@Hogge
Well, maybe…
Thing is, no one ever gonna want worse, right?
Otherwise, the minimi (both ammo sized versions) were used by the eighties Sweeds army, still are, though in a later version.
No less than 78 countries use it, and for BLOODY good reason.
FN makes AWESOME weapons (quality-wise) and sometimes even awesome to look at.
Think of the FN P-90, a submachine rifle for ambidextrous use, wont ever hook to your gear or belts, has drop-down shell expell, and in use by many countries as well.
Hell, seeing the game is very late 80’s, it could even get in the game, seen from era/time alone.
But even the FN Fal and FN Falo were just the best, or among the very best.
If you take a look at the FN (Fabrique National Belgium) weapons ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_Herstal ), you simply can’t take Belgium out of the better weapon makers out there.
Supreme over-all quality, accuracy, simple maintenance (thus quite user-friendly) and adaptable, Belgian weapons are prefered over many others, from law-enforcement to armies.
Personally, I was a full Lt in the Belgian army, Belgian Para unit, 2nd Linie, Marches Les Dames, where from the very start, I took the FN Minimi 7.62mm as my personal weapon.
Sure, they did give me the sodding FNC (the FN version of the M16, you could say), but it felt too light for me, too underpowered as well, and not that great to aim with.
I called it “the pussy-rifle”, as, to me, “only kiddies would wield such a toy”.
I dropped it of at the Master Weapon Officer, told him I wanted something heavier, and he gave me the 5.56mm Minini.
Quite an improvement, heavier than the FNC (about 3.8kg dry vs the 7.4 kg dry for the Minimi 5.56mm), but it felt… weak… when shooting.
The Master Weapon Officer then gave me the 7.62mm (8.4kg dry), and it was even more stable than the 5.56mm when shooting.
I very soon learned (they thought us to shoot in bursts preferably), to shoot shot per shot with it, which was not quite what it was build for, and thus not that easy to master.
Went to the MWO, asked if i could make a few changes, with him overlooking the operation, and assisting me where needed, I created a “hair trigger”, as well as adding a 5-15x40 scope to it.
I began to use it as a “prone used sniper rifle”, carrying a modified M240 SAW ammo box as feed.
Which I prefered over belt feed, as this restricted movement during shooting.
I also brought the support back by almost 20 cm, to even allow more aim movement.
When I was medically discharged after a 30 meter drop during an abseil (broke all bones in my body, even my skull had several cracks), this virtually was the only thing I truly missed: my “sniper rifle”.
For the game though: we have from revolver to semi-auto pistol, from SMG to Assault Rifle, from hunting rifle to sniper rifle, even a bloody LAW (the Gustav bazooka).
The only thing missing?
The frikken LMG class!!!
And honestly, only ONE weapon could fill that one in: the FN Minimi 5.56mm and 7.62mm (as proof I point to 78 countries using it, as well as the Sweed Army in the eighties).
I would suggest, for both ammo versions to have only ONE weapon, but with different barrels, much like the Barrel Extensions for the AR’s.
This is basically how it works in reality: the base it fit with a different caliber barrel.
Now, as for the Steyr Aug…
This 5.56mm rifle was owned by us, and I was amazed by it’s performance (ESPECIALLY compared to the FNC).
When I took it up, it was like, yep, just the next pussy rifle, a kids toy.
Removed the 5.56mm barrel, placed the 9mm Parabellum barrel.
Went to the firing range, clicked in a mag with ten rounds, chambered a round, and got surprised: when I shouldered the weapon, I expected again some sway, but not with this one.
The shouldering was quite awesome, and for one due to the grip system.
While the FNC also features a “pistol grip”, the Steyr Aug seems sturdier, and allowed more pressure to the shoulder, which stabilized the whole.
Another thing I loved about it: the build-on scope.
Featuring an “only” 1.5x scope, aiming became FAR better.
And the 9mm Parabellum rounds gave a harder kick than I would expect.
The round went nicely to where I had aimed (target was 125m away) and scored a perfect headshot.
And not once, I pulled it off 8 out of ten rounds.
Still, though a fairly impressive rifle, I almost felt like it was an airbucks from some fair attraction.
The Minimi is made for mid- to long range fire suppression.
If an enemy begins a run for your location, or you need to cover retreating troops, this will force the enemy back into cover and thus halt their progress.
Knowing this, the Minimi being effective up to 1klick, it was just dead logic to me to turn it into a “mass-round-mag semi sniper” which had suppression fire as option.
I took on targets from 500 to up meters, and with fairly impressive results (this thanks to the 5-15x40 scope, note) in both non-combat as in-combat usage.
No matter, point is, both weapons would be a nice add-on to the game.
Which is why I made this post in the first place…
