SAW M249S PARA CQC Adjustable Stock – 5.56 NATO Semi Auto Belt Fed

SAW M249 ON THE RANGE

The first thing I wanted to try out at the range was the 30 round magazine. I had heard stories about these guns being finicky when running from a magazine and then going to a belt. There were also tales of the magazines being eaten in the process of emptying them. One thing I would point out: all magazine guns should have a magazine cover door like this one that, in the default position, is self-closing (this is the equivalent of a toilet seat that will put itself down). Simply push the magazine through the closed door, snap it in place and you’re good to go. I flipped the bipod to the down position and settled in behind the gun. I wanted to run the 249 with the traditional covered notch at the front and ghost ring in the rear, as they were easy to acquire and afforded a good cheek weld.

With the bipod providing stability in the front, the well-engineered buttstock in the rear, and the pistol grip in hand, it is 100% controllable no matter how fast you fire. Firing faster gave me just a slight push to the rear without any shaking or fidgeting.

Most semi-automatic .223 rifles eject brass like a push mower without the safety guard in place. The SAW M249S PARA  just neatly deposited the rounds out of the downward-facing ejection chute to the right of the gun. Ejecting the spent magazine is simple; just push in the lever on the magazine well cover and it pops right out. After running several full magazines through the gun, I inspected the feed lips. There was some paint scratching, but no signs of damage or what I would interpret as abuse.

The moment of truth had arrived, and it was time to put the box on and let this thing eat. The box has a male clip that slides into the female portion mounted to the gun. There is no way to put a magazine and a box of belted ammunition on at the same time. The belt feeding mechanism is exposed by pinching the two clips behind the top cover. Half of this mechanism is in the top cover, and the other half is on the receiver. Once the belt is lain in, you lock it in by pinching those same pins together again. Then you pull the charging handle to the rear and let it fly home. Laying the belt correctly is the most difficult part of this. As my first attempt demonstrated, you must lay the first loaded round in the center of the belt feed mechanism. Otherwise you get a click instead of a bang.

Once I had corrected my error, the gun came to life. At first I was cautious and observed the gun showering from the bottom of the gun a chorus of belt links and brass that I had so diligently put together the night before. This lasted for about 10 rounds, and then it was time to open her up. As I began to work the trigger faster and faster, I was rewarded with both center mass hits on the target and piles of brass and links at my feet. I then made a quick adjustment on the sights and moved the target out to the available hundred yards. My shot timer told me that I was delivering about 200+ rounds per minute of dead-on fire at 100 yards. I’m not aware of any other semi-automatic .223 rifle that can deliver 200 rounds on target in a minute. I even went so far as to put a second target up and work transitions, being careful not to sling rounds between targets. This only slightly diminished the rate of fire.

This gun ran perfect. The only issue that I encountered was the smoke coming off of the barrel. I don’t believe that I could damage this barrel short of buying several thousand links and running them all together. This gun is purpose-built for this kind of action, and performs as such.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This gun is everything I hoped it would be and frankly, for the price, it should be. The SAW M249S PARA  put a smile on my face every time I shot it. I took it out to a different range later and fired off of a tower with multiple targets, and everyone at the range was eager to join in. I encourage you to take a turn on this gun if you’re given the opportunity; you will not be disappointed. You may knock this gun on practicality, but you will not knock it on function, reliability or authenticity.

I try to put my biases aside when I review a gun, but I’ll admit that I’m a fan boy of this platform. And there are a few things you need to be aware of; it’s not all fun and games. This gun is heavy and has its own manual of arms that you must respect. This is not a gun that you’re going to pick up and immediately take to the range to shoot. You will have to invest some effort into the aforementioned learning curve to be successful. But, trust me, it is well worth the effort! With the bipod providing stability in the front, the well-engineered SAW M249S PARA  buttstock in the rear, and the pistol grip in hand, it is 100% controllable no matter how fast you fire. Firing faster gave me just a slight push to the rear without any shaking or fidgeting.