When you see the FAMAS rifle for the first time, you may be attracted by its unique appearance. The front end of this French rifle is one of its most distinguishing features, with a distinctive shape that makes it instantly recognizable.
Apart from this, FAMAS has many other impressive features, including its historical background, technical specifications and fields of application. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into every aspect of the FAMAS Rifle so you can fully understand this unique weapon.
The FAMAS design originated in the 1960s to replace the MAS-49 and MAS-56 rifles used by the French army. During the research and development process, the French military put forward some requirements, such as the gun must be lightweight, accurate, easy to use and maintain. It must be able to be used in different combat environments.
FAMAS adopts a unique Boolean pneumatic system, which can provide fast firing speed and high accuracy. Its standard version is equipped with a 25-round detachable magazine and can use a bayonet for close combat. FAMAS has a high fire rate; the maximum fire rate can reach 1000 rounds per minute, the effective range is 300-450 meters, the weight is 3.61 kg, and the overall length is 757 mm.
The followings are some parameters and derivative model information of FAMAS:
- Firearm parameters:
- Barrel Length: 488 mm (19.2 in)
- Barrel Length: 757 mm (29.8 in)
- Bullet Caliber: 5.56 mm (.223 in)
- Magazine capacity: 25 rounds
- Rate of fire: 1,000 rounds/min
- Range: 450 meters (maximum effective range)
- Weight: 3.61 kg (7.96 lbs)
- Derivative models:
- FAMAS F1: The original standard model was produced in 1979 and used by the French army in 1981.
- FAMAS G1: An updated version that was produced in 1986. The main difference from the F1 is that it uses a different magazine that can hold more bullets.
- FAMAS G2: A modernized version that started production in the 2000s, including new scopes, grips, and other improvements.
FAMAS is one of the standard weapons of the French army and is also widely used in some French-speaking countries. It has also been featured in movies, television, and video games such as Tomb Raider, Battlefield, and more.
There are some problems with the use of FAMAS, such as unstable magazines, upward muzzle and so on. In addition, due to its unique design, FAMAS is also difficult to maintain and maintain. Therefore, GIAT once developed FAMAS G2 to try to solve some problems, but it was not widely used in the end.
