| The M240B is the standard medium machine gun of the US Army and is a variant of the Belgian FN MAG. It fires 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition from disintegrating belts and is highly regarded for its reliability. The FN MAG that the M240B is based on is a true universal machine gun, in use on helicopters, armoured cars, tanks, and as an infantry weapon. The M240B is mounted on a bipod and is intended for use by infantry squads as a medium support weapon. Its relatively simple design make it cheap to produce and extremely rugged and reliable. It features a picatinny accessory rail along the top of the receiver for mounting optical sights, and two other rails on either side of the forearm. It has a synthetic stock, a perforated handguard and heat shroud. The M240B weighs 12.5kg, has a selectable rate of fire from 650rpm or 950rpm, an effective range of 1800 metres (900 metres tracer burnout) and a maximum range of 3725 metres. |