In my company SAW stands for "S*$! aint workin", M240s are extremely reliable however.

Hmmm, I've never found any major problems with the Minimi (SAW). Apart from when the weapon hard cocks or misfeeds, but thats to be expected - and even then there isn't much that tilt-cock-look won't fix.

^^ Roger; Pull, Observe, Push, Squeeze (POPS) works like a dream unless it needs remedial action.

Originally Posted by Maytime

^^ Roger; Pull, Observe, Push, Squeeze (POPS) works like a dream unless it needs remedial action.

Same thing, different army.

It's not a gun you asked for info on, but in a recent Special Weapons for Military and Police magazine, they had an article on the Ultimax 100 MK4, my favorite light machinegun of all time. Apparently it has a good chance of becoming the next standard USMC LMG.

http://www.defensereview.com/modules...rticle&sid=853

In this situation, it's nice to be able to reload quickly and relatively easily on the move as well, which the Ultimax allows an operator to do. You can reload the Ultimax on the move in a few seconds. Try that with an M249. Good luck to you.

Quoted from the link you provided Maj.

Hmmm, a good Minimi gunner can reload on the run without opening the weapon. Simply swap the mag pouch before the last of the link is used and clip the rounds from the new belt onto the tail end of the old one. No cocking required, simple, quick.

That's a similar technique to the one a Vietnam vet described to me. He would carry 100 round belts in canteen covers. When he reached the last few rounds, he'd simply clip on the next belt. I don't have any real world experience with it, but it seems like linked rounds would be easier to deal with than a drum, c-mag, or similar that depends on a spring.

One thing you have to careful about is overheating the barrel, which could be a problem if you keep tacking on belts willy nilly. However, if you keep track of how many rounds you've fired, you're probably GTG. I know I know, CPT Obvious here, but hey, common sense can be a survival trait.

Then again, as long as the gunner is using controlled bursts, this isn't as much of an issue. Those who burn an entire belt in one burst are usually refered to as "scared" or "insurgents." Even so, there are barrels in development that can take that sort of punishment. I've seen sites and video of MG3's and M240's firing several thousand rounds in a single burst with no damage to the barrel. If I can locate those links, I'll post them.

I remember seeing a video of a totally re-engineered M60 that fired for some crazy amount of time without stopping and without overheating. The guy's shoulder must've been feeling pretty good after that