L7 (machine gun)
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The L7 machine gun is a general purpose machine gun used by the British Army. It is a license built version of the Belgian FN MAG (Fabrique Nationale Mitrailleuse d'Appui Generale 1958) machine gun firing the standard 7.62 mm NATO cartridge.
The official British Army designation is L7A2 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun), but it is affectionately nicknamed "Gimpy" by British soldiers.
Variants in British Service
| Designation | Description |
|---|---|
| L7A1 | 7.62x51 mm NATO FN MAG-58 machine gun |
| L7A2 | L7A1 variant; improved feed mechanism and provision for 50 round belt-box |
| L8A1 | L7A1 variant; buttstock removed, for remote firing |
| L8A2 | L8A1 variant; improved feed mechanism |
| L19A1 | L7A1 variant; extra-heavy barrel |
| L20A1 | L7A1 variant; for remote firing in gun pods and external mountings |
| L20A2 | L20A1 variant; improved feed mechanism |
| L37A1 | L8A1 variant; L8A1 plus kit allowing infantry use |
| L37A2 | L37A1 variant; L8A2 based |
| L43A1 | L7A1 variant; for use as a ranging gun on the Scorpion light tank |
| L44A1 | L20A1 variant; for Royal Navy |
See also
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