The M249 SAW is the smallest of all machine guns and uses 5.56mm ammunition.

The M249 SAW is the smallest of all machine guns and uses 5.56mm ammunition.

• A. 7.62mm, longest range
• B. 9mm, pistol caliber
• C. 5.56mm and is the smallest machine gun
• D. 12.7mm heavy machine gun

Answer: (C)

In infantry weapons, the size of a machine gun is tied to its caliber and its role within a squad. The M249 SAW is designed as a light machine gun and fires 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. That combination makes it smaller and lighter than the heavier calibers used by other machine guns, such as 7.62mm or 12.7mm, which are associated with heavier, more powerful guns. A 9mm round exists, but it’s a pistol-caliber cartridge used in pistols or submachine guns, not in a squad automatic weapon. So, the M249 SAW is correctly described as using 5.56mm and being the smallest machine gun among the options given.

In infantry weapons, the size of a machine gun is tied to its caliber and its role within a squad. The M249 SAW is designed as a light machine gun and fires 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. That combination makes it smaller and lighter than the heavier calibers used by other machine guns, such as 7.62mm or 12.7mm, which are associated with heavier, more powerful guns. A 9mm round exists, but it’s a pistol-caliber cartridge used in pistols or submachine guns, not in a squad automatic weapon. So, the M249 SAW is correctly described as using 5.56mm and being the smallest machine gun among the options given.