AMERICA UNDER ATTACK

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM

We will never forget 11/9/01...

This website is to remember the victims of the tragedy of New York/Pentagon, and about ENDURING FREEDOM Operation

M249

The Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is an air-cooled, belt-fed, gas-operated automatic weapon that fires from the open-bolt position. It has a regulator for selecting either normal (750 rounds per minute [rpm)) or maximum (1,000 rpm) rate of fire. The maximum rate of fire is authorized only if the weapon's firing rate slows under adverse conditions. Although the M249 AR is primarily used as an automatic rifle, it is 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 has a tripod with a T&E mechanism and a spare barrel; however, barrels must not be interchanged with those from other M249s unless the headspace has been set for that weapon by direct support personnel. The M249 is interesting because while its standard ammunition feed is by 200 round disintegrating belts, it is also capable of firing ammunition from standard M16 magazines inserted in a magazine well in the bottom of the SAW. Ammunition is fed into the weapon from a 200-round ammunition box holding a disintegrating metallic split-link belt. The SAW also has an alternating feeding method using 20- and 30-round M16 rifle magazines. The weapon has a quick-change barrel; however, barrels must not be interchanged with those from other SAWs unless their headspace has been set for that weapon by direct support personnel. The M249 SAW is used to engage dismounted infantry, crew-served weapons, antitank guided missile (ATOM) teams, and thin-skinned vehicles. 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.