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HomeMachine GunsLight MGs

Light MGs

Light MGs

Vektor Mini-SS: South Africa’s Answer to the FN Minimi

December 9, 2022 Ian McCollum 37

While under international embargo and at war in the late 1970s, South Africa needed a new 7.62mm GPMG. The answer was Vektor’s SS77, a design which would replace the FN MAG in South African service […]

Light MGs

USMC Johnson LMG at the Range

October 25, 2022 Ian McCollum 11

The Johnson LMG was adopted by the US Marine Corps for specialist units like Paramarines and Raiders, and saw use in some of the fiercest island campaign of the Pacific (in addition to use in […]

Accessories

Forgotten Web Gear: Johnson LMG Magazine Backpack

October 24, 2022 Ian McCollum 8

While the Johnson LMG was issued in limited quantities throughout World War Two, notably to Marine Raiders, Paramarines, and the 1st Special Service Force, the US never issued web gear made for its uniquely-sized magazines. […]

Light MGs

Colt Model 621: An Attempt at an AR-Style Export SAW

October 20, 2022 Ian McCollum 50

During the 1970s and 1980s, Colt wanted to sell not just standard M16 rifle and CAR-15 carbines to foreign military customers, but also wanted to supply support weapons. They put together the Model 621, aka […]

Light MGs

The Czech Unicorn LMG: A Squad Support CZ-2000

August 27, 2022 Ian McCollum 17

The CZ-2000 project in the Czech Republic (derived from the Lada developed in the late years of Czechoslovakia) envisioned a full suite of infantry arms, much like the AK as used by other countries. There […]

Light MGs

Mendoza 1934: Mexico’s Domestic LMG

August 15, 2022 Ian McCollum 25

Rafael Mendoza was Mexico’s premier domestic arms designer, and the Model 1934 LMG is probably his most successful design. He began work on it in 1929, and it entered testing with the Mexican Army in […]

Light MGs

An Israeli LMG, Part II: The 8mm Dror

June 8, 2022 Ian McCollum 61

Today we continue the story of the Dror. Shortly after production of the .303 pattern guns began, the directive came down that the gun was to be redesigned for 8mm Mauser ammunition. Israeli supplies of […]

Light MGs

An Israeli LMG, Part I: The .303 Dror

June 6, 2022 Ian McCollum 36

The story of the Dror is a fascinating tale of clandestine arms procurement by the fledgling Israeli state. Plans covertly purchased from Johnson Automatics, redesigned to use .303 British ammunition, with a production line produced […]

Light MGs

The Finnish RPK: Valmet 78 at the Range

May 5, 2022 Ian McCollum 14

Valmet designed the M78 hoping to sell it to the Finnish military as an equivalent to the RPK, but it was not adopted. Instead, they were old a semiautos on the commercial market. Because this […]

Light MGs

FN-DA1: The BAR for NATO

April 13, 2022 Ian McCollum 28

After World War Two, FN put the BAR back into production. This was initially the FN-D version with a quick-change barrel, but with NATO’s adoption of the 7.62mm cartridge, there was a demand for the […]

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