M240 machine gun
| Machine Gun, 7.62 mm, M240 | |
|---|---|
 M240B | |
| Type | General-purpose machine gun |
| Place of origin |
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1977–present[1] |
| Used by | United States Armed Forces[1] |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ernest Vervier |
| Designed | 1950s |
| Manufacturer | FN Manufacturing, LLC |
| Produced | 1977–present[1] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | M240B: 27.1 pounds (12.3 kg) M240G: 25.6 pounds (11.6 kg) M240L: 22.3 pounds (10.1 kg) |
| Length | 49.7 in (1,263 mm) |
| Barrel length | 24.8 in (630 mm) |
| Width | 4.7 in (118.7 mm) |
| Height | 10.4 in (263 mm) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×51mm NATO[2] |
| Action | Gas-operated, open bolt[2] |
| Rate of fire | 750–950 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | |
| Maximum firing range | 4,074 yd (3,725 m) |
| Feed system | Non-disintegrating DM1 or disintegrating M13 linked belt |
| Sights | Folding leaf sight with aperture and notch, front blade |
The M240 machine gun is a type of machine gun. It fires the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. It is gas-operated and the bullets are fed into the chamber by a belt. The M240 has been used by the United States Armed Forces since the late-1970s. It is used a lot by infantry. The M240 is also mounted onto ground vehicles, boats, and helicopters.
M240 Machine Gun Media
M240 coaxial machine gun aboard an M1 Abrams tank
A US Marine inserts an ammunition belt into the feed tray of the M240G
A Marine performs maintenance on a mounted M240 pintle-mounted machine gun on a LAV
An M1 Abrams tank with the tank commander's .50-caliber M2 Browning machine gun on the right side of the tank, and the ammunition loader's M240 on the left side of the tank. A second M240 (barely visible) is mounted coaxially next to the main gun
M240E1 variant on a LAV-25
Marines with a tripod-mounted M240G
An M240B in use by a U.S. Army soldier
U.S. Marine firing an M240B with an AN/PVS-17C
Weight reduced short-barreled M240L, the newest variant in service
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