The Army Dumped the M60. Then It Ordered More.

[4thIDvet]

In September 2024 the U.S. Army signed a contract for new M60 machine guns - almost thirty years after it threw the M60 out of its infantry. The Pig lost two head-to-head tests to a Belgian gun, and in one of them it missed the Army's own minimum by four rounds

The Army Dumped the M60. Then It Ordered More.

Sander's say? "Give me my Pig and get out of my way"

[baboon]

http://www.usord.com/

https://beltfeds.com/about-us/

[Sanders]

Those new M60s are awesome. I think it's the E6, now?

I had 3 different guns assigned to me. Two were fairly worn out, but still kept chugging along. One of them, I could squeeze the receiver together with two fingers. It wound up going back to the depot and they gave me a brand new M249 SAW with a serial number of 4 hundred something. That gun sucked ass. It wound up accidentally wrapped around a tree at Baumholder, Germany with the help of a M113. I was given a brand, spanking new Maremont M60 to replace it.

[Johnny]

I don't think the M60 is coming back and don't believe the You Tube story.

[4thIDvet]

Those new M60s are awesome. I think it's the E6, now?

I had 3 different guns assigned to me. Two were fairly worn out, but still kept chugging along. One of them, I could squeeze the receiver together with two fingers. It wound up going back to the depot and they gave me a brand new M249 SAW with a serial number of 4 hundred something. That gun sucked ass. It wound up accidentally wrapped around a tree at Baumholder, Germany with the help of a M113. I was given a brand, spanking new Maremont M60 to replace it.

Yup our 60s never failed any problems they spoke right up and quieted things down. I think their trying to get the weight down and still keep strength which ain't easy.

[Johnny]

Even though I was in the Army for decades, (mostly in field artillery) I have very little time behind crew served machineguns. I never fired any of them enough to call myself competent.

The M60 and M240B felt about the same. Both seemed difficult to control, especially in untrained hands. I had better luck aiming with tracers and round impacts than relying on the sights. At every range, there was an NCO who could demonstrate true excellence with a machinegun. They'd make it come alive with accuracy and make it look easy.

The M2 felt more like a cannon than a machinegun. The power was unreal. You didn't even have to hit the target to kill it. Just get close. Unlike other machineguns, I was amazed that I never saw any bullet drop. Watching .50 cal tracers was like watching a laser from Star Wars. Amazing!

The M249 was my favorite. With little training, the average Joe could get rounds on target consistently. With relatively low recoil and firing a lighter round (.223) it was easier to control. I saw a lot of them in Iraq. They'd issue M249s as personal weapons; not crew-served. The Army is in the process of phasing them out. Too bad. I liked the concept of a crew-served machinegun that used the same ammo as rifles and was compatible with magazines and belts.

EDIT: I just learned that the Army's replacement for the M249 is called the M250. It's a few pounds lighter and carries an array of improvements over the M249. I want one!

[Sanders]

Yup our 60s never failed any problems they spoke right up and quieted things down. I think their trying to get the weight down and still keep strength which ain't easy.

My last qualification before I ETS'd, I sniped the pop up range out to 900m. Why? Because I was told it couldn't be done. I knew that gun and the 7.62x51 round better than most, having been in a 3 yr. love affair with it. I got chewed out for turning in ammo, but I still qualified Expert. Don't know why they need the weight down - make the soldiers stronger!