FN Herstal rolled out the latest update to the company’s light machine gun line, the MINIMI Mk 3. Â The company stated the new Mk3 was designed around the feedback received from actual combat troops using the gun in the field. Â Essentially, all updates are focused on improved ergonomics and improved mobility.
While there are undoubtedly small changes under the hood, the most prominent updates are:
Somehow I missed this gem at the 2009 SHOT Show. Knight’s Armament showed a new chainsaw-styled machine gun, which is based on the Stoner LMG (light machine gun). This functioning chainsaw machine gun is belt-fed, chambered in 5.56, and has an integral suppressor and 37mm flare launcher. Oh, and the appearance kicks ass.
Knight’s said that this machine gun was more of a fun expriment than a serious exercise in a new platform development. However, they make an excellent point, which was with new sighting systems, bringing a rifle to your shoulder to align the sights may be obsolete in the near future. If so, something like the chainsaw machine gun may be a better alternative as a shooting platform. The concept is certainly worth exploring.
The non-machinegun chainsaw is a fairly ergonomic tool that many people use regularly. I’ve always found chainsaws to be a natural extension of my arm and easy to wield without any real training or optics. Granted, shooting a machinegun-like device from the hip is different, but I think the ergonomics can make sense.
Imagine having an optic on the gun that relays a signal via wire or Bluetooth to a heads up display integrated into the helmet. It may sound like an Aliens rip-off, but I think the system could work.
My question is: Can you shoot this gun without yelling “get some!”? I’m not sure. Knight’s Armament has a real flair for developing the fun guns, and this one is right at the top of the fun chart. Mossberg went on to develop a shotgun that uses a chainsaw-like appearance:
The Mossberg Chainsaw shotgun is a curious design, but not nearly as fun or practical as the KAC Chainsaw machinegun. Mossberg makes a few good use-cases for their shotgun, such as breeching duties, but I think the hip-fired machine gun is a more useful tool.