FN-FAL HBAR

     Notes: The FN-FAL HBAR (Heavy Barreled Automatic Rifle) is employed by many countries already using the FAL as an automatic rifle and sniper weapon.  It is a standard FAL with a lengthened, strengthened barrel for use in the sustained fire role.  This also makes it ideal for snipers, as the longer barrel lends increased accuracy.  Many smaller countries that cannot afford separate squad automatic weapons modified standard FALs to this standard. 

FN Minimi

     Notes: Development of the weapon which eventually became the Minimi began in the early 1960s, but FN had so many projects going at that time that the first working prototypes did not appear until 1974, and actual production didn’t start until 1982.  Originally, there were going to be two versions of the Minimi – one chambered for 5.56mm NATO and one chambered for 7.62mm NATO, but the 7.62mm version was discarded due to what was then perceived to be too much weight and recoil.  A variant of the Minimi, the M-249 SAW is the standard Squad Automatic Weapon for the US military (and is, in my mind, an inferior weapon to genuine Minimis), and it is also used by several other countries.  Perhaps one of the last countries to issue the Minimi in large numbers to its troops (so far) is Britain – at first issued only to special operations units, the Minimi was type-standardized as the L-108A1 when the shortcomings of the L-86A1 became apparent, and the modified L-86A2 did not produce the hoped-for improvements.  The Minimi and the Minimi Para now serve the British military, in many cases alongside the L-86A1, which has become not only a support weapon, but also a DMR.

     The Minimi is a gas-operated weapon with a rotating gas regulator derived from that of the MAG; this gas regulator has two settings and is meant to compensate for fouling and dirt, but a skilled operator can use it to change the cyclic rate of automatic fire from 700 to 1000 rpm.  (The operation is in fact largely a scaled-down version of that on the FN MAG machinegun, with other inspiration taken from the FN FAL.) The Minimi is normally fed from 200-round disintegrating link belts contained in a plastic box which locks to the underside of the Minimi.  It can also accept 20 and 30-round STANAG magazines without modification (but cannot have both a magazine and a belt loaded), or a 100-round belt in a smaller plastic box.  Many countries have also devised canvas bags, with and without a cardboard liner, to contain the belts instead of the “ham can” plastic boxes.  Feeding from a magazine tends to cause the Minimi to fire at a much higher cyclic rate (if a magazine is used, only the ROF of 10 applies).  Most of the Minimi is built from light but strong steel, with a polymer stock, fore-end, and pistol grip.  The folding bipod is lightweight and adjustable for height, and is attached near the front just behind the gas block.  The Minimi can also be mounted on light or medium NATO-compatible tripods or pintle mounts.  The barrel is 18.3 inches long with a chromed bore, chrome-lined chamber, and tipped with a flash suppressor similar to that of the M-16A2.  The barrel is a quick-change barrel, with a non-folding carrying handle mounted on the barrel and offset somewhat to the right side so as to not interfere with the sights.  Standard sights for the Minimi consist of a hooded post with a limited capability for windage and elevation adjustment, and a rear aperture fully adjustable for windage and elevation.  FN will mount different sights, or even a length of MIL-STD-1913 rail atop the feed cover, upon request.

     Australian Minimis (called F-89 by the Australians) are slightly modified from the original Minimi.  They use the flash suppressor from the MAG machinegun, the optical sight of the AUG (F-88 rifle) as standard, have a receiver topped by a MIL-STD-1913 rail, and are generally fed from a 200-round belt contained in a flexible canvas bag which is much superior than the “can of ham” plastic box container of the standard Minimi.  They are, however, otherwise identical to the standard Minimi for game purposes.

     Canadian Minimis are also a bit different than their FN cousins, and they are license-produced by Colt Canada (formerly Diemaco).  The C-9 is basically identical to the standard Minimi, but uses a slightly different tubular steel stock.  The C-9A1 has a MIL-STD-1913 rail on the feed cover, to which is normally fitted a 3.4x Elcan C-79 compact telescopic sight.  The C-9A2 is for the most part identical to the Minimi Para, uses green furniture instead of black, cloth ammo containers instead of the “ham can” plastic boxes, a folding foregrip, a collapsible stock identical to that of the C-8 assault rifle, and MIL-STD-1913 rails on the feed cover and on each side of the fore-end.  In Canadian use, a laser aiming module is usually mounted on one of the fore-end rails.

     The Minimi Para was originally designed at the request of special operations troops of several countries already using the Minimi, but it was quickly discovered to be a handy weapon for use from inside vehicles, helicopters, and for CQB.  The major differences are the short 13.7-inch barrel and a collapsible strut-type stock.  The stock is mounted on a rotating plate at the rear of the receiver; it is pulled out and rotated so that the struts are vertical to extend it, and rotated back and turned so that the struts are horizontal, the pushed inward to collapse it.  US forces use the stock assembly, but not the Minimi Para itself, on their “Para” version of the M-249, called the M-249 SPW; the British designate the Minimi Para as the L-110A1, and distribute it to greater percentages of their troops than the US military does.  Despite the smaller size, the stock assembly is much heavier than the standard Minimi stock and thus the Minimi Para is actually a bit heavier than the standard Minimi.

     In 1996, FN began offering a modernized version of the Minimi, which they call the Minimi New Standard.  The primary differences are a stock built of lighter, more modern composites and with a more ergonomic shape.  The pistol grip is likewise lighter and has a more ergonomic shape, as is the fore-end.  The carrying handle is mounted along the center of the barrel at the point of balance for the weapon, but on the Minimi New Standard is a folding handle.  On the original Minimi, the charging handle could be pulled too far back with very hard yank (as might happen in the heat of battle), making it difficult to unlock again and losing the gunner a couple of precious seconds when reloading or clearing a jam.  In addition, slight general mechanical changes have been made to improve the reliability of the Minimi.  The Minimi New Standard also comes in a Minimi Para New Standard Version.  Both versions, despite their lighter weights, have the same firing characteristics as the standard Minimi and Minimi Para for game purposes and therefore do not have separate entries in the firing tables below.

     The Polish have since 2004 been using a what is essentially a Polish version of the Minimi, the KBKM WZ-2003.  A license for production was not required since the internal, external, and construction details are different enough that it is considered to be an independent development, and parts are not interchangeable, but the WZ-2003 is still designed with the same parameters in mind as the Minimi and was also designed for interoperability with NATO ammunition.  The WZ-2003 can use magazine feed (though the magazines it is designed for are the ones used by newer Polish assault rifles) and also fires from the same belts as the Minimi; it can also use the same ammunition containers and bags as the Minimi.  The WZ-2003 has a quick-change barrel.  The stock is different, as it is a synthetic side-folding design; the folding bipod is simpler, and the sights are simple open sights, with short sections of MIL-STD-1913 rail in front of and behind the rear sight.  The standard barrel version (the WZ-2003S) uses a 20-inch barrel, while the version designed for airborne and air assault operations and close assaults (the WZ-2003D) uses a shorter 15-inch barrel.  The WZ-2003 does not have a provision for tripod mounting.

     NORINCO in China has been making unlicensed copies of the Minimi since 2005.  NORINCO has designated this the Type XY 5.56x45, and for game purposes it is identical to the original Minimi.  In reality, however, it is a bit more crude in construction.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Minimi New Standard and its Para cousin do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline, nor does the XY 5.56x45 or the WZ-2003.

FN M-1930

     Notes:  The M-1930 is a variant of the M-1918 produced by FN in Belgium at the request of the Belgian Army.  The primary difference between the M-1930 and the M-1918 is a caliber change to 8mm Mauser, but the M-1930 also used a stock with a true pistol grip instead of the pistol grip wrist of the M-1918.  The M-1930 was not manufactured in great quantities, and most were captured by the Nazis in World War 2. 

     Just before World War 2, FN produced the Type D BAR; this is a Browning Automatic Rifle that has been improved by FN.  Like many of Browning’s designs, FN owns the patent for the BAR, and before World War 2, made some improvements to the design.  Chief among these was a quick-change barrel 24 inches long, to help sustained automatic fire.  Another improvement was in the receiver and trigger mechanisms, making them much simpler and easier to clean.  M-1930s used by Belgium were chambered for 8mm Mauser (but after World War 2, they used versions chambered for .30-06).  FN made the M-1930 in several chamberings, according to the country that bought them.  Before World War 2, some M-1930s were sold to Finland and Sweden (in addition to modified M-1918 BARs built in the US; the Swedes called M-1918 BARs the m/21, and their modified M-1930s the m/37).  The Polish also used both the M-1918 and the M-1930 (calling them both the Wz-1928), both in 8mm Mauser; most of these were quickly captured and put to limited use by the Nazi occupation forces.  Ethiopia and China also received M-1930s in the 1930s, also in 8mm Mauser.  Perhaps the longest official use of the M-1930 was by Egypt, who used them in 8mm Mauser from 1947 until the early 1970s, when they were replaced by the RPD and RPK.  For the most part, however, the M-1930 was obsolete after World War 2, and superseded by more modern automatic rifles.  Like the M-1918 BAR, the mechanism of the M-1930/Type D proved unsuitable to conversion to 7.62mm NATO, which also hastened its departure.

     It should be noted that 80% of the parts of the M-1930 cannot be interchanged with the M-1918 BAR (or an A1, A2, or A3 – or for that matter, the Colt Monitor).