FN M249S SAW at the Range
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
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We previously looked at the mechanics of FN's semiauto version of the US SAW, the M249S. Today we are taking it out to the range for some shooting...
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This is simultaneously the coolest and lamest firearm on the civilian market.
...and the most expensive semi auto (that I can think of) on the civilian market.
@user-zg1vm8ub7r take a look at Olympic competition pistols and marksman rifles. Oof.
@@peepeepoopoo42069 **M110 has entered the chat**
@@peepeepoopoo42069 Knights Armament Corp. : Allow me to introduce myself. (M110 deployment package)
@user-zg1vm8ub7r One of the most expensive but the Barrett M107 A1 is more and Ohio Ordinance Works, a belt fed M240 in 7.62x51, goes for about 13k.
Semi Automatic Weapon
Clever
Squad Automatic Weapon.
@@philiproseel3506Wrong! 😂
A semi-auto SAW is like when Falcon said, "I do everything he does. Just slower"
a D60 sideloaded on a semi auto minimi is the most cursed thing I've seen this week. thanks Ian, great video
Right
Came here to make this comment. Glad to see you beat me too it sir. Well done.
Semi-auto is like a diabetic going to Dairy Queen just to order a bottle of water.
Yep. Fully agree...
Worst, is a diabetic going to a free bar and buffe party. I know because I am diabetic.
... incredibly cool & refreshing, but absurdly expensive for what it is. 😅
Eh, sometimes you're just thirsty.
I feel attacked
Magazine restrictions don't apply when you're using belts.
Magazine wut? Sorry I don't understand the concept.
pretty sure they’re called clips, dingus
@@410ishmaeljust as hasbro intended
Oh boy, on the topic of "Capacity restrictions on belts" I´ve got a good one for you guys.
Here in Germany as you might know, we have quite "strict and complicated" gun laws.
So in general you could say that belt fed firearms are basically impossible to own except you have the holy grail of gun licenses, which is the license for war historians(extremely hard to get). So there was a Bavarian gun smith a few years back who made a limited batch of HK21 that he actually managed to get legal, not just for sport shooting.. he went all the way to make it legal for hunting.(Sport shooting had a limit of 30(now 20), semi auto hunting rifles are limited to 10 rounds)
Here is the joke: in order to make it legal, he had to basically make a "belt cage" that was fixed to the gun with a capacity of a whopping 10 rounds.
This cage was designed in a way that the gun could only shoot when the cage was locked. So you would open the cage, put in a "belt" that consists of 10 rounds. Close the cage and lock it. Only then you could charge the gun and fire.
And to be perfectly honest.. if I had the loose change at the time I would´ve got that bad boy right away.
@@410ishmael "Clips" is hella confirmed.
I remember the first time I saw one of these at a gun store, close to the initial release of the M249S. I was with my grandfather and one of his friends. His buddy was formerly in the Army around the time the M249 was originally introduced, and he said the initial reaction from troops at the time was largely the same as of the M16: they didn't want their machine guns being "dumbed down" to 5.56 as they were used to the M60… he said that reaction was nearly universally reversed when troops realized just how much lighter it really was in comparison to The Pig. He also pointed out the port where it can take AR pattern mags, something I had never seen before as my experience with firearms at that point was mostly from games and movies.
I can't remember that gentleman's name, but that afternoon definitely led me a little further down the rabbit hole to the wide world of firearms design, and what makes real guns different from what's shown on screens.
Funny how now troops across the world tend to hate this thing now. Apparently the reliability is awful
@@famalam943 I understand there are design deficiencies, but a lot of the problems lie in the weapons being worn out. Same as the M-60.
@@famalam943 Basically everyone hates their service weapon after it's been in use for 40 years and mistreated by 20 year olds
@@HTacianas lol but wouldn’t that be what they should be built to last for
@@famalam943It would be absurd to expect mil-spec small arms to be able to perform like it was brand new after so, so much abuse
I love that you still have the same joy that I first saw in your videos probably 5 or 6 years ago. Seriously, we all could use a little more genuine joy in our lives 😅
I was a saw gunner in the ARMY. Those things are soo much fun. The CQB barrel and grip make it super handy.
An assbot hijacked your comment. It's doing quite well.
I got to carry and use the Gen 0 M249 that had fixed "carry handle" and loaded cartridge tab aluminum tube stock. They actually ran ok with magazines, but that was when newly issued. Them three things were phased out fairly quick, the main problem I had was the damn barrel would start rusting as soon as out of arms room. My fix, pull barrel wipe it down with Vaseline. "Ft Lewis, WA." 3/47 Inf. 9th ID. My second unit.
In the very beginning it sounds like a Chauchat in full-auto ;)
for as much money as this costs new, I'd rather go get an actual fuckin transferable Chauchat
Having been a SAW gunner, I'd say the semi-auto version being reliable is the least clone-correct aspect of this gun
Just to let you know, a bot stole your comment and has 3 times your likes.
Ain't this site grand?
I never had an issue with the SAW, both belt and mag. I don't know how many thousands of rounds I fired out of my weapon in my career, but never once, did I have any sort of malfunction. Hell, in 06 while in Kuwait, I had some fun at the close quarters range after everyone in my platoon ran through the range. I finished off the remainder of the ammo the cadre had. About 11, 200 rnd drums, 9, 100 rnd bags, and around 20, 30 rnd mags. Granted, I had to do a few barrel changes, but nothing more than that. The 249 SAW was the best weapon system I have ever had.
@@meltedplasticarmyguy
Some worked like a Swiss watch, main difference is a gunner who gave a s### about it, age, maintenance and it's prior users.
Mine was dead nuts reliable, unless you used the mag feed option. Then it became a jam-o-matic
Lol,
I feel your pain.
I carried a 60 for years when I was in reserves. The bloody thing had gone to Vietnam, it was a clown show of unreliability. The Butt fell off twice while shooting, thankfully neither of us had the working parts inserted into us.
LMFAO @ "Has shoulder thing that goes up." Ian is my spirit animal
Truly my favorite weapon when I was a young soldier and a Paratrooper in the US Army. I was issued one brand new out of the box from FN at Ft. Carson in 1988. The 82nd Airborne got their first issue in 1983 or 84. I was introduced to it in 1986 during Infantry AIT at Ft. Benning and I loved it. From Germany and Ft. Carson I was the squad M-60 Gunner and hated the gun but made it work despite being heavy. The M249 being issued to me I was very happy and knew how to take care of it and loved shooting it very much. During the Panama Invasion of 1989 after I left the weapons squad M-60 gunner and became a team leader in the 1st squad. My squad leader through the direction of my platoon sergeant and platoon leader carry the M249 instead of the M203 Grenade Launcher as a team leader. So the 1st squad had 3 M249 SAWs which tripled the firepower. My squad leader had confidence in me which I though was strange? I did blast a lot of targets and accomplished our missions. I think my chain of command knew that how proficient I was with the SAW. Not bragging but the SAW was very good to me and had no problems employing it during firing and understood everything on it.
Had the minimi as a wappon in the army. We never had any issues with the magazines even in full auto. It shoots like a charm.
With those magazines it looks like one of the randomly generated MGs in Borderlands.
"If you find your gun just doesn't hold enough bullets, then S&S has the solution: more bullets! All S&S guns have extended magazines!"
Da choppa.... blackhawk indeed ....
No thanks
On the bright side, your finger will get tired long before you'll need to reload.
We used to carry spare m16 mags for the minimi when I was in the Australian Air Force. I have never seen any issues with them. They were convenient to use sometimes, actually, as they made the weapon easier to lug around when loaded.
I wasn't a SAW gunner, but I was an expert with it (I was an Infantry Fire Team Leader). My Fire Team and Squad carried at least six "Nut Sacks" for our SAW Gunner(s) per soldier. The AW M249 Nutsack Pouches had carried 100 rounds and 200 Rounds. We had a lot of non-USGI equipment. We also had a lot of "experimental" gear. Man, I miss "the suck" sometimes.
I have had dreams about being back in the Marine Corps. I have been out over 30 years.
@@imperfectlump6070 15 years for me. 🍻
Thats BS. I had to carry all of my own saw ammo.
@@Chevelle602 We carried extra SAW nutsacks, 240 rounds, and mortar rounds for your gunners and mortarmen. That's how we rolled. I'm sure your unit had a different SOP.
@@blueracer66 was that in Afghanistan? In Iraq we always had gun trucks nearby with extra ammo.
Shoulder thing that goes up! 😂😂😂
bitch clip goes hard
That makes it fully semiautomatic, or so I was told.
I love that it has basically become the official name for that feature. I consider myself moderately knowledgeable about guns and I have no idea what else to call it.
It's called a wire rest @@evantimm6053
Everyone is a leftie until they fire the Minimi full auto.
Can say from experience that this is a very right handed weapon.
So, Ian is graduating from mag dumps to belt dumps now?
I can assure you this is not his first time... He's done it with full-auto before, too 😁
M249S: The “S” stands for “Sad”
S is for Gaaay!
Yeah, came here to say it's one of the saddest firearms I've ever seen
I get not everyone has the ability to get a full auto but its like when you see a semi auto MG42. All the bulk and weight for none of the cool factor. Neat video as always though
The cool factor is the gun itself.
Thats pretty cool, I caried the saw for a couple years in the army. I loved it. For a machine gun it was a tack driver and was an excellent reliable weapon.
The duality of former SAW gunners. I’ve never seen someone say “eh it was alright” it’s either I hated it or I loved it lmao
@@CharlieFoxtrot128 loved shooting it hated cleaning it
The issue with using 30rd mags is that the springs weren't designed to feed at the rate of fire of SAW automatic. So in a semi auto the point of failure is removed. MagPul claims their mags including the D60 are engineered to function at that rate of fire.
A good concept in theory and has worked on other designs but not the M249
literally can only use metal mags so it doesnt matter
In late 80s the Canadian C9 (M249) guys tried to use with the army issued green plastic C7 (AR15) mags but C9 just jammed & double-fed. Those mags didn't really fit C9 magwell either and were often a real a time consuming fight to remove. Although those cheap green "1-time use" mags were unreliable in C7 too. With the normal belt+box on the C9 ran real good, was far better then the C2's they replaced imo.
@@roberthsieh8639 not sure what you mean. You can use PMags in a M249.
The SAW has a very similar fire rate to the M4. And full auto ARs obviously feed just fine. So I don’t think that’s the issue
A belt fed machine gun in semi auto is like you go to McDonalds and order apple slices
Hatsoff to your comparison.
Actually correct since apparently this is more reliable than the original military version
Like owning a hamster powered Lamborghini.
10 grand is a lot, but I remember a video you did a while ago were the only FN machine gun on the registry went for about a half a million dollars, and the last auction I saw rock island had another FN machine, one of only 11 on the registry and they expect that to also go for a half a million. So that is a real bargain in comparison.
Glad I got here before RUclips took it down.
Eventually RUclips will remove ALL firearm-related content.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
It is semi-automatic, youtube probably won't even notice.
@@williestyle35 Considering that they've taken down vids and issued strikes over music copyright when the creator used ONLY YT's free music- well I wouldn't put anything past those mental midgets.
@@williestyle35 Semi-auto video = fluffy cat video 😺
You can now pretty much tell when the video is about some well known gun that it's going to be a lottery ad. I would have never guessed back in the day that it would be like this. Just being a researcher doesn't pay enough I guess.
if doing a bit of scamming on the side keeps the videos coming who cares
noone is forcing you to buy into it
Thank you guys for your continued content!! Forgotten Weapons is one of the coolest channels on RUclips
The ATF is already on their way to visit my house so I'll go ahead and say it: I can't think of a gun that a crank trigger or bump stock would be more fun on.
Seems to be an amazing piece.
I got really excited for a second, and then I remembered Ian did a video about this thing the other day😢
6:28
Finally, Fallout 4 assault rifle
Pls... dont remind me of that cursed abomination
Looks nothing like the fallout 4 assault rifle.
@@meeep9099it looks like what the Fo4 Assault rifle wanted to be.
Where?
@@GA-br8wj it's a joke because this M249 actually feeds from mags
I hate ATF & YT regulations
Roger that.
Don't we all
Possibly the best intro ever. Only the HK51"All the blammo" was possibly better
That thing needs a bumpstock.
And a brass deflector for us left handed types.
I don't know why, but that simple intro of Ian shouting about a black hawk gives me so much joy
I still argue machine guns on the civilian market with semi only functionality is like driving a Porsche with a Pinto engine.
Flight lite upper with a standard lower with FRT or super safety.
Having also been a SAW gunner, I can honestly state that it was only problematic with blanks, and ran fine with live ammunition.
The first run of the 249S had a lighter pull at around 4-5 lbs. At that pull, you can really get this thing moving. There was a small problem with the trigger group during the initial release, but that has been addressed. Unfortunately, it did involve a heavier trigger pull.
Cool to see you fire the saw with a D60, wanted to see how that would go and haven't found anyone else run it before you
0:50 m249 is 17 pounds empty. half a pound heavier than the PKM. light machine gun in name only.
"If you would like to have this weapon........" Yes, I would, but I'm in the UK, I wouldn't be able to prove a need to have one, our local firing range would "possibly" pass a frown if I turned up with one, and I am still to much in love with my old issue L1A1 SLR. Thanks for the dreams though Ian.!
Like a race car that can't go over 50mph....
A Ferrari with a governor on it.
Jesus fucking Christ I could never justify such a price on something that's effectively just a showpiece. God.
Shot my first full auto 249 last week. What an amazing belt fed. Ian, if you need it for a review, it's local to you, and something could probably be worked out.
“Except fire control stuff” do you have any idea how badly my day was ruined with that statement?
Dakka dakka dakka
Dakka dakka dakka is full-auto
Dakka is semi-auto
@@FerroEquus-262 , what about fully semi-auto? (someone has to make this joke; I scrolled for it and haven't found it 😊)
semi-dakka, is that a thing?
@@rogerwennstrom6677 its Orks anything goes jf they believe it does
"Translate to english" I didn't know Google spoke ork, that must be a new thing!
Never bring up need versus want! Wives could be listening.
As a former M249 gunner who was left handed, I can completely relate... many uniform tops with holes on the forearm from hot brass.
I'm really surprised that not all machine guns have shoulder rests. FN MAG does not for instance. In a typical infantry drill the covering team has to provide consistent slow rate fire on the "enemy" position until the assault team gets within attacking distance, then there's an all out firestrike. That sometimes takes 20 minutes or whatever the terrain is. Without the shoulder rest you are holding the whole damn thing up, including the belt bag or box, with your biceps, the entire time. Try to hold a 15 lb weight with your bent elbow for half an hour... :)
It would have been nice to see the results of Ian's shooting, group size, accuracy. He really missed showing how this firearm performs.
Even Dr Evil wont call this minimi
5:43 Ah, so this is the Shoulder Thing that Goes Up I've heard so much about.
I thought these were usually mounted on fully semi automatic pump action destructive assault shotguns though, guess I was misinformed
I want to see some 100yd groups.
I never shot one of these when I was serving in the army. We just had the M60 which was fun to fire when it didn't jam. A machine stuck in semi seems like a joyless device. Kind of getting to third base with girl and never able being able to go any further.
Ian breaking out the barrel shroud.
Almost sounds like a Bren when shooting fast.
I remember when they gave us “para” saws with the short barrels and 100 round “nut sacks” lmao those little bastards could throw some serious firepower into 10x10 foot concrete rooms over in the sandbox lol loved the video, but I do remember the ones I was using in the MC from 03-12 wouldn’t run a mag like that.
and don't forget the guys on Blackhawk down, going deaf from the SAW, that British actor was also the pilot in the rundown, with the rock.
Despite any drama that’s being aired out on social media by former business partners- drama that’s still making its rounds on Reddit, etc.- I think I speak for most of us in saying that we firmly support our man Ian
3:39 That reputation is largely unfounded. It comes from the fact that, for the majority of troops issued the M249, they will fire it with blanks in training much more than live rounds (weather also in training or actual combat), and the blanks from a magazine DO have issues.
Felt the same way about getting an RPK it was my dream gun for so long but in reality it's just an overgrown heavy semi auto akm which is sad
This gun is $2700 at Rainier arms in Wichita KS right now
I wonder, if in the long run, is the semi auto, closed bolt conversion more reliable with the mag feed than the automatic open bolt? Wasn't one of the issues that the auto out-cycled the mag's feed capability?
So many “Suddenly I feel old” memes flash through my head when Ian pointed out M249 has been in service for ~40 years. I entered service training on the M60, then transitioned to the M249. I am a cat wearing bloomers. 😂😂
Ive never seen someone close the topcover with such care.
Oh shit, I rarely see your brand new uploads and it's THIS ONE.
Popcorn in the microwave, popcorn on the screen.
There will be the FN Minimi history and mechanics video in-bound soon and we know that you took a closer look at the MOST EXPENSIVE MG EVER from last year’s September 2023.
I sure would like to Win this one..as it's the closest I'll ever come to owning one. I witnessed a man buy Two of these in a shop in NC about a year ago. Over 22k at retail. I cannot imagine needing such bragging rights , because at the end of the day that's all a Semi-SAW is. I'd imagine putting a good Optic on one could be fun.
Next evolution would be an auto sear on that one, and make a select fire Minimi
So weird dropping the bolt/charging handle on ammo in the feed tray.
I winced, *hard.*
Yes, that is incredibly jarring, expecting something to go boom.😮
Good afternoon, Ian! I thoroughly enjoy your videos and the FN M249S is definitely one cool weapon, although I prefer the retro rifles, I've seen you showcase. The "Heat" reenactment video was excellent! I was watching this video on the FN M249S today and came to the enter to win advertisement. Man, I paused my T.V. (I was watching on U - Tube) and immediately typed in the web address given on the video, entered my info, clicked "Enter to Win", I was ready to go ahead and order plenty of ammo and cartridge clips from AU, as I was certain of my unmatched and unheralded abilities on winning such drawings, but alas, I was suddenly and unceremoniously directed to a page asking how I wished to pay! It was at that moment in time I decided maybe I should watch the rest of the video, which I did and sadly realized I was required to make an unwanted purchase to insure my winning this very expensive firearm. After much soul searching and a rather quick check of my rapidly dwindling bank account, I decided to give someone else the chance of their lifetime to "win" this marvel of modern engineering and weaponry! Thanks for the videos, Ian, and have a great day!
Thank you for this video Ian. It has convinced me that the Auto-Rifle is the way to go.
I wonder if firing from a closed bolt helps reliably feeding from a mag. Harder for the next round to get jostled out of position.
No thanks. I remember transitioning from the M60 to this 'thing.' It worked but it was fragile and jammed more than an M60. The bi pod would always break; and we learned to never, ever stick a magazine in it. Magazines would turn it into a single shot rifle. Used it in Iraq and Afghanistan, it worked, but it also kept the unit armorer employed.
I see the Pic rail, and have ideas!!! 😂 Like a 3x prism sight.
According to Mr. Tim of MAC… semiauto belt fed guns are great for higher ammo capacity and being collectibles and range toys, but the biggest weakness being the reliability of the semiauto conversions and requiring to be closed bolt operation. For instance, the semiauto M60 can break a firing pin every 50 rounds, and the semiauto PKM cannot reliably function without the goofy bar that’s in the buttstock that’s supposed to increase reliability. And secondly the high cost and limited spare parts. For instance, it’s hard to source the Soviet made non-disintegrating links for the RPD and PKM compared to the more common disintegrating links used by the M249 and within NATO. And yes that the semiauto belt fed guns are certainly expensive around the 10,000 or more bucks range.
This is like buying a 4-cylinder Ferrari.
Shoulder thing that goes up. Lol. I understood that reference.
Wow! Something I carried is now on Forgotten Weapons.
SO BADASS!!!
YEAH,GUN JESUS GOES BRRRR!!!
Despite the ungodly amount of lube and cleaning, the ones I carried in the Army were pretty much single-shot anyway. Especially with blanks...
Looks like that would be a lot of fun with a low powered scope of some sort. Like a x.5 or x2.
I'm watching from the UK. Do they do a manual straight pull version? Lol
Very nice, i wonder if you could get a binary trigger for that.🤔
Most of the SAW's that I dealt with in the 90s in the 82nd Airborne were semi auto. But as the saying goes, one shot one kill I guess.
I saw someone shoot one of these in full auto at a range. When they shot it one round at a time I was amazed at the accuracy shooting from a open bolt.
In the Australian Army, it had a MAG58 (FN MAG) flash suppressor and was regarded as a light support weapon - not a machine gun. Its designation was F89 LSW. We were taught to use three-round bursts as standard. The combination of bipod, three-round bursts and a heavier flash suppressor made it more accurate at 300 metres than the standard infantry rifle - the F-88.
@@tonyrigby7948 That's interesting.
i hated when they got rid of the adjustable gas system. it made maintenance easier, but it was less reliable. the armorer probably didn't mind tho lol
Whenever I got assigned the SAW I was always told never to put a mag in to it because it would turn in to a sandwich.
Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter, Jam.
Thanks Ian!
Hey Ian, could you please detail for me how you collect and reconnect the links for the ammo belts? Do you use a big magnet? Is there a bag you can use to collect both brass and belt on the side of the gun?
we picked the link up by hand when we were done
Get your buddies at Lage to make a belt-fed upper for your MAC...
I was a SAW gunner in Iraq and I hated carrying that god forsaken thing. It was heavy and bulky but the ammo was worse. I had to carry 600 rounds. I used the "nutsack" drum which was a canvas drum of 100 rounds instead of 200. On one of my first missions we were walking in front of the hummers at night. We started taking contact so we ran back to the trucks when my 200 round drum popped off my Saw and spilled all over the street. In a panic I picked it up and kept running. Thats when I discovered the "nutsack" I was just a crazy dumb barely 19 year old kid at the time.
I honestly had no idea it could take AR Mags at all! That’s so cool! Forward thinking for getting out of a pickle
I qualified on the m4 range with this really easy to aim with a cco