The FN MAG (, , ) is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it has been made under licence in several countries, including Argentina, Canada, Egypt, India, and the United Kingdom.
The MAG is available in three primary versions: the standard, infantry Model 60-20 machine gun, the Model 60-40 coaxial machine gun for armoured fighting vehicles, and the Model 60-30 aircraft variant.
History After World War II the Swedish Army, who used two 6.5×55mm versions of the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) since the 1920s, wanted to replace them with a belt-fed version. FFV-Carl Gustaf tried to design a derivative, but their belt feeding mechanism (placed below the action, like on the BAR) did not pass military trials. Therefore FN Herstal was approached, and Belgian designers came up with the idea to flip the BAR action upside down and mate it with the proven MG 42 belt-feeding mechanism. The work was started in the late 1940s by Dieudonné Saive and finished by Ernest Vervier in 1953, with Swedish trials beginning in 1955.
The MAG served as a complement to the FN FAL battle rifle. It first entered production in 1958 (Ksp 58 chambered in 6.5×55mm), and it is sometimes referred to as the MAG-58.
Design details
The MAG Model 60-20 is an automatic, air-cooled, gas-operated machine gun, firing belt-fed 7.62×51mm NATO from an open bolt. The MAG uses a series of proven design concepts from other successful firearms, for example the locking mechanism is modeled on that of the Browning M1918 (BAR) automatic rifle, which FN produced under license with some adaptions, and the feed and trigger mechanisms are from the WW II-era MG 42 universal machine gun.
Operating mechanism
The MAG operates via a long-stroke piston system, which utilizes the ignited powder gases generated by firing vented through a port in the barrel to propel a gas piston rod connected to the locking assembly. The barrel breech is locked with a vertically tilting, downward locking lever mechanism that is connected to the bolt carrier through an articulated joint.
The locking shoulder and camming surfaces that guide the locking lever are located at the base of the receiver. The unlocking sequence starts after rearward gas piston rod movement to keep the breech block fully locked until the bullet has left the gun barrel and the high-pressure propellant gas pressure has dropped to a safe level.
The MAG fires from an open bolt. Both the spring-powered extractor and ejector are contained in the bolt. After firing, spent cartridge casings are removed downwards through an ejection port normally covered by a spring-loaded dust cover at the bottom of the receiver. The machine gun has a striker firing mechanism (the bolt carrier acts as the striker as it contains a channel that houses the firing pin, which protrudes out from the surface of the bolt upon firing), an automatic-only trigger assembly and a manual cross-bolt push-button safety, which is located above the pistol grip.
Features
The MAG's receiver is constructed from sheet metal stampings reinforced by steel plates and rivets. The front is reinforced to accept the barrel nut and gas cylinder which are permanently mounted. Guide rails that support the bolt assembly and piston extension during their reciprocating movement are riveted to the side plates. The bolt's guide rails are shaped downward to drive the locking lever into engagement with the locking shoulder, which is also riveted to the side plates. The rear of the receiver has been reinforced and slotted to accept the butt stock. The MAG is also equipped with a fixed wooden stock (later production models feature polymer furniture), pistol grip, and carrying handle.
A user-adjustable gas valve allows regulating the cyclic rate of fire from 650 up to 1,000 rounds per minute, and subsidiary can adjust the gas system for various types of cartridge loadings or use in the presence of heavy fouling. A high cyclic rate of fire is advantageous for use against targets that are exposed to a general-purpose machine gun for a limited time span, like aircraft or targets that minimize their exposure time by quickly moving from cover to cover. For targets that can be fired on by a general-purpose machine gun for longer periods than just a few seconds, the cyclic firing rate becomes less important.
Barrel The quick-change barrel has a slotted flash suppressor. The barrel's chamber and bore are chrome-lined or stellite-lined for increased service life and the barrel has four right-hand grooves with a 305 mm (1:12 in) rifling twist rate. Also attached to the barrel is the front sight base, carry handle and gas block (equipped with an exhaust-type gas regulator valve with three settings). The barrel assembly weighs and of the long barrel a portion of is rifled. The MAG takes zero shifts between barrel assemblies into account by making the front sight of the assemblies adjustable with the help of tools.
Feeding
The weapon feeds from the left side from open-link, metal ammunition belts: either the American disintegrating M13 linked belt (NATO standard) or the non-disintegrating segmented German DM1 belt, whose 50-round sections can be linked through a cartridge. The DM1 belt is based on the last version of the Gurt 34/41-family used in World War II in MG 34 and MG 42 machine guns. After firing, the separated M13 link or emptied DM1 belt section is cleared out on the right side of the receiver through an ejection port normally covered by a spring-loaded dust cover.
In order to adapt the weapon to feed from one belt type to the other, several components of the feed mechanism need to be reconfigured since the position of the feed tray's cartridge stop and pawl angles in the top cover are different. The MAG features a pawl-type feeding mechanism that continues to move the feed link during both the rearward and forward cycles of the reciprocating bolt carrier, producing a smooth belt flow.
The feeding mechanism's three pawls are actuated by a roller connected to the bolt carrier. The feed channel rail, feed link, both feed slides and the feed tray are chrome plated. The top cover body is an anodized aluminum casting. In the infantry assault role, the weapon can be fitted with a sheet metal container that houses a 50-round belt and is attached to the left side of the receiver.
Sights
The MAG is equipped with iron sights that consist of a forward blade (adjustable mechanically for both windage and elevation) and a folding leaf rear sight with an aperture in the down position for firing distances from in increments and an open U-notch for ranges from graduated every . The rear sight is hinged to a base with protective ears that is integral with the receiver's upper forging. The iron sight line has a sight radius.
The top of later production model receivers often feature a MIL-STD-1913 rail as a mounting platform for firearm accessories like (low light) optical sights and night-vision devices.
Safety With the safety placed in the safe setting, the sear mechanism is disabled. The safety can only be engaged with the weapon cocked.
Bipod and tripod
For the light machine gun fire support role, the gun is fitted with a folding bipod (attached to the end of the gas cylinder) that can be adjusted for height. For carrying or use as a forearm, the aluminum legs can be folded back and secured in slots under the receiver by hooks and a spring-loaded catch. When firing from the hip, the bipod legs remain extended and the left leg is gripped for support. The bipod can be removed from the gas cylinder by tapping-out a roll pin in the gas cylinder head until it is flush and the bipod can be rotated enough to clear the gas cylinder's retaining lugs.
In the static medium machine gun sustained fire support role, the weapon is mounted on a tripod that offers a higher degree of accuracy and control than the bipod, for example the FN 360° tripod, which features an elevation adjustment mechanism that enables the weapon's bore axis to be maintained from to , has a 30° to +15° elevation change and a 360° traverse range.
Variants
Variants of the FN MAG were manufactured by at least ten companies: FN Herstal, Fabricaciones Militares, Changfeng Machinery, Indian Ordnance Factories, Carl Gustaf Stads Gevärfaktori, the Ordnance Development and Engineering Company of Singapore, Canadian Arsenals Limited, the Royal Small Arms Factory, Heckler and Koch, U.S. Ordnance, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Manroy Engineering, Yunnan Xiyi Industry Company Limited, and Egypt's Maadi Company for Engineering Industries.Popenker, Maxim & Williams, Anthony G., page 41.
FN production variants
Designation DescriptionMAG 60.20Standard infantry version with pistol grip, fixed buttstock and bipod; Many subvariants including the T3 (L7A1) and T6 (L7A2)MAG 60.30Fixed aircraft version, firing from a solenoid trigger; Capable, at least in some subvariants, of left and right hand feedingMAG 60.40Coaxial version for armoured fighting vehicles; Many subvariants including the T3 (M240)MAG 10.10Jungle version with shorter barrel and buttstock.
The vehicle-mounted variant of the MAG lacks a stock, bipod, carry handle, pistol grip, ejection port dust cover and a mount for optical sights. It does, however, have a new closed-type gas regulator. Depending on the weapon's employment, the machine gun can also be fitted with an extended charging handle linkage, standard trigger group (with a pistol grip), or a specialized trigger assembly with an electrically fired trigger.
The pintle-mounted aircraft model is fed from either the right- or left-hand side exclusively with the M13 belt. Thus configured, weapons typically lack standard iron sights and are equipped with electrically powered triggers.
TACTICAL A modernisation unveiled in 2026 sold either integrated with new-build weapon orders or as a Long Rail Conversion Kit that allows unit armourers to convert existing in-service weapons in minutes using basic tools.
It features a long monolithic top rail, side-click & auto-lock feed cover, articulated carrying handle and adjustable tactical buttstock.
British versions Designation DescriptionL7A17.62×51mm NATO FN MAG 60.20 T3 machine gun.L7A2L7A1 variant; FN MAG 60.20 T6; Improved feed mechanism, hammer forged barrels, and provision for 50 round belt-box.L7A2 Mid-Life Improvement2007 iteration of the L7A2 "incorporating a number of safety-critical modifications".L8A1L7A1 variant; For mounting inside AFVs. No buttstock. Barrel fitted with fume extractor. Solenoid-triggered, but with folding pistol grip for emergency use.L8A2L8A1 variant; improved feed mechanism.L19A1L7A1 variant; extra-heavy barrel (). Not routinely issued (if at all).L20A1L7A1 variant; for remote firing in gun pods and external mountings.L20A2L20A1 variant; improved feed mechanism.L37A1L8A1 variant; L8A1 breech & L7 barrel for mounting on AFVs. Conventional pistol grip and trigger, plus kit allowing dismounted use.L37A2L37A1 variant; L8A2 based. As above.L43A1L7A1 variant; for use as a ranging gun on the Scorpion light tankL44A1L20A1 variant; for Royal NavyL112A1L7A2 variant; for mounting on Lynx Helicopter
The L7 general-purpose machine gun was adopted by the British Armed Forces as a replacement for the long-serving Vickers machine gun (in the medium role) and the Bren (in the light assault role), following trials in 1957. Originally made under license from FN by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock from 1961 until the site's closure in 1988, the L7 and its variants were later produced by Manroy Engineering (now FN Herstal UK), and are currently produced by Heckler & Koch. The series remains in service with all components of the British Armed Forces.