Real FN MAG statistics
Caliber: 7,62x51mm NATO
Weight: 11 - 13 kg on bipod (depending on version), ~21 kg on tripod
Length: 1260mm
Barrel length: 545mm
Feed: belt
Rate of fire: selectable, 650-750 and 950-1000 rounds per minute

Earlier this year we were polling people what they would like to see Japanese manufacturer Shoei to make. There were as many ideas as there were responders, but RR can reveal that Shoei is planning to take a new direction by manufacture of blowback FN MAG!

Belgian FN Herstal developed FN MAG in 1950s as a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) in which part of the Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 feed system was used. FN MAG has become standard issue GPMG in Belgian, British, Australian, Canadian and US militaries. US Army is fielding their modified FN MAG as a M240 (as imaged on right inset) and US Marine Corps is issuing M240G lightened version just like they did with M60s. True to its intended purpose the FN MAG and its American variations are employed in every role from infantry fire support to aircraft-mounted machine gun. For US military the primary reason for adopting the M240 series was its superior reliability and durability over M60 series. In official test FN MAG's mean rounds before stoppage was 2,962 while M60E2's was only 846.

To learn the details of FN MAG and its mechanism we can recommend exhaustive article by excellent firearms author Peter G. Kokalis.

FN MAG General Purpose Machine Gun

As a point of interest the M240's rate of fire can be selected to be low 650rds-750rds/minute or high 950rds-1000rds/minute. Both being useful for different kind of tactical situations.

Extract about M240 from FAS Military Analysis Network:

"After extensive operational and technical tests, the US Army has selected and type classified the M240B 7.62mm medium machine gun produced by Fabrique Nationale as a replacement for the M60 Series machine gun. This is a ground mounted variant of the original M240/M240C/M240E1 coaxial/pintle mounted machine gun used on M2/M3 Series Bradley Fighting Vehicles, the M1 Series Abrams tank, and the U.S. Marine Corps LAV-Series of Light Armored Vehicles. While possessing many of the same basic characteristics as the M60 Series medium machine guns, the durability of the M240 system results in superior reliability and maintainability when compared to the M60.

M240B 7.62mm medium machine gun

The M240D 7.62mm machine gun is a left hand feed, gas operated, air cooled, fixed head space weapon. The M240D has two possible configurations: aircraft and egress (ground). In the aircraft configuration the M240D has a front and rear sight and a trigger group which accommodates the spade grip device. The ground configuration involves the installation of an Egress Package which is designed to provide downed aircrew personnel with increased fire power. The Egress Package contains a buttstock assembly, a buffer assembly, a bipod assembly, and a conventional trigger assembly. The M240D is issued for aircraft configuration. The barrel assembly contains a three position gas plug. The first gas plug position allows the weapon to cycle at 750 shots-per-minute (SPM). The two remaining ports increase the SPM by 100 each (I.E., gas port position 2 = 850 SPM; gas port position 3 = 950 SPM). The aircraft configured M240D weighs 25.6 lb. and is 42.3 inches long. The egress configuration weighs 26.2 lb. and is 49.0 inches long. A similar version of the M240, the M240G, is the standard US Marine Corps medium machine gun. The Marine Corps is replacing the M60E3 with the M240G. The ground version of the M240 allows for a common medium machine gun throughout the Marine Corps. The M240G Machine Gun is the ground version of the original M240/M240E1, 7.62mm medium class weapon designed as a coaxial/pintle mounted machine gun for tanks and light armored vehicles. The rate of fire may be controlled by three different regulator settings. The M240G is modified for ground use by the installation of an "infantry modification kit," comprised of a flash suppressor, front sight, carrying handle for the barrel, a buttstock, infantry length pistol grip, bipod, and rear sight assembly."

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As it can be now seen there are lot of variants that can be made out of FN MAG and M240. You have probably already noticed TOP churning out quite number of M249 and M60 variants over the past years, the number of possible variations being important from the manufacturers point of view.

Shoei is indicating that should they release this gun they will include powerful blowback system just like they did with their MG42 blowback.

Presently Shoei has obtained deactivated FN MAG sample among other things and is proceeding to clear various obstacles involved in the designing and pre-production stage.

However at this point the production is not confirmed matter.

Source: SHOEI
Images, real gun info and specs:
World Guns
FAS Military Analysis Network
Guns World
US DoD