If a service member is going to be in combat, why not be in combat with an M240? This beast of a weapon will suppress and destroy the enemy at a very high rate of fire.
What’s behind this powerful machine gun? The M240 is a family of medium machine guns that are used by all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Firing 7.62mmx51mm NATO rounds from a disintegrating belt, the M240 series of machine guns has a reputation for stopping power and reliability, according to American Special Ops.
FUNKER530 – Veteran (Community & Combat Footage/Youtube)
The M240 is very versatile and has the ability to be mounted on a GMV, a helicopter, or a boat. It can be carried by ground troops, and it can be mounted on a bipod or tripod.
While taking the time to identify the target, the gunner in the following video gets a really close call. He was shooting from behind the cover of a short wall when the telltale sound of incoming bullets pierced the air right next to him, causing him to duck down and take cover.
Take a look at the close encounter in the video below:
The soldier responded by firing off more rounds on the M240B, and readying more ammo in preparation to unleash hell on the enemy shooters.
The Army started using the M240 in 1977 as an armored vehicle-mounted secondary weapon system.
The M240 is 49 inches in length with a barrel length of 24.7 inches. The rate of fire is 650-950 rpm with a muzzle velocity of 2,970 feet per second. The M240B weighs in at 27.1 lbs., the M240G weighs 25.6 lbs., and the M240L weighs 22.3 lbs.
This M240 machine gun is more powerful than the smaller caliber M-249 SAW and is used by infantry, armor, combat engineer, special force/rangers, and selected field artillery units, according to Military.com.
FUNKER530 – Veteran (Community & Combat Footage/Youtube)
The Army and Marine began commissioning the M240 in the mid-90s and from there the weapon soared in acceptance, although some did not quite like the bulk of the M240 compared to the M60. Revisions were then made to lighten the load by building the titanium M240L.
COL Douglas Tamilio, Project Manager (PM) Soldier Weapons for PEO Soldier said about the M240, “We’ve taken a great gun and made it better. The M240L meets all the standards of the M240B, but in a significantly lighter package. More than ever, we need weapons in the fleet that reduce the burden on our Soldiers who have to operate with heavy loads in extreme terrain.”
Upcoming improvements include the shorter barrel, reducing the gun by four inches and reducing the weight to 21.8 lbs. Other improvements include a collapsible stock and an adjustable bipod.
