The M60 is an American-made general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. Introduced in 1957, it has served with every branch of the U.S. military and still serves with the armed forces of other nations. Its manufacture and continued upgrade for military and commercial purchases continue into the 21st century, although it has been replaced or supplemented in most roles by other designs, most notably the M240 machine gun in U.S. service. It is perhaps best known for its association with the Vietnam War.
Overview
The M60 was developed from German designs employed during World War II, most notably the FG 42 and the MG 42. The weapon is typically operated by a team of two or three individuals, owing to the weight of the weapon itself and the amount of ammunition it consumes when fired. While usually operated in a mounted role or fired from the integral folding bipod, it can be fired accurately from the shoulder at short ranges. In Vietnam, the weapon was known as "The Pig" due to its weight and size, factors that often led to the duty of carrying the weapon being shared between all the members of a rifle squad.
The M60 was partially replaced in the 1980s by the smaller, lighter M249 SAW, although the M60 was still retained in certain roles due to its greater power and range compared to the 5.56mm M249. Today, the M60 has essentially been superseded by the M240, although it continues to see use with some branches of the United States military, including the Navy SEALs, the Coast Guard, and some reserve units. However, it has largely been superseded by the M240.
Notable Users
Mac (portrayed by Bill Duke) carried an M60E3 with a shortened barrel as his main weapon during the mission in Guatemala, at one point using it to wound the Jungle Hunter shortly after Blain's death.
Some of the Colombians with El Scorpio attempted to arm themselves with full-size M60s during a shootout with the LAPD, but were slaughtered by the City Hunter before they could use them. A member of Peter Keyes' OWLF task force was also armed with an M60 with the folding bipod removed.
Trivia
- The shortened M60E3 used by Mac in Predator, along with the Valmet M78/83 machine guns used by the Guatemala rebels, are quite possibly the exact same guns used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in his earlier film Commando, as firearms for both movies were supplied by Stembridge Gun Rentals.
- When Predator was released in 1987, the M60E3 was a relatively new weapon and had only started being fielded around 1986. In fact, Predator was the fourth film to feature the weapon, behind Never Too Young to Die (1986), Rambo: First Blood Part II (whose screenplay was written by James Cameron) and the aforementioned Commando. Furthermore, in addition to Commando and Predator, Stembridge also supplied weapons used in Rambo: First Blood Part II, and the M60E3 used by Rambo is identical to the one used by Mac and Matrix, featuring (in a continuity error) the same shortened barrel, making it possible that all three are the exact same gun.