Dual wielding M249s

**hapkido_keith** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 12:38pm

Does the army even have a 7.62 LMG in active use anymore?

**Devil** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 12:49pm

Originally Posted by hapkido_keith

Does the army even have a 7.62 LMG in active use anymore?

I can't say for sure about the Army, but the Marine Corps replaced the M60 with the M240G, which is also 7.62. I'm guessing the Army uses it, too. It is a HEAVY son of a bitch. It was originally designed to be vehicle mounted, but jarheads ended up having to hump that fucker. Typical.

**CannibalCrowley** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 1:15pm

Originally Posted by devil

I can't say for sure about the Army, but the Marine Corps replaced the M60 with the M240G, which is also 7.62. I'm guessing the Army uses it, too. It is a HEAVY son of a bitch. It was originally designed to be vehicle mounted, but jarheads ended up having to hump that fucker. Typical.

The 240 didn't replace the 60 as a squad weapon, the 249 did. As a medium machine gun the 240 is a crew served weapon. As such it's in Weapons Platoon along with the SMAW and 60mm mortars. Yeah it still gets humped around; but so do the SMAWs and 60s.

EDIT: This is about the Marine Corps, I have no idea what the Army does. I do know that some of their units still use the M60 though.

**Devil** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 1:25pm

Originally Posted by CannibalCrowley

The 240 didn't replace the 60, the 249 did. As a medium machine gun the 240 is a crew served weapon. As such it's in Weapons Platoon along with the SMAW and 60mm mortars. Yeah it still gets humped around; but so do the SMAWs and 60s.

Yeah, I guess you're right. The SAW was being used when I went in, so I never saw the M60 being used by a rifle platoon. Our Weapons Platoons were using the M60, then switched to the 240G later. That's why I thought of the 240 as being the replacement to the M60.

Sure, they hump all those weapons. I just find it humorous that men are routinely required to carry weapons that are intended to be vehicle mounted.

**Devil** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 1:46pm

By the way, Cannibal - what unit are/were you with? B 1/8 here.

***DerAuslander*** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 1:50pm

I'm gonna have to show this to one of my team mates. He was a SAW gunner.

**Ktulu** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 2:21pm

I've been told that some braches of SF still use the 60. This comes from dudes that train them and is at least second hand... so... grain of salt.

**VikingPower** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 2:47pm

Most likely because SF weapons sergeants learn how to shoot anything with a trigger, from the most mundane to the most high-tech.

That video was awesome, made my day.

As for the interchangable magazine bit, yeah the M249 does have a place where you can slap in one of your 16 mags if you run out of ammo with the drum. The shitty part is, it tends to jam a lot easier using a mag than a drum though. The 240 can be pretty heavy after a while, if I remember right it weighs somewhere around 27 pounds. Definitely better to hump one of those fuckers around though compared to a Mark 19. The gun alone weighs 168 or so, add in the ammo and the tripod and you have a group of very unhappy Marines.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 3:16pm

Maybe they are supposed to be unhappy from humping heavy machineguns around so that when they do get to fire it they are nice and pissed off?

**CannibalCrowley** · Posted On: 9/12/2006 3:27pm

Originally Posted by devil

By the way, Cannibal - what unit are/were you with? B 1/8 here.

2/3 Echo Co, Wpns Plt

Originally Posted by Ktulu

I've been told that some braches of SF still use the 60. This comes from dudes that train them and is at least second hand... so... grain of salt.

I wouldn't doubt it. Some normal Army units still have the M60 (at least they did a few years ago). We were assigned to agress a pogue Army unit and we had to use their weapons. Part of that group was one M60. Thankfully one of our machine gunners actually had a decent knowledge of the weapon.

Originally Posted by Viking Power

Definitely better to hump one of those fuckers around though compared to a Mark 19. The gun alone weighs 168 or so, add in the ammo and the tripod and you have a group of very unhappy Marines.

Actually I think the Mk19 is around 80 pounds or so. Still not light; but humpable (especially if the person doesn't have a pack or is cheating and using a cart).