The M249 Para is a compact variant of the M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) developed by FN Herstal for airborne and special operations forces. It features a shorter barrel and a collapsible stock for reduced overall length during transport. The M249 Para retains the same gas-operated, open-bolt action as the standard M249. It is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO and is belt-fed or magazine-fed. The reduction in size and weight makes it more suitable for operations requiring mobility and compact stowage.

The Browning BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) is a semi-automatic hunting rifle introduced in 1967 by Browning Arms Company. It should not be confused with the military M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. The hunting BAR is a gas-operated sporting rifle offered in calibers including .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield. It features a detachable box magazine and a smooth auto-loading action that reduces felt recoil. The BAR is known for its reliability in hunting conditions and is a popular choice for deer, elk, and bear hunting. The current Mk3 version includes a BOSS recoil reduction system.