M249 Squad Automatic Weapon

The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon was a heavy automatic weapon used by the HECU during the Black Mesa Incident. In Half-Life: Opposing Force, it was one of Adrian Shephard's key weapons.

Employment
The SAW was an exceptionally useful weapon in that whilst ostensibly a machine gun, it could be carried and manipulated by a single person. The HECU used it to provide heavy, mobile support for its foot soldiers as they advanced into the underground sections of Black Mesa. Although its size and power prevented it from being the most accurate weapon, there were very few opponents that could stand up to an assault led by the SAW.

Adrian Shephard availed himself of a SAW early on during the events of Opposing Force. He occasionally encountered other soldiers carrying the weapon. The weapon has not appeared in any other Half-Life game; it is likely that it was outmoded by the Pulse weaponry employed by the Combine.

Tactics

 * The SAW is Adrian Shephard's most powerful weapon; you can kill enemies as powerful as the Voltigore quickly by holding its fire on them. Conserving its ammo, which is relatively scarce, is a major priority.  Do not use it on weaker enemies such as Zombies or Pit Drones.
 * The SAW is fairly inaccurate and holding fire on it will drive you backwards. Also beware its very long reloading time.  Keep an eye on your ammo and do not be caught short with it.
 * An excellent way to preserve SAW ammo is to attempt to keep allied soldiers carrying the weapon alive for as long as possible. Not only will these soldiers be more effective in combat, but they never run out of ammo for the gun.  Once they do die, they always leave behind 50 bullets for it.