M60 (machine gun)
| M60 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Saco Defense, U.S. Ordnance |
| Development year: | 1952-1957 |
| Manufacturer country: | United States |
| Production time: | since 1957 |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1077 mm |
| Total height: | 216 mm |
| Total width: | 85 mm |
| Barrel length : | 560 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.62 × 51 mm NATO |
| Ammunition supply : | Ammunition belt |
| Cadence : | 550 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Continuous fire |
| Closure : | Turret lock |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
The M60 multipurpose machine gun was developed in the United States during the 1950s and is used by many armed forces.
history
In the USA, attempts were made unsuccessfully as early as the Second World War to recreate captured MG42s and convert them to the .30-06 Springfield caliber . Therefore, from the 1960s onwards, a new weapon was developed that was largely based on the weapons captured by the Wehrmacht. For example, the belt feed, which consists of punched and pressed pieces with plastic fittings, has been taken over from the MG42 , slightly modified . There are also some functions of the FG 42 .
A modified form of the M60 was used in the Vietnam War and has been an integral part of the equipment of the US Army since then . Over time, the M60 was nicknamed "The Pig" because of its deep, sonorous sound when it was fired, as it sounds very similar to "grunting". Another reason for this name is the poor handling of the weapon when firing in the non-lying position (jerking like a pig clamped under the arm).
In its role as the standard machine gun , it has been gradually replaced by other weapons since the 1970s, particularly the M240 developed by the Belgian Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal .
technology
technical description
The M60 machine gun is a self-firing , air-cooled gas pressure loader with a rotating head lock . The gas system has a short stroke gas piston; H. the gas piston moves a shorter distance than the breech. The gas cylinder is located under the barrel parallel to the barrel axis. The longitudinally displaceable hollow gas piston is located in the gas cylinder. If the fired projectile passes the gas extraction hole that connects the barrel and the gas cylinder, part of the gas produced when the propellant charge burns up enters the gas cylinder through the gas extraction hole and holes in the side of the gas piston. As soon as enough gas has entered the gas cylinder to move the gas piston backwards, it slides back; the holes in the wall of the gas piston then no longer coincide with the gas extraction hole, so that no additional gas can enter the gas cylinder. The aim of this mechanism is to achieve a constant gas pressure even with a dirty gas cylinder without the presence of a gas regulator .
After a short distance, the sliding gas piston hits the slide guide rod and throws it backwards. A control piece on the top of the lock guide rod, which runs in a control curve of the lock cylinder, rotates the latter around its longitudinal axis. The locking lugs on the bolt head emerge from their abutments on the barrel extension. This locking system comes from the FG 42 ; even a spring in the breech, which in the FG 42 is only required for single fire shooting, was retained in the breech of the M60 (only firing sustained fire ). The system of the M60 and FG 42 is very similar to that of the Lewis machine gun .
The ammunition is fed with metal link decay belts; the feed is from the left. The emptied belt links are ejected on the right side of the feeder, the cartridge cases slightly below. The M60 can only use decay straps , otherwise the empty strap would hang down in front of the ejection window and prevent the cases from being reliably ejected.
The barrel is equipped with a quick-change device, which is technically not completely satisfactory: to change the barrel, the weapon must be unloaded and cocked. Then the barrel retaining lever (which is located on the right below the rear sight base) is set vertically; the barrel can then be pulled forward out of the weapon. The new barrel is pushed in from the front and the barrel retaining lever thrown back. Then the weapon can be reloaded.
The M60 only shoots fully automatically, but due to the relatively low cadence it is possible to fire individual shots by quickly releasing the trigger .
The sight consists of a rear sight that can be adjusted for side and height in a folding rear sight frame on the housing and a non-adjustable front sight on a front sight base on the barrel near the muzzle. The rear sight frame must be set up for use, there is no emergency sight for shooting with the rear sight frame folded down. Deviations in the hit pattern when using different barrels cannot be compensated because of the non-adjustable front sight.
The piston of the M60 is equipped with a fold-out shoulder pad; the cocking lever on the right side of the weapon does not move with the slide when firing.
The M60 is mounted in the role of a heavy machine gun on the M122 tripod; this is essentially the M2 tripod of the M1919A4 with adapters for the M60.
On the left side of the feeder lower part there is a suspension for ammunition containers; when used as a light machine gun, the M4 bandolier was usually attached there. This shoulder bag made of olive-green cotton fabric contains a cardboard box with a 100-shot belt (two of these bandoliers fit in the normal belt case that was already used on the M1919A4).
Technical flaws and criticism
The M60 has several technical defects, some of them serious. This includes, for example, that the screw in a hole at the bottom of the gas cylinder can loosen and fall out when firing. If this happens, a significant part of the gas is blown downwards out of the weapon and is not available for the reload function. Actually, the opening closed with this screw should give access to the gas extraction hole so that it can be cleaned. They managed to secure this screw with wire. The unscrewable front end of the gas cylinder can also come loose after prolonged shooting, which also results in the reloading function failing. Here, too, was secured with wire.
Another serious weak point is the barrel change system. The barrel, gas cylinder and bipod of the M60 are combined in one unit. If you have to change the barrel, the support system is inevitably removed at the same time, which complicates the work in combat conditions; In addition, this arrangement makes the barrel of the MG much too heavy and bulky. A gas cylinder and bipod are also mounted on each interchangeable barrel. Since the barrel does not have a quick-change handle, you need an asbestos glove to change the barrel , which can easily be lost and make the change even more difficult.
The gas piston can be installed the wrong way round - if this happens, the weapon no longer reloads automatically. The feeder cover, made of thin sheet metal, bends easily if handled improperly.
It can also happen that the trigger blade in the handle wears so much that the slide guide rod is no longer caught when the shooter releases the trigger - in this case the weapon continues to fire independently and can only be stopped by twisting the ammunition belt.
variants
M60E1: In this version, the bipod is no longer on the barrel, but on the housing. The weapon can also be supported on the bipod when the barrel is removed. The gas cylinder is also attached to the housing. Changes have been made to prevent the gas system from falling apart. Wasn't made in large quantities.
M60E2: version as tank machine gun; The barrel and gas system are equipped with extensions that direct the propellant gases out of the vehicle interior. Firing by remote trigger.
M60B:
Used in helicopters in the 1960s and 1970s.
M60C: As M60, but without butt, fore-end, pistol grip and bipod, as a remote-controlled helicopter on-board weapon.
M60D: As M60, but without butt, fore-end and pistol grip. Two spade handles with thumb trigger at the rear end of the housing; mostly equipped with a ring rear sight. Use as a flexible on-board weapon for helicopters.
M60 Lightweight: Lightweight version of the M60 developed by the Saco Division of Maremount Corporation; the barrel is shortened and the gas system is attached to the housing instead of the barrel. A pistol grip is used instead of the original forend. A light bipod is attached to the gas system.
M60E3: further development of the lightweight; In addition to the front pistol grip, there is a short fore-end.
M60E4: Further development of the M60E3, which is used with barrels in three different lengths. Designated as Mark 43 Mod. 0 in the US Navy.
Mk.43 Mod.1: Further development of Mod. 0; Picatinny rails on the feeder cover and on the fore-end. The front pistol grip is removable.
use
The M60 is available in different versions for use in vehicles and helicopters (M60D); the remote-controlled version M60C is used on the outside of the weapon carriers of helicopters. During the Vietnam War , for example, the M60 was mounted in helicopters (see: Doorgunner ) and on various vehicles. Mainly it was used to cover certain areas with barrage . It can be mounted on various mounts or fired from lying down using a bipod. Shooting from the shoulder, as shown in many films, was only possible to a limited extent until the introduction of the M60E3 due to the high recoil energy and the high dead weight. Shooting from the hip, the so-called Deutschuss , on the other hand, is a regularly practiced type of shooting - with the disadvantage of a much lower hit probability.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.forgottenweapons.com/light-machine-guns/t52e3-an-m60-prototype/
- ↑ Reiner Lidschun and Günter Wollert: Infantry weapons: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world until 1945 . Parrogon Books Ltd., 2011, ISBN 978-1-4454-3816-0 , pp. 199 .
- ↑ FWA Hobart: The Machine Gun - The Story of a Fully Automatic Gun. Motorbuch Verlag, ISBN 3-87943-277-5 .