Real reason's for the M249

For those of you who do not know the military is thinking of scrapping the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). The logic behind this idea is that the M249SAW, while having a high rate of fire lacks accuracy. There are many reason this raises such a concern; one is with the struggling economy on the home front, why should we keep spending money on poorly used ammo. The M249 SAW an air cooled, open bolt weapon that fires a 200 round 5.56mm belt at a rate of 750-1000 RPM (Rounds Per Minuet). According to the U.S. Infantry Weapons Guide, the single cost of a 5.56 mm round is $0.24, so basic math shows us that a single belt of ammunition costs $48.00 ( 200 x .24). Other factors that go into the unit cost is the transportation from armory to theater, and the special care that goes with handling live ammunition. Even with the amount of marksmanship training, it is a lot easier for the A gunner (Shooter) to just hold down the trigger instead of picking targets. This is an argument that most would like to make regarding whether or not the M249 should remain in service. From what I have previously learned about the M249 SAW is that, it is meant for support fire in a skirmish. What this means is when a squad is out on patrol they have a squad leader, Riflemen (1 who is support for SAW)and an Automatic Riflemen (SAW Gunner). Once enemy contact is established and rounds are being exchanged, it is the SAW gunners responsibility to keep the enemy suppressed , so the rest of the squad can regroup and move to flank the enemy. General James Conway (Commandant of The Marine Corps) expresses my feeling exactly when he bring up " Fire Superiority" in the video posted above. The sound of a belt fed weapon has more of a psychological effect on both the enemy and the squad utilizing the weapon. When you are in a firefight and have rapid fire rounds flying down range towards your squad; it would be hard to stand up and expose yourself to get one round off. On the other hand if you are in a squad, and have a M249 SAW throwing multiple rounds down range, you would be able to spend more time getting in a flanking positing than focusing on getting rounds off down range. Since the M249 SAW was introduced to the United State's Military in 1984, as a replacement to the M60 it has proved its worth on the battlefield. The real question comes down to whether or not we are willing to change the tactics, that have been proven in the Middle East, Somalia and other corners of the globe.