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Posted: 8/25/2025 2:15:21 AM EDT
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Pretty cool. I did a similar thing with one of my M249's - though I stopped short of the top cover; wasn't sure I cared enough to try to get one or mess with swapping it especially since it couldn't ever be a 1:1 because of the magazine feed system that is part of the gun itself. Picked up the other Minimi parts though: I also got pretty much all the other M249 parts you could get (SAVIT stock not pictured, but I have one):  Stock FN M249S:  My other one - technically a MK46 Mod2 - this one could arguably get closer to the original Minimi because it doesn't have the mag feed system:  |
https://www.ArizonaShooting.org
| Very cool OP! That is exactly how the SAW I carried as a USMC 0311 in the early 1990s was setup. Only thing that I don’t remember was the early hand guard - I think ours already had the later style. But we did have the tulip flash hider, fixed handle on the barrel and the original stock. The plastic stock and heat shield for the barrel arrived some time later and I remember the old tulip flash hider barrels did not have the extended pins that the front of the heat shield hooked onto - so it was kind of a crappy fit. That heat shield for the barrel always struck me as stupid since the original plastic hand guards on the SAW do a pretty good job of protecting your hands. Brings back memories! |
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Originally Posted By SemperGumbi: Very cool OP! That is exactly how the SAW I carried as a USMC 0311 in the early 1990s was setup. Only thing that I don’t remember was the early hand guard - I think ours already had the later style. But we did have the tulip flash hider, fixed handle on the barrel and the original stock. The plastic stock and heat shield for the barrel arrived some time later and I remember the old tulip flash hider barrels did not have the extended pins that the front of the heat shield hooked onto - so it was kind of a crappy fit. That heat shield for the barrel always struck me as stupid since the original plastic hand guards on the SAW do a pretty good job of protecting your hands. Brings back memories! A lot of guys in the early 90s hated the SAW but I loved it. If it wasn't beat to shit you could deliver some serious hate with that thing, considering how lightweight it was compared to the more general purpose machine guns. |
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Originally Posted By Elvis121: A lot of guys in the early 90s hated the SAW but I loved it. If it wasn't beat to shit you could deliver some serious hate with that thing, considering how lightweight it was compared to the more general purpose machine guns. Funny story - when I went to join the Marines I told the recruiter I wanted to be a machine gunner because I wanted to carry and shoot the SAW. He must have been a grunt because he told me that it was the regular 0311s who carried the SAW so that is what I did. When I got in and trained with and carried them I realized that they are OK but certainly not the incredible weapon that I had read about prior to joining up. Every one I got to use was clapped out and required work and luck just to keep running. The most reliable gun I ran into in the service was the M16A2. That was back in the era when it was all the rage to bash the M16 too! I realized later that almost all of the books on modern military weapons that I loved as a teenager came from England and they really don’t know shit about small arms! Every one of those books parroted the same shit about how the M16 series of rifles were unreliable and required kid gloves etc. while the super modern L85 was more accurate, more reliable blah blah blah. Turns out it was all wrong LOL! |
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Originally Posted By jtb33: Pretty cool. I did a similar thing with one of my M249's - though I stopped short of the top cover; wasn't sure I cared enough to try to get one or mess with swapping it especially since it couldn't ever be a 1:1 because of the magazine feed system that is part of the gun itself. Picked up the other Minimi parts though: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54486795956_f56674f33b_b.jpg I also got pretty much all the other M249 parts you could get (SAVIT stock not pictured, but I have one): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51797145623_32c1238a74_b.jpg Stock FN M249S: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51944874887_d463caa50a_b.jpg My other one - technically a MK46 Mod2 - this one could arguably get closer to the original Minimi because it doesn't have the mag feed system: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51839384308_9b2ec66eb9_b.jpg Very nice of both of you gentlemen to share those pics. Very nice gats. Didn't the Minimi originally from FN have the STANAG magwell? OP, you now need a Humvee w/ turret. 
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I sell firearms produced by the finest child labor in the world, be it Filipino, Muslim, Mormon, Arizonan, or Texan.
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Originally Posted By backbencher: Didn't the Minimi originally from FN have the STANAG magwell? |
https://www.ArizonaShooting.org
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Originally Posted By jtb33: The FN Minimi entered production in the late 70's. The mag feed feature wasn't added until the 80's when the US military adopted the M249 (it was one of their requirements). Originally Posted By jtb33: Originally Posted By backbencher: Didn't the Minimi originally from FN have the STANAG magwell? The FN Minimi entered production in the late 70's. The mag feed feature wasn't added until the 80's when the US military adopted the M249 (it was one of their requirements). Looks like FN applied for the patent on the magwell in 1977. |
I sell firearms produced by the finest child labor in the world, be it Filipino, Muslim, Mormon, Arizonan, or Texan.
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Originally Posted By backbencher: Looks like FN applied for the patent on the magwell in 1977. |
https://www.ArizonaShooting.org
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Originally Posted By jtb33: That aligns with the US Army requests. Normally, not a place I'd reference, but the wikipedia article for the M249 seems to have a pretty good timeline for the Minimi and M249: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M249_Squad_Automatic_Weapon Originally Posted By jtb33: Originally Posted By backbencher: Looks like FN applied for the patent on the magwell in 1977. That aligns with the US Army requests. Normally, not a place I'd reference, but the wikipedia article for the M249 seems to have a pretty good timeline for the Minimi and M249: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M249_Squad_Automatic_Weapon While Wikipedia has skewed left in recent years, there's a whole lot of technical data on there that is properly referenced. Where do you think I got the link to the 1977 patent? |
I sell firearms produced by the finest child labor in the world, be it Filipino, Muslim, Mormon, Arizonan, or Texan.
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Early 80's SAW gunner here. Great post, and super cool. I remember one of the issues we had was with the barrel latch... the sling would snag on it, and when you grabbed the carry handle during IMT, the barrel would come out, and the gun would stay behind. I don't remember exactly what the barrel latch looked like, but I think it's higher profile than the current setup. |
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I never experienced any firearm more uncomfortable to carry than this thing, to include the M60. Parts sticking out in all directions, carry handle being the worst! Crazy high rate of fire, loud green box to the belt. Idk, I never liked it. But well done, great job putting that together, looks pretty damn cool, and lots of memories. |
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Man, this is a cool thread! I first got to the FMF the old saw was on the way out. I was a 0331, so I spent more time with M60E3, but I remember the old SAW. One thing I remember was the tombstones changing from green to black and the nut sacks were frog pattern. And I agree with the poster above, the 60 was heavy, but the saw had no comfortable way to hump it! It was fun to shoot though! The high rate of fire was scarry as hell when fired from inside a building, it was horrific! OP, where do you find your parts? I am looking for old handguard for my 2nd 249s. I'm going to set it up as a Minimi Para Attached File |
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Originally Posted By Elcunning: Man, this is a cool thread! I first got to the FMF the old saw was on the way out. I was a 0331, so I spent more time with M60E3, but I remember the old SAW. One thing I remember was the tombstones changing from green to black and the nut sacks were frog pattern. And I agree with the poster above, the 60 was heavy, but the saw had no comfortable way to hump it! It was fun to shoot though! The high rate of fire was scarry as hell when fired from inside a building, it was horrific! OP, where do you find your parts? I am looking for old handguard for my 2nd 249s. I'm going to set it up as a Minimi Para https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/209044/1000008305_jpg-3723734.JPG I just accumulated them from here and there over time. Some came from Europe and some from the US. All came from individuals. |
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