M55 SSW (Squad Support Weapon)

Ostensibly similar to most 21st century machine guns, the M55 is unique among military-grade firearms in that it uses a cartridge developed specifically for the 24th century as opposed to one converted from an existing caliber. Chambered for the powerful 9.3x68mm +C cartridge, the M55 is a large machine gun with a carrying handle on the top, a blocky handguard and a detachable ventilated barrel shroud. It is designed to be compatible with various types of magazines, and can be modified to suit different roles. The trigger and safety assembly are ambidextrous, making it popular among left-handed shooters. The standard M55 SSW comes equipped with a bipod, a large belt-box magazine that carries up to 140 rounds, a 2x magnified rifle optical sight, and a 24” barrel. There are two common M55 variants. The first, the M55A2 SPM (Special Purpose Machinegun) has a much shorter 17.5” barrel with an integrated suppressor, a foregrip instead of a bipod, and a red collimator sight. In addition, it carries a 70-round drum magazine rather than a belt-box. Finally, the M55A3 GPMG (General Purpose Machinegun) variant is designed for use on emplacements and vehicles. It has a long 29.5” precision barrel, a heavy muzzle brake, a tripod, and a 2-10x magnified marksman’s optical sight. Normally, the M55A3 is fed from linkless ammunition belts. In addition, it comes with a butterfly-style grip and trigger assembly, which can easily be swapped out for the original grip and trigger assembly on the fly, in case the gun needs to be moved. The 9.3x55mm +C rounds impact with a similar amount of energy to the much older 14.5x114mm anti-material cartridge.