In 1974, renowned Belgian arms company Fabrique Nationale brought out a groundbreaking new light machine gun, the Minimi. Its success has been meteoric, arming more than forty-five countries around the world.

The Minimi offers the ultimate in portable squad firepower. Firing the high-velocity 5.56-by-45-millimeter round, the Minimi is a gas-fired, lightweight, open-bolt weapon, able to burn through cartridges at a cyclical rate of up to 1,150 rounds per minute, making it the weapon of choice for tactical support at squad or platoon level.

This study uses gripping firsthand...