L7A1 GPGM Machine Gun

With its 7.62mm caliber rounds pumping out at 750 rpm, the GPMG, or 'GIMPY', allows special ops teams to engage not only large groups of enemy troops but also soft-skinned vehicles. Often fitted to boats or vehicles, the GPGM can also be carried on patrol, although these days the lighter minimi para is preferred by British foot soldiers. When mounted on a tripod and configured in sustained fire (SF) mode, the GPMG can be used as an area weapon, putting down a volume of fire onto a 70 meter wide 'beaten zone'.

The SBS used the GPMG to great effect during the Falklands conflict, in their attack on Fanning Head. When drawn into the bloody uprising of Taliban prisoners at Qala-i-Janghi in Afghanistan.2001, the SBS dismounted the GPMGs from their Land Rovers and fired them from the hip and shoulder (watch video).

GPMG Specifications
british military designation	L7A1
weight	12.5 kg
length	1,245 mm (49 in)
barrel length	627 mm (24.68 in)
rate of fire	650-1000 rounds/min
caliber	7.62x51 mm NATO
magazine capacity	100 round belt
muzzle velocity	905 m/s (2,970 ft/s)
effective range	900 m (tracer burnout), 1,800 m (1,970 yards) in sustained fire mode