M60

The M60 series of general purpose machine guns actually had their development based on research received from trials of the World War Two-era German MG42 and FG42 machine guns (both weapons detailed elsewhere on this website). Becoming the standard squad support and vehicle mounted system of choice throughout the 1960's and well into the 1990's, the system saw various changes throughout its much troubled lifetime. The base system itself came into being many design issues that would not liken it well to the standard infantry machine gunner.

The base M60 and the M60E1 (a modified and improved M60) served with the United States Army in large numbers. In regards to the two aforementioned German systems above, the M60 borrowed a similar ammunition feed system of the MG42 machine gun and the bolt and locking system from the equally impressive FG42 machine gun. Together, these elements made the M60 a potent if highly complicated and expensive weapon to produce and operate in battlefield conditions.

One of the major drawbacks of the initial M60 system was in the barrel change. When firing off round after round, there is a need to change the barrels to help the system from overheating. The base M60 offered up each barrel with their own bipod attachment and gas collecting cylinder, forcing the gunner to hold up the weapon and use an asbestos glove to change the hot barrel. Couple this with the fact that the system itself was quite heavy to wield with two hands let alone one and you have yourself a detriment to any firefight where sustained suppressive fire is essential.

With the M60E1 came reengineered barrel setup which allowed the gas cylinder and bipod assembly to now be a permanent fixture on the gun itself - leaving the barrel changing to become a simpler process. Among other improvements were to minor internal working components which extended the life of the machine gun and made it less prone to jamming or breaking in the field. From there, the series would see a few other variants that would help it continue on for decades in service with the United States Military and many other forces around the globe.

Variants of the M60 are as follows:

M60 - Base Production Variant
M60E1 - Modified M60 with improved barrel changing procedure; improved reliability.
M60E3 - Improvements to gas system and barrel changing process; lighter overall load; expanded use to the US Navy, US Marines and global users.
M60E4 - Further improved variant with optional three alternative barrel arrangements for differing fire modes; improved feed mechanism.

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