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This article is a Bronze Article

The M249 SAW is the US produced version of the Belgian-made FN Minimi. The M249 uses the 5.56x45mm NATO round, often fed via a belt or a mounted magazine, yet can also accept standard STANAG magazines through a slot on the left of the weapon. It has a selective fire ability that allows it to shoot 750 to 1000 rounds per minute, it can easily match a heavier machine gun at range.


Battlefield 2[]

"The Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is the basis for an infantry squad. Its high rate of fire affects accuracy. For best results the M249 should be fired from a prone position in controlled bursts."

— In game description.

The M249 SAW is a weapon featured in Battlefield 2 and is the first weapon unlocked in the Support kit for the United States Marine Corps. The M249 also appears as a turret, called M249 LMG, that will spawn near certain control points that are held by the USMC and the EU, although without usable iron sights and infinite ammo. It is also mounted on the DPV and RIB.

In the Special Forces expansion pack, it is also used by the Navy SEALs (both handheld and stationary), while only the stationary version is also used by the British SAS. Additionally, it is mounted on the AIL Raider.

When compared to its MEC counterpart the RPK-74, the M249 has superior spread values, but does marginally less damage; when compared to the QBB-95, the M249 has superior spread and identical damage.

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3D modeling[]

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat[]

The M249 SAW is a weapon featured in Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, issued to the EU and USMC Support Kit. It has decent range and power but cannot be aimed down to sights, just like the Type 88 LMG or PKM, and is therefore relatively ineffective at range.

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Battlefield: Bad Company[]

"The standard US army light machine gun. Originally designed in Belgium, the rifle has a reputation of being extremely reliable and is widely used across the world as part of many armed forces. "

— In game description.

The M249 is a weapon featured in Battlefield: Bad Company.

Singleplayer[]

The M249 can be found on a few single player levels, such as Acta Non Verba, in a house off the right side when the player must escort the convoy of M1A2 Abrams MBT's. It comes with five HG-2 grenades, and a capacity of 150 rounds (with 300 in reserve). It is always in the hands of Terrence Sweetwater.

Multiplayer[]

The M249 SAW is the default US Army light machine gun issued to the Support Kit. Like the other LMGs, it has 150 rounds per belt with 300 rounds in reserve. Its Russian counterpart is the PKM medium machine gun, while its MEC counterpart is the QJY-88. It has a high rate of fire and average damage, with mediocre accuracy.

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Battlefield Heroes[]

For the regular variants of these guns, see Vickers#Battlefield Heroes.

In Battlefield Heroes, there are three machine guns that are based on the M249 SAW, being the M249, Tier 1 Elite M249 and Scoped Arctic M249.

M249[]

"Sound and fury all in one fierce package!"

— In-Game Description

The M249 is a weapon featured in Battlefield Heroes, released with the Battlefield Heroes Gets Bad Company update. It is available to the Gunner class of the Royal Army. It is the counterpart of the National Army PKM. A stolen variant of the M249 is also available to the National Army. The M249 is statistically identical to the Bernie's Super Bone Chewer.

Golden M249[]

"Super shiny M249 to show off to your friends!"

— In-Game Description

The Golden M249 is a golden weapon variant featured in Battlefield Heroes, released with the Football Fiesta 2010 update. It is available to the Gunner class of the Royal Army. It is the counterpart of the National Army Golden PKM. To obtain the Golden M249, a player must have purchased a face paint of the championship football team (Spain) from a promotional event during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A stolen variant of the Golden M249 is also available to the National Army, released for the Football Fiesta 2014 update.


Tier 1 Elite M249[]

"An Elite MG best suited to close range encounters."

— In-Game Description

The Tier 1 Elite M249 is a weapon featured in Battlefield Heroes, released with the Medal of Honor 2010 update. It is available to the Gunner class of the Royal Army. It is the counterpart of the National Army Specialist's Tier 1 PKM. The Tier 1 Elite M249 is statistically identical to The Super Cheeser.


Scoped Arctic M249[]

"This super mid-ranged MG not only has a unique arctic camo look, but also comes equipped with a functional scope that lets you zoom in to take out the enemy!"

— In-Game Description

The Scoped Arctic M249 is a weapon featured in Battlefield Heroes, released with the Christmas 2010 update. It is available to the Gunner class of the Royal Army. It is the counterpart of the National Army Scoped Arctic PKM. The Scoped Arctic M249 is statistically identical to the Maxwell's Super Machinegun, barring the addition of a usable scope.


Cost[]

Weapon 1 day 3 days 7 days 14 days 30 days Forever
M249 999P4F Funds BFH - - 1,689P4F Funds BFH
250Battlefunds (Former)
420Battlefunds (Former)
2,249P4F Funds BFH
560Battlefunds (Former)
335Battlefunds (Former)
1,120Battlefunds (Former)
670Battlefunds (Former)
Stolen M249 999P4F Funds BFH 599P4F Funds BFH
140Battlefunds (Former)
85Battlefunds (Former)
- - 2,509P4F Funds BFH
625Battlefunds (Former)
375Battlefunds (Former)
5,019P4F Funds BFH
1,250Battlefunds (Former)
750Battlefunds (Former)
Golden M249 2010 FIFA World Cup reward
Stolen Golden M249 2014 FIFA World Cup reward
Tier 1 Elite M249 1,119P4F Funds BFH
999P4F Funds BFH
- - - 2,409P4F Funds BFH 7,199P4F Funds BFH
Scoped Arctic M249 999P4F Funds BFH - - - 2,409P4F Funds BFH
600Battlefunds (Former)
4,899P4F Funds BFH
1,200Battlefunds (Former)

Battlefield: Bad Company 2[]

"This Belgium made LMG is very reliable and easy to operate. Its high cyclic rate provides exceptional rounds on target. In the US Armed Forces it is known as the M249 and is their standard issue squad automatic weapon."

— In-game description

The M249 SAW is a weapon featured in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and only appears in multiplayer. It is the second light machine gun issued to the Medic kit requiring 1100 points to unlock. It has a high rate of fire, modest recoil, and a large magazine size.

Its high rate of fire makes it much more effective than other LMGs at close range, however it also works well at longer ranges when tap firing especially with 4x Scope. Overall, the M249 SAW is a very effective weapon in the hands of a player who knows how to control the high rate of fire and to maintain accurate fire with tap firing technique.

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Battlefield: Bad Company 2 iOS[]

The M249 is a weapon in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 iOS.

Battlefield Play4Free[]

"The Belgium made LMG is very reliable and easy to operate. Its high cyclic rate provides exceptional round on target. In the US Armed Forces it is known as the M249 and is their standard issue squad automatic weapon."

— In-game Description

The M249 SAW is a purchasable elite weapon featured in Battlefield Play4Free for the Medic Kit. It features a 80-round magazine, low recoil, and a decent fire rate for the amount of damage it puts out. When the weapon was first released, it was said to fire the 7.62x51mm round, as well as having a recoil reducing muzzle brake, giving reason for its high damage and low recoil.

The weapon itself performs very well in combat. It can easily keep its sights on a target with minimal adjustment, but it will start to become inaccurate after many rounds have been fired. This means the user should try to fire in medium length bursts of 5-10 rounds per burst to stay accurate.

In close quarters, the weapon's high fire rate and damage will trump even some submachine guns, although its spread is very high, making best for medium ranges and suppressing fire. Although considered an Elite weapon, the M249 SAW - like the UMP45 - features an all-black paint scheme, compared to the usual tan and black paint scheme of the other Elite weapons. Since Dec 1st, 2011 update, M249 SAW features black paint scheme, with a special desert camo skin available through "Desert supply drop" only.

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Battlefield 3[]

"An adapted version of the Belgian original, the M249 was modified to conform to the United States design requirements. The M249 has seen action in every major conflict since the 1989 invasion of Panama and has earned a reputation as a reliable weapon. A single M249 can supply suppressive fire equivalent to 15 riflemen. The M249 comes equipped by default with a Bipod for supported shooting."

— Battlelog description

The M249 is a weapon featured in Battlefield 3.

Singleplayer[]

The M249 is used by some US Marines and is usable in Operation Swordbreaker and sports a Bipod, an ACOG Scope and an Extended Magazine. It can kill in two to three shots.

Co-Op[]

The M249 is Player 2's default primary weapon in the missions Operation Exodus and Exfiltration.

In the former, it comes with a Holographic Sight and Bipod. It can also be picked up by Player 1 in supply drops around the level. In the latter, it comes with a 4x IRNV sight and Foregrip.

Multiplayer[]

The M249 is issued to the Support kit as the first light machine gun unlocked after the default faction light machine guns, at 11,000 Support points, and is the second unlock for the Support kit. Like other machine guns, the M249 comes equipped with a bipod.

Comparatively speaking, the M249 is arguably one of the most versatile machine guns though it has its faults. The standard damage profile of the M249; mainly because of the 5.56x45mm NATO used mainly on ARs, makes recoil surprisingly little allowing for accurate full-auto fire with the expense of high spread. Furthermore, the fire rate means enemies are dropped quickly despite the relative damage handicap of the M249 by comparison to some other machine guns.

The weapon's high fire rate makes it a good weapon for experienced players and being the second unlock for the support kit makes it an excellent gun for beginners. Unfortunately due to the high RPM output, the M249 suffers from one of the worst spreads when firing, as well as making it empty its magazine faster, although this can be remedied with the use of the Extended Magazine attachment. 

For attachments pictures, see M249/Attachments.

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Battlefield 3: Aftershock[]

The M249 is one of the four selectable primary weapons in Battlefield 3: Aftershock. Unlike the other three, the M249 can only be unlocked when the player watches a trailer for the movie Act of Valor from an advertisement in the game. However, due to a bug, the M249 will not appear on the weapon selection screen, no matter how many times the player watches the trailer over and over again.


Battlefield 4[]

BF1 Puzzle Piece This section is a stub. It is short and in need of fortification. Why not improve this section?

 

The M249 is a weapon featured in Battlefield 4 and was first seen in the Fishing in Baku trailer.

Singleplayer[]

The M249 is a collectible found in Tashgar in the park between the broken cars and trees to the left of the entrance. It is equipped with an M145 along with a Flash Light, Heavy Barrel and Bipod. It sports an Atomic Desert finish. It is unlocked for multiplayer upon the completion of the Final Duty assignment.

Multiplayer[]

The M249 functions very much like it did in Battlefield 3. Firerate remains the same at 800 RPM, remaining a controllable weapon despite the high rate of fire, and the iron sights are easy to use. It uses 200-round box magazines as default. The M249 unlocks the US attachments first, and Russian and Chinese unlocks must be acquired through Battlepacks.

As opposed to the version in Battlefield 3, the M249 in Battlefield 4 has an as-issued dark steel color instead of the common green camo several weapons had in the previous game.

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Battlefield Hardline[]

BF1 Puzzle Piece This section is a stub. It is short and in need of fortification. Why not improve this section?

The M249 is a vehicle weapon featured in Battlefield Hardline. It is the gunner's primary weapon on Counter Attack Trucks, and is used by the rear gunner the Armored SUV and Intervention SUV.

It was originally a portable weapon as well during Beta, but was removed after light-machine guns were moved from the Enforcer kit to Battle Pickups.

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Battlefield 2042[]

Two versions of the M249 SAW are featured in Battlefield Portal as part of the Season 2: Master of Arms update.

"The Squad Automatic Weapon is a belt-fed suppressive fire, light machine gun. It chambers the NATO 5.56 round with a 200 round capacity."

— In-game description

Gallery[]

Bad Company 2[]

Battlefield 3[]


Trivia[]

Battlefield Play4Free[]

  • The Holosight M249 and FN Minimi Para were originally separate variations of the default M249, different firing rates, values, and attachments. They were later removed from the game though the M249 gained the option to equip a holographic sight.

Battlefield 3[]

  • The M249 Proficiency Dog Tag shows the FN Minimi/M249 Para used in Battlefield Bad Company, Battlefield Bad Company 2, and Battlefield Play4Free.
  • In the Battlelog Alpha it was referred to as the "MP60".

Battlefield 4[]

  • There is a bug where players cannot unlock the M249, even if they complete the requirements.

Battlefield Hardline[]

  • After LMGs were removed from the Enforcer kit and turned into Battle Pickups, the M249 remained as a pickup up to Hardline's Open Beta, when it was removed as an infantry weapon. This was probably due to it being less useful than the M240B, which does more damage, and being too similar to the MG36.
  • The SCAR-H License patch shows the M249 SAW instead of the SCAR-H.

External links[]

References[]

  1. Bad Company 2 | DenKirson on Xanga - retrieved March 11, 2010
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