The Minimi Para with a telescopic sight, spare barrel and ammunition pouches. Gas escaping the gas cylinder is directed upward, avoiding kicking up dust and debris that would reveal the shooter's position. The Minimi fires from an open bolt, which reduces the danger of a round cooking off after extended periods of continuous fire, since a cartridge is only momentarily introduced into the chamber prior to ignition, and the movement of the bolt and bolt carrier forces air through the chamber and barrel after each shot, ventilating the barrel and removing heat. This sequence provides a slight delay that ensures chamber pressure has dropped to a safe level by the time a cam in the bolt carrier rotates and unlocks the bolt, increasing extraction reliability as the empty cartridge casing has had the time to cool down and contract, exerting less friction against the chamber walls. The piston rod acts against the bolt carrier, which begins its rearward motion guided on two rails welded to the receiver walls, while the bolt itself remains locked. Upon firing, the piston is forced to the rear by expanding propellant gases bled through a port in the barrel near the muzzle end. The barrel is locked with a rotary bolt, equipped with two massive locking lugs, forced into battery by a helical camming guide in the bolt carrier. The Minimi uses a gas-actuated long-stroke piston system. The Minimi is configured in several variants: the Standard model as a platoon or squad support weapon, the Para version for paratroopers and the Vehicle model as secondary armament for fighting vehicles.ĭiagram of long-stroke gas operation system It can be belt fed or fired from a magazine. It is an air-cooled weapon that is capable of fully automatic fire only. The Minimi is a squad automatic weapon that fires from an open bolt. The weapon is currently manufactured at the FN facility in Herstal and their U.S. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more than 75 countries. The FN Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse 'mini machine gun') is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun developed by Ernest Vervier for FN Herstal. Minimi 7.62: 1,000 mm (39.4 in) stock extended / 865 mm (34.1 in) stock collapsed ġ00 or 200-round belt contained in a 100-round or 200-round soft pouch, or 200-round box or 30-round M16-type STANAG magazine Vehicle model: 793 mm (31.2 in) no buttstock

Minimi Para: 914 mm (36.0 in) stock extended / 766 mm (30.2 in) stock collapsed Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.Communist rebellion in the Philippines.The FN Minimi/M249 SAW light machine gun.

Stick ranger gunner