M60

M60 Capacity

The M60 is chambered in 7.62x51mmNATO (or .308 Winchester if your country has been to the moon) and was typically fed with 100-round belts.  These rounds were held together with M27 links and were shipped to soldiers in cardboard boxes with the belts already assembled.  These boxes would ship in green cloth bandoliers that would attach to a large hook on the left side of the receiver underneath the feed tray opening.

M60 Ergonomics

The M60 was known for having a very front-heavy balance due to the heavy barrel profile.  The biggest ergonomic drawback of the Pig was in its barrel changing procedure wherein there was no carry handle attached to the barrel as one was already on the handguard.  This required barrels to be swapped with the use of an asbestos glove when barrels were hot.

M60 Fit-N-Finish

The M60 “Pig” had many problems with its manufacturing that, over time, destroyed its reputation.  The bolts would begin to form burrs that needed to be filed off when subjected to heavy use, and this led to head spacing issues and then potentially dangerous malfunctions.  The firing pins were known to break causing runaways, and the stamped receivers would easily wear to the point that Uncle Sam began listing the receiver as a replaceable part.  They worked well in the 60’s and 70’s, but by the time the Gulf War began, most M60’s were worn out.