M60 7.62mm Machine Gun
The M60 is a gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed, automatic machine gun that fires from the open-bolt position. It has a maximum rate of fire of 550 rounds per minute. Ammunition is fed into the weapon from a 100-round bandoleer containing a disintegrating metallic split-link belt. It can be fired from the shoulder, hip, or underarm position; from the bipod-steadied position; or from the tripod-mounted position.
The M60 Machine Gun has been the US Army's general purpose machine gun since 1950. It fires the standard NATO 7.62 mm round and is used as a general support crew-served weapon. It has a removable barrel which can be easily changed to prevent overheating. The weapon has an integral, folding bipod and can also be mounted on a folding tripod.
The M60 machine gun uses several different types of 7.62-mm standard military ammunition. Soldiers must use only authorized ammunition that is manufactured to US and NATO specifications. The ammunition is issued in a disintegrating, metallic, split-linked belt. The preferred combat ammunition mix for the M60 is a four-ball (M80) and one-tracer (M62) mix. Again, the four-and-one mix allows the gunner to use the TOT method of adjusting fire to achieve target kill.
The ammunition is stored under cover. If ammunition is in the open, it must be kept at least 6 inches above the ground and covered with a double thickness of tarpaulin. The cover must be placed so that it protects the ammunition yet allows ventilation. Trenches are dug to divert water from flowing under the ammunition. Ammunition should not be removed from the airtight containers until ready for use. Ammunition removed from the airtight containers, especially in damp climates, may corrode.
| Type | Use |
| M61 Armor-piercing | Against lightly armored targets. |
| M62 Tracer | For observation of fire, incendiary effects, signaling, and training. |
| M80 Ball | Against light materiel targets and personnel, and for range training. |
| M63 Dummy | During mechanical training. |
| M82 Blank | During training when simulated live fire is desired (A blank firing attachment must be used to fire this ammunition). |
The 7.62-mm M60 machine gun supports the rifleman in offense and defense. It provides the heavy volume of close and continuous fire the rifleman needs to accomplish his mission. The M60 is used to engage targets beyond the range of individual weapons, with controlled and accurate fire. The long-range, close defensive, and final protective fires delivered by the M60 form an integral part of a unit's defensive fires.
Application of fire consists of the methods the gunner uses to cover a target area. Training these methods of applying fire can be accomplished only after the soldiers have learned how to recognize the different types of targets they may find in combat, how to distribute and concentrate their fire, and how to maintain the proper rate of fire. Normally, the gunner is exposed to two types of targets in the squad or platoon sector: enemy soldiers and supporting automatic weapons. These targets have priority and should be engaged immediately.
The M60 was type classified in 1957 as a companion to the 7.62mm M14 rifle. The M60 is lighter than the .30 cal. M1919A6 and only slightly heavier than the .30 cal. M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) it replaced. The M60 7.62mm machine gun has been the U.S. Army's general purpose medium machine gun since the late 1950s. The M60 fires standard NATO 7.62mm ammunition and is used as a general support crew-served weapon. It has a removable barrel which can be easily changed to prevent overheating. The weapon has an integral, folding bipod and can also be mounted on a folding tripod. The M60 has a rate of fire of 600 spm.
The M60C and M60D are aircraft versions of the basic M60 machine gun.
The M60 joined the United States Army's arsenal in 1959. It was to incorporate the best features of other successful guns, and the two which took the imagination of the designers were the World War II German MG42 and the FG42. The locking arrangements are from the FG42 and the feed and belt are from the MG42.
The M60 machine gun was the first U.S. gun to have a quick-change barrel. The original system did not work well because the gas cylinder, the barrel, and the bipod were permanently attached to each other. This drawback has been eliminated in the M60E1. In the early years of Viet Nam, Marines the 7.62mm (.30 caliber) M60 machine gun replaced the esteemed Brownings, but would be found wanting. The M60E1 has proven to be as good a gun as any NATO GPMG. In Vietnam, in thousands of fire fights, the M60E1 gave the U.S. Infantryman the handheld firepower he needed. Each standard Infantry Company was issued six M60 machine guns.
The M60 machine gun was never deemed fully satisfactory by its users despite efforts by both the Marine Corps and the Army to correct its many deficiencies. In the 1980s the M60 was replaced by the Belgian Fabrique Nationale 7.62mm MAG-58 general purpose machine gun, re-designated as the M240. The M60 series is being replaced by the M240B 7.62mm medium machine gun. The M60/MK43 7.62mm Machine Gun within the NSW Inventory has proven to be less than reliable, NSW users have lost confidence in the weapon and the weapon is becoming logistically unsupportable. USSOCOM approved a MNS/ORD on 21 March 2001 for a new Lightweight 7.62mm Machine Gun (LMG).
