#GPMG

It’s probably the first time we have The Royal Gurkha Rifles featured in Photo Of The Day. Above you can see one, as he fires his L129A1 sharpshooter rifle at a target to zero his rifle during the Live Firing Tactical Training phase of Exercise Vigilant Isles on the 18th of November 2023.

True Velocity, Inc., designers of lightweight composite-cased ammunition, have announced a new partnership with FN America. The partnership will look to test True Velocity’s conversion kit which can chamber the M240 in the proprietary 6.8TVCM composite-cased cartridge with the change of a barrel.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, we’ve seen a number of FN MAG variants appear in use with Ukrainian forces. By far the most common appears to be the US M240 series. However, in recent months we’ve also seen a number of Swedish KSP-58 machine guns appear in imagery from the field.

Today’s Photo Of The Day features the Netherlands Korps Mariniers lead slinging sled! Unveiled a few months ago, the sled has an FN MAG 7.62x51mm general purpose machine gun mounted at its center.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves discusses the history of the M60 machine gun and some of its little-known advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, James reviews reports from the U.S. Army that discuss the effectiveness, range, accuracy, and reliability of the M60. We also look at tests pitting the M60 against its bitter rivals from FN, including the M249 SAW and the M240 or MAG58. While the M60 has been mostly replaced, was this the best idea?

Photo Of The Day and a look at the Royal Marines of 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group. This unit is held at very high-readiness year round, guarding the nuclear deterrent carried onboard the Vanguard-class submarines based at Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. This gives us an excellent opportunity to take another look at the Royal Marines Commandos New Uniform again. Not to mention their Colt Canada C8s and GPMG.

Earlier this year the Canadian government confirmed it would be procuring a further 3,626 C6A1 FLEX General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) from Colt Canada. This large contract is worth CA$96.97 million and was awarded under the Canadian government’s Munitions Supply Program.

A new day, a new Photo. This is TFB’s Photo Of The Day, where we do our best to find great photos to enjoy.

Recent images have emerged of CCTV video cameras mounted to Nigerian Army tactical vehicles operating in the country. At first glance it would almost appear to be an attempt at configuring a remotely operated turret but upon closer inspection, this doesn’t appear to be the case due to the lack of relevant gearboxes and hydraulics necessary to operate the accompanying machine guns. In one example the CCTV camera is bolted to an adjustable mount that is attached to the upper portion of the armored cupula that forms the turret. There appears to be a wire running from the camera itself to the inside of the armored vehicle, either for power or to a screen so vehicle operators can observe the footage of the camera. At present it is unclear how the wire is to be protected while the turret is operated in its 360-degree arc, as spinning the turret around might tangle the wire. The person behind the 7.62x51mm NATO GPMG appears to be a law enforcement officer instead of an actual soldier that would be manning the turret. In another example the CCTV camera is mounted to the roll cage of a light all-terrain tactical vehicle, just below the armored mount behind which a gunner would stand or sit with a machine gun.

The Czech Republic are to purchase over 100 general purpose machine guns from FN Herstal. The Czech Army has agreed a deal to procure FN’s version of the Minimi light machine gun chambered in 7.62x51mm.

Rounding out our coverage of Machinegunapalooza 2017 – by which I mean the numerous machine guns of the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting – we have the IWI Negev (5.56mm) and Negev NG-7 light machine guns. These Israeli belt feds are, among production weapons, some of the best-designed machine guns in existence today, incorporating the operating concept of the PKM into a weapon with light overall weight, exceptionally robust construction, and modern features. Also, unlike the PKM, the Negev is select-fire, with a semiautomatic fire setting in addition to fully automatic.

Very few service machine guns can compare in pure unique points to the Czech 7.62x54mmR UK vz 59 General Purpose Machine Gun, adopted in 1959 as the squad and platoon level belt fed machine gun of the Czech Infantry in the Warsaw Pact at the time. The weapon is still soldiering on today among the Czech and Slovak Infantry, although it is being slowly phased out by the FN Herstal M249 and Mk.48 machine guns.

On the heels of the re-naming of their Stoner LMG as the Lightweight Assault Machine Gun (LAMG), Knight’s Armament company has introduced a scaled-up version of the same weapon in the 7.62x51mm caliber, with provision for other calibers should they be requested. The new machine gun is patterned after the Stoner LMG/LAMG, and features the same short top cover and fixed receiver rail of its smaller cousin. The other components, such as the barrel, feed tray, etc, are all scaled up to fit the larger caliber, resulting in a heavier unloaded weight of approximately 12.5lbs – still far, far lighter than an M240 or other traditional Western 7.62mm belt fed machine guns. According to KAC representatives, the new weapon does not yet have an official name, but “Medium Assault Machine Gun sounds as good as anything.”

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GDOTS) brought their .338 Norma Magnum caliber Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG) to the 2017 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting, giving TFB the chance at a closer look at this much-anticipated long range weapon.

The Russian PKM: Arguably the best general purpose machine gun in the world, it combines a robust reliability with best-in-class light weight. Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons recently released two video overviews of the weapon, giving us a good enough excuse as any to spend some time with the Soviet showstopper: