The 'terrifying' weapons of the Vietnamese military shooting team

The first images of the first competition day of the Southeast Asian Military Shooting Tournament - AARM 2017 have just been posted.

Yesterday's competition day featured images of the machine gun competition with the participation of soldiers from the Vietnam military shooting team.

At this year's 27th AARM tournament, we still put our faith in the FN MAG.

Vietnam military shooting team in the machine gun competition with FN MAG

The FN MAG machine gun is designed and manufactured by the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale (FN). According to many military experts, this is the world's top quality weapon in its segment.

The FN MAG weighs 11 - 13 kg (with V-shaped bipod), has an overall length of 1,245 mm with a barrel length of 627 mm. The gun uses 7.62 x 51 mm NATO ammunition.

The FN MAG's rate of fire can be adjusted at 3 levels: Level 1 allows firing at a rate of about 750 rounds/minute; the next 2 levels are about 850 and 950 rounds/minute respectively.

The FN MAG's muzzle velocity is 853 m/s with an effective range of 800 m when using a bipod and up to 1,800 m when standing on a tripod or rotating shaft mounted on motor vehicles.

If equipped with additional scopes, the effective range of the FN MAG will be significantly increased. According to the manufacturer, this parameter can reach 3,725 m.

FN MAG machine gun with tripod

Most of the FN MAG's components are made of high-strength steel. The barrel can be changed very quickly thanks to the bolt release button located on the left side of the body.

The gunner reloads by opening the breech cover, inserting the ammunition belt, closing the cover, and the gun is ready for combat.

The FN MAG uses a gas-operated, air-cooled, open-breech mechanism. The shooter cocks the gun by pulling the right-hand bolt, which locks the bolt to the rear.

In the firing position, the bolt is opened and located at the rear, the firing pin is fixed to the bolt lock. When the trigger is pulled, the bolt slides forward to lock the bullet chamber, at the same time the firing pin also hits the tail of the bullet to detonate.

Thanks to this mechanism, the FN MAG does not need a hammer like traditional closed-cylinder guns.

Loading belt for FN MAG

The gun can adjust the firing mechanism through the trigger brake, the purpose is to provide a steady, accurate rate of fire and bring stable operation.

However, the FN MAG also has a disadvantage that if fired in an open position, it can easily lead to a misfire due to the upper part automatically sliding forward. This happens when the force applied to the breech is enough for it to overcome the trigger guard. The safety lock mode also does not work when the gun occurs.

The gunner adjusts the rate of fire by removing the barrel, removing the cover, and turning the gas regulator to vary the amount of gunpowder released.

The FN MAG has a service life of up to 26,000 rounds before requiring replacement parts, making it a truly superior weapon. At last year's AARM tournament, the Vietnamese machine gun team won a gold medal.

According to Baodatviet