Combat MG

"Lightweight, compact machine gun that combines excellent maneuverability with a high rate of fire to devastating effect."

- GTA V description on the Rockstar Games Social Club.

The Combat MG, also appearing as M249 and Advanced MG, is a light machine gun featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, The Ballad of Gay Tony, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the M249, as the name suggests, is based on the, specifically the M249E1 model. This rendition of the weapon is considered a Heavy Weapon and thus, Victor canot sprint while wielding the M249.

Unlike the M60 from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, the M249 has a unique firing and reloading animation, no longer copied from the assault rifle animation.

The Ballad of Gay Tony
"Firing at 900 rounds per minute, the Advanced MG takes targets down fast."

- Description from the TBoGT website

The M249 in The Ballad of Gay Tony (referred to as the Advanced MG) is the first light machine gun to be featured in the HD Universe. It is now based on the M249E2, as suggested by the barrel handguard and the fixed stock. The weapon is placed in the Assault Rifle slot and thus, the character will be able to wield it while riding a helicopter or boat (both as a passenger).

Grand Theft Auto V
The M249 returns in Grand Theft Auto V as the Combat MG. It is now based on a, a lightweight variant of the M249, with the stock of an.

Unlike previous iterations of the weapon, the Combat MG lacks a folding bipod and instead, it features Picatinny Rails for a wide variety of Attachments. The weapon is now considered a Machine Gun and thus, it is able to be used by passengers of certain vehicles with enough room (i.e. helicopter bays, truck beds, while hanging on a side of a vehicle, etc.).

The Beta Combat MG was originally much different. It looked mostly like the TBoGT rendition of the weapon, with design cues from the, an advanced model of the M249. Though the weapon did not make it to the final version, a small render image of the beta weapon can be found in the game files.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
The weapon is a powerful, one shot kill gun that holds 100 rounds per magazine, and is capable of knocking down a person when hit (similar to the way shotguns do), but is slightly less effective than the Minigun. Victims shot with this weapon will release a higher amount of splattering blood than they do if shot by other machine guns. Since it is a heavy weapon, it can destroy unarmored vehicles quickly.

The Ballad of Gay Tony
The Advanced MG now has a 200-round magazine capacity and high rate of fire, but has less stopping power and accuracy than the Assault Rifle and the Carbine Rifle. It is highly inaccurate because the weapon is fired from the hip rather than from the shoulder, causing a high recoil when firing. The Advanced MG requires sustained fire to destroy a vehicle, unlike the LMG's from previous games, which can destroy vehicles in just a few rounds.

The weapon is best suited for engaging multiple enemies at close to medium range, but suffers in long range combat, being outclassed by the other rifles and even SMGs. While still able to aim targets at long distances, the gun will often miss it unless if fired in short bursts. Crouching will also help at reducing the recoil, decreasing the chances of missing the target.

Grand Theft Auto V
The Combat MG is all-round superior to SMGs, the Assault Rifle, and the MG. It shoots further, but with less accuracy than the Carbine Rifle. Its recoil is also notably lighter than the MG and even its TBoGT counterpart, due to the reduced rate of fire. However, it is somewhat slow at reloading and the wielder usually has low mobility. It can shoot down almost any aircraft thanks to its 100-round (200 with extended clip) magazine.

With the appropriate attachments, the Combat MG can increase the accuracy and reduce the recoil a bit more.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

 * The M249 is a weapon of choice for several Rampages and is featured during the mission Farewell to Arms.
 * At the InterGlobal Films studio in the first studio directly right of the entrance up the ramp on the catwalk.
 * Spawns at every safehouse after shooting all 99 red ballons.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

 * Given to the player in the mission Going Deep for Ray Bulgarin.
 * Available from Armado's gun van after completing the aforementioned mission for $7,550, plus $400 for each additional magazine.
 * Spawns in the player's safehouse after completing 20 Drug Wars and Going Deep.
 * The law enforcement use the Advanced MG to fire at the player from Police Mavericks/Annihilators during wanted levels, instead of the Carbine Rifle as used in Grand Theft Auto IV and The Lost and Damned. The player needs to disarm them to make them dropping the weapon.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * The Combat MG is available in the Heist mission Blitz Play.
 * Available at Ammu-Nation for $3,700.
 * Can be found at the crash site of the Merryweather Security Cargo Plane after the mission Minor Turbulence, in the Alamo Sea.

Grand Theft Auto Online

 * The Advanced MG is available at Ammu-Nation, after reaching Rank 80.
 * Can be found in Survival as early as Wave 4 and will be kept for the rest of the session.
 * Can be found in crates in Gang Attacks. Almost always found in the Mile High Club and Sandy Shores Airfield gang hideouts.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

 * The Advanced MG will spawn in Deathmatch when weapons are set to snipers.
 * The weapon seemingly ejects .45 ACP shell casings. This is odd since the weapon fires the 5.56mm NATO cartridge.
 * The Advanced MG has a dark green skull on the front portion of the ammo box.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * Like the Micro SMG and the MG, attaching a scope to the weapon will cause the player to wield it like an assault rifle, rather than firing it from the hip.
 * The Combat MG is often preferred by the protagonists, as they will start with it on every loaded game and if the player is hanging out with the other two protagonists, they will wield it if provoked and when on foot or while riding a helicopter.

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