General
Purpose
Machine
Gun. The British army
nomenclature for the 7.62 mm
FN-MAG machine-gun. Used from 1960s-1990s as the
British army's light support weapon. The GPMG is equivalent to the US
M-60, and like the M-60, has now been superceeded by a 5.56mm calibre weapon (the L86A1).
Calibre; 7.62 x 51mm NATO
Weight empty; 10 kg
Barrel; 546mm, 4 rh grooves
Feed system; Metal link belt, infinite length
Rate of Fire; 850 RPM
Muzzle velocity; 853m/s
The feed mechanism for the FN-MAG (and hence the GPMG) was based on the
German WW2 MG42, and the breech mechanism is esentialy that of the
BAR. The
ammo belts for the GPMG are NATO standard metal-link belts, the type you occasionaly see people wearing as
fashion accessories.