← Light Machine Gun
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M249 SAW vs PKM
The M249 SAW fires 5.56x45mm, the PKM fires 7.62x54mm.
Both are light machine guns. The figures below come from the game's own damage tables, worked out on a chest shot against two reference targets: no armor, and a level 4 plate. Nothing here is an opinion about what to carry.
Measured side by side
| Measure | M249 SAW | PKM |
|---|---|---|
| Damage per roundchest, unarmored target | 32.3 | 63.5 |
| Shots to killchest, unarmored target | 4 | 2 |
| Time to killchest, unarmored target | 0.21 s | — |
| Damage per roundchest, level 4 plate | 11.3 | 22.2 |
| Shots to killchest, level 4 plate | 9 | 5 |
| Time to killchest, level 4 plate | 0.56 s | — |
| Rounds per minuteas shipped | 850 | — |
| Effective rangemetres | 700 m | 1000 m |
A chest shot and two armor tiers is a slice, not the whole answer: a head shot, a limb, a level 2 plate or a different round all move these numbers. Lethality lets you set all of it and shoot the target yourself.