Columbia Regional Business Report
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Staff Report 

The Defense Department has awarded FN Manufacturing of Columbia, an $18.7 million firm-fixed-price contract to make a maximum of 27,000 M240L short barrel machine guns.

Work on the contract will be performed at FN’s plant, located off Clemson Road in northeast Richland County.

The gas-operated M240L is a product of a U.S. Army program to reduce the weight of battlefield-tested M240B, according to FN’s website.
FN’s M240L cuts weight by making extensive use of titanium in the receiver — the part of a firearm that houses operating parts. Titanium is about 45% lighter than steel.

The M240L short barrel version weighs 21.8 pounds, 5.4 pounds lighter than the M240B, which has been in service since the 1980s.

“This critical weight savings translates into far greater mobility with less fatigue for the operator,” FN said.

The weapon fires 7.62 mm ammunition. It has an effective range of about a mile. It has a minimum 50,000-round receiver life, and can fire about 750 rounds per minute.

The contract’s estimated completion date is May 22, 2015.