FN MAG
| FN MAG | |
|---|---|
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|
| general information | |
| Civil name: | FN MAG |
| Military designation: | FN MAG, MAG 58 |
| Country of operation: | Luxembourg , Belgium , Austria , United Kingdom , Sweden , Israel , USA (among others) |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Ernest Vervier, Fabrique Nationale (FN) |
| Manufacturer country: | FN-Waffenwerke in Herstal (Belgium) |
| Production time: | since 1955 |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1260 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 10.15 kg |
| Barrel length : | 545 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.62 × 51 mm NATO |
| Ammunition supply : | Ammunition belt |
| Fire types: | Fully automatic |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | Right |
| Visor : | Open sights |
| Closure : | Support bolt lock |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
The FN MAG ( French : Mitrailleuse d'Appui Général , universal machine gun , or Mitrailleuse à gaz , gas-operated MG ) is a universal machine gun made by the Belgian manufacturer Fabrique Nationale Herstal (FN). It can be used with a bipod as a light, on a tripod as a heavy or permanently installed in vehicles or helicopters as an on-board machine gun.
Emergence
The manufacture of automatic firearms at FN goes back to around 1900, when the Belgian company won a renowned weapon designer in John Moses Browning . Among other things, FN manufactured weapons of the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) type under license between the World Wars . With this experience, the development of a new machine gun began in the 1950s, which culminated in the FN MAG in 1958.
technology
The closure is similar to that of the BAR. The locking system has been modified so that the ammunition is not fed through rod magazines . Instead, conventional cartridge belts are used for the NATO cartridge, including American M13 type disintegration belts. The design engineers used the MG 42 as an example for the belt feed .
The MAG is a gas pressure charger with a rigid support bolt lock. A regulator below the barrel allows the gas pressure to be graded. As the degree of contamination of the system increases, the pressure that is to act on the gas piston can be increased. As is usual with weapons to which ammunition is fed through cartridge belts, the barrel of the machine gun can be changed within seconds. The riveted system case made of embossed steel is characteristic of the external shape of the weapon.
commitment
The MAG became the Belgian Army's standard machine gun in 1959 . The British Army was the first foreign armed force to incorporate the MG in its equipment, and later also the Israeli army and the US Army . In total, the weapon was delivered or manufactured under license in more than 70 countries. The MAG proved to be an extremely robust and reliable weapon. A disadvantage, however, is its relatively high mass (for a rifle weapon). In this role, it is replaced by lighter models such as the FN Minimi , but is still often found as a secondary weapon on armored vehicles.
Variants and license replicas
- M 60-20: Infantry version with wooden shaft
- M 60-30: MG for aircraft
- M 60-40: coaxial turret machine gun for armored vehicles
- United Kingdom: L7A1 / L7A2 GPMG (Gimpy)
- Sweden: Ksp 58 ( Kulspruta m / 58 ), initially in the Swedish caliber 6.5 × 55 mm
- Taiwan: CSF type 74
- USA: M240
- Canada: C6 GPMG
literature
- Günter Wollert, Reiner Lidschun, Wilfried Copenhagen : small arms . (1945-1985). In: Illustrated encyclopedia of rifles from around the world . 5th edition. tape 1 + 2 . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-89488-057-0 , weapons, p. 113-115 .
Web links
- www.nazarian.no: FN MAG (English)