M249 | Gator Mesh (Field-Tested)

Skin overview

Gator Mesh is a camouflage-style spray finish: a green-yellow net over dark streaks on an otherwise dark M249 frame. After field use the paint starts to lift on the magazine corners and the edges of the top cover, but the scale pattern still reads clearly. Because the finish is busy and uneven by nature, light wear blends into it rather than standing out.

Item type: machinegun. Industrial Grade is the second tier from the bottom: common skins from drops and collections.

Spray-Paint: paint sprayed over the metal; scratches and scuffs appear early but look natural.

Other qualities of this skin: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred.

Appearance in Field-Tested

The receiver, top cover and handguard are sprayed with a yellow-green net pattern over dark olive streaks, which gives a scale-like texture. The box magazine carries the largest and brightest area of the mesh, where the cells read as reptile scales.

Scratches become visible on the magazine corners, the edges of the top cover and the rails, with some fading of the yellow. The handguard edges and the rear of the stock start to show small chips. In game the scale pattern still reads clearly because the busy mesh hides much of the damage. Flat sides of the magazine and receiver stay largely intact.

Field-Tested quality — float range 0.15–0.38

The float of M249 | Gator Mesh ranges from 0 to 0.6; the Field-Tested quality covers 0.15–0.38 — 38% of this skin’s scale. The lower the float within the range, the cleaner the surface looks and the higher a copy is usually priced.

Where the skin comes from: collection and case

The skin’s collection is The Safehouse Collection with 15 skins in total.

It drops from:

• DreamHack 2013 Souvenir Package
• EMS One 2014 Souvenir Package

Price by quality

Among 5 skins of the M249 in the Industrial Grade grade and this quality, this skin is the most affordable.

Souvenir version

There is also a the Souvenir version with tournament stickers.

Stickers and crafts

Stickers in yellow, olive, black or gold match the mesh and keep the camouflage theme. Matte or holo stickers on the flat sides of the receiver or the magazine sit well against the scale pattern, while bright red or blue designs will stand out sharply.

What to check before buying

• Check where the float sits inside the wear range, since a low float keeps the magazine corners noticeably cleaner.
• Look at the box magazine first, because it carries the brightest part of the mesh and shows wear most clearly.
• Pattern placement changes little on this finish, so do not pay extra for a specific seed.
• For Souvenir copies, check which stickers are applied and how worn they are.

Who should buy Field-Tested

• Players who want the recognisable gator mesh at a moderate cost.
• Those who like a lightly used camouflage look.
• A balanced middle option where wear blends into the pattern.