FN Minimi
| FN Minimi | |
|---|---|
An early M249 version of the Minimi
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| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | Belgium |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1982–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ernest Vervier |
| Designed | Late 1970s |
| Manufacturer |
FN Herstal FNH USA Thales Australia Beretta Bofors Carl Gustav Pindad |
| Produced | 1977–present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Standard model: 6.85 kg (15.1 lb) Minimi Para: 6.56 kg (14.5 lb) Vehicle model: 5.32 kg (11.7 lb) Minimi 7.62: 8.17 kg (18.0 lb) fixed stock Minimi 7.62: 8.4 kg (19 lb) telescopic metal stock |
| Length | Standard model: 1,040 mm (40.9 in) Minimi Para: 914 mm (36.0 in) stock extended / 766 mm (30.2 in) stock collapsed Vehicle model: 793 mm (31.2 in) no buttstock Minimi 7.62: 1,015 mm (40.0 in) fixed stock Minimi 7.62: 1,000 mm (39.4 in) stock extended / 865 mm (34.1 in) stock collapsed |
| Barrel length | Standard model: 465 mm (18.3 in) Minimi Para: 349 mm (13.7 in) Minimi 7.62: 502 mm (19.8 in) |
| Width | 110 mm (4.3 in) Minimi 7.62: 128 mm (5.0 in) |
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| Cartridge | Minimi: 5.56×45mm NATO Maximi: 7.62×51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-actuated, open bolt |
| Rate of fire | 700–1,150 rounds/min Minimi 7.62: 680–800 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | Standard model: 925 m/s (3,035 ft/s) Minimi Para: 866 m/s (2,841.2 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 300–1,000 m sight adjustments |
| Feed system | 200-Round box magazine or 200- and 100-round pouch magazine or 30-round M16-type STANAG magazine |
| Sights | Rear aperture, front post |
The Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun developed by Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Herstal by Ernest Vervier. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more than 75 countries. The weapon is currently manufactured at the FN facility in Herstal and their US subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC.
The Minimi is a machine gun firing from an open bolt. It is an air-cooled weapon, capable of fully automatic fire only. It can be belt fed or fired from a magazine.
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.
The Minimi uses a gas-actuated long-stroke piston system. 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. 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 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. 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 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. Gas escaping the gas cylinder is directed upward, avoiding kicking up dust and debris that would reveal the shooter's position.
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Wikipedia