The M240 machine gun has replaced nearly all general-purpose machine guns in the US Military, save for a few M60 and M60E4 light machine guns. Within the last two years, the US Navy has replaced their aging M60 LMGs with the M240 and one ship, the USS Vicksburg (CG69), an Ageas Missile Cruiser on which I sailed for three days, has made some interesting modifications to the gun including a vertical fore grip. However, as the ship’s former commander, Captain Charles A. “Chip” Swicker, told me, it takes a fairly big sailor to use the gun effectively from the assault position. Another modification to the butt stock by the Vicksburg’s sailors allows the gun to be more easily used with the Aimpoint Comp red dot sight. This modification has been shown to Magpul and Vltor, both of which make superb aftermarket stocks for military weapons.

The addition of a Mil-Std-1913 rail to the M240’s top cover has opened the door to unlimited options in optics for the M240 including the new 6x ACOG from Trijicon. I had hoped to test this sight on the gun, as it will extend the accurate range of the gun. With the top rail, the M240 can also accommodate various night vision devices (NVD), especially when using the extra MOA Solution Rail from Mounting Solutions Plus.