FN MAG: Best of the Western GPMGs

It's interesting how both NATO and Soviet 'gold standard' GPMGs are both upside down actions of some older gun.

This made me remember a story a veteran once told me. They were doing shooting exercises and the MAG-gunner had a pretty good triggerfinger. He managed to fire just a single round every time. The instructor walked up to him saying "I think I told you to fire that thing in short bursts". The soldier replied "Sir, I'm honestly trying but I can't get them shorter than this". Giggles throughout the platoon in training. 😆

Carrying that thing around sucks, but all is forgiven once you press play. And when the adrenaline starts pumping it turns light as a feather.

“Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it.” - Boris The Blade

Quote from a British veteran of Afghanistan: "It doesn't take many contacts to become a born-again fan of big, f*ck-off machine guns"

To paraphrase a Canadian soldier I was talking to once "Everybody loves the firepower of the C6, nobody wants to be the one carrying it or its ammo though". A different soldier soldier said something along the lines of "20 years in the Army and I have only had it jam twice on me and one of those wasn't actually a jam, it was a runaway belt."

Funny how both the MAG and the PK are both basically earlier proven designs flipped upside down and switched to belt-fed

It blew my mind at 13:12 when you showed how similar the BAR bolt is to the MAG. It's fantastic that you often have the opportunity to show us parts from other guns to demostrate your point like that. Thanks for another great video, Ian.

Carried this in the 1st Gulf War, excellent weapon and frankly not that heavy once you were used to it. The reliability and firepower was exceptional. Glad its getting all the love it deserves!

I remember part of the toolkit that was issued with it was a device we called a "sputnik"by squadies, it's official name of it ws "foresight adjusting, extractor removing tool", Its funny the things you remember from more than 30 years ago.

Fired these many times in British Infantry. In the Falklands we set up a mock ambush with 6 .50 cals on one side of a valley and a dozen GPMG's on the adjacent side. From my position on the .50 cals after our ammo ran out we sat back, lit a cigarette and watched streams of tracers flutter across the valley. In the darkness of night It was like Star Wars.

It's truly amazing to see how even after his passing, John Moses Browning continues to be among, if not the, premier firearms designer in Western militaries and civilian markets. Everything from the Colt 1911, to the BAR, to the M1919, M2HB, and the M240... It's astonishing how one man has changed and basically created modern Western weaponry, to the point that many of his designs, ideas, or basic mechanical concepts are still used today, 100+ years after his beginning, and decades after his death. Truly an astonishing feat of engineering.

In the mid 90’s we trained some support squads and lo and behold the old 6.5 mm barrels where still around. Not only that: the amount of old 6.5 ammo was practically limitless and those conscripts must have fired more than anyone else I’ve trained. To the point they where so trained with belting ammunition that they practically could do it in their sleep. Good times.

Love this gun, as a kid we called these "Brens" (as in the british Bren machine gun) and fond memories of shouting at and complimenting soldiers on top of armored vehicle convoys that frequently passes the main road. Even "playfully" pointed it at us, which thinking about it now was very dangerous and unwise but who cares haha

Known as the Jimpey (Gimpey gpmg) in British service this is my favourite mg. A beautifully simple weapon and excellent on a tripod for long range sustained fire (sf) with a sight. Not light at 23lbs but tough as old boots. I field stripped it in my mind alongside you Ian.

The fun is that by som reason there is always volunteers to lug it around as long as they will be able to shoot it. I think the only time I heard of a senior officer pull rank where when we had a improvised squad with reserve officers and NCO's (helping with training) The officer wanted the FN-MAG.... in the end the NCO with lowest rank ended up as squad leader. (probably the one most able to have that role)

Carried it for a tour in Northern Ireland County Fermanagh, 6 months across the bogs, not the easiest to carry around when going over barbed wire fences but still loved it , especially when the tracers ricochet.

On South africa we trained on the old bren but sent to Namibia and Southern Angola with the Mag...Loved that chatter on our section left flank as we waded into Ongiva on Ops Protea with 7 SAI

I carried the KSP58 (swedish version) and I remember one time I closed the top cover and gave it a little tap for good measure when the circlip holding the feeding mechanism in place popped out and fell in to the tall grass... Another time the rod inside the recoil spring broke on two of our guns on the same day. That rod was not in the spare parts kit and the guns were useless without them. Sucked to carry, all forgotten when shooting 😁

As a Tanker in US Army struggling with both M73 and M85, we were grateful for the M240..