M249

The M249 is sustained output, quantified: 41 damage per bullet, 800 rounds per minute, 75-round box. That is over 3,000 potential damage between reloads — enough to knock an entire squad without touching the reload key. The reload has always been the price of that box, though Update 42.3's class-wide rebalance cut LMG reload times by roughly a quarter and softened the recoil spike at the start of sustained fire, so the weapon handles noticeably less like an anchor than its reputation suggests.

What the raw fire rate hides is the bullet itself: at 915 m/s the M249's muzzle velocity is the highest of any LMG (MG3 820, RPD 735) and quicker than most DMRs. Tap-firing it at range works far better than most players expect.

Since 42.3 it also has a direct rival: the new RPD trades rate for weight — 43 damage per 7.62 round at 750 rpm from a 50-round drum, against the M249's faster, flatter 5.56 stream and bigger box. The M249 remains the choice when volume and trajectory matter more than per-bullet punch.

It is full-auto only — there is no single-fire mode to toggle — so range discipline comes from your trigger finger. Fit a stock and an optic (it takes both, plus a magazine attachment), find something to rest behind, and it turns compounds into no-go zones.