Mod:M249 SAW

The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is the U.S. military designation for the FN Minimi Light Machine Gun (LMG). The M249 SAW, chambered in 5.56mm NATO, provides infantry squads with the heavy volume of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle.

Overview
The M249 is capable of putting more rounds down range than any other weapon in the game. It accomplishes this by using 200-round 5.56mm belts. For this reason, the M249 is extremely effective for suppresive fire, for close-range ambushes and for mowing down hoards of Zombies. It's 5.56mm round generates little recoil, allowing it to be fired accurately in short bursts without the Bipod deployed. However, past 400m, the M249 will be outclassed by general-purpose machine guns such as the M240 and PKM.

Like all light machine guns, the M249 is equipped with a bipod, which drastically reduces recoil while prone. However, unlike other machine guns, when standing up or kneeling, the M249 generates only moderate recoil, so it is possible to use the weapon effectively while standing, in a pinch.

Because of it's ability to fire up to 400 rounds down range per minute, the M249 can be very deadly when used in the squad support role, far more so than any other weapon that can be found in Chernarus.

Ammunition
The M249 typically uses either 100-or-200Rnd belts, but it can also feed from 30Rnd STANAG Magazines in a pinch. It will NOT accept G36 Magazines, though they can be re-combined[] into STANAG magazines.

Trivia

 * When using the 200 round belt magazines, it has the largest ammunition capacity across all the (infantry) weapons in game.

See also:
 * M249