Formerly designated as the M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon), it fires the 5.56mm NATO cartridge. Used by the US military to lay down suppressing or covering fire for friendly forces, in BATTLEGROUNDS it now sees use for mowing down anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in its line of fire.
With 100 rounds of 5.56mm ammo per magazine, the M249 excels at room clearing, dealing slightly more damage than the 5.56mm assault rifles with a rate of fire as fast as that of the M16A4. The recoil is somewhat low, however the high rate of fire makes it harder to control.
The bipod can be enabled by going prone, greatly reducing recoil compared to firing from a standing or crouched position, allowing more precise shots against distant targets. This has been changed in older patches, where you are no longer able to put 8x and 15x scopes on LMGs, SMGs or ARs, only being DMR or SR compatible.
All these advantages come with downsides however - as a belt-fed weapon that loads from cumbersome box magazines, it has the longest reload time of any weapon in the game, with a tactical reload just passing the 7 second mark, thus great care must be taken before choosing to reload, either ensuring that the area is fully secure before reloading or staying alert for anyone attempting to move in, or carrying a suitable backup weapon. This gun also burns through ammo very fast, particularly when keeping targets pinned behind cover, therefore it is advisable to stock up on as much 5.56mm ammo as can be carried if planning to use this weapon for extended engagements.
The M249 will deal maximum damage out to 75 meters, beyond that distance damage will begin to decrease, reaching its minimum value at 385 meters.