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M60 machine gun
M60 redirects here. For other uses of M60 or Model 60 see M60 (disambiguation).
The M60 is a belt-fed 7.62mm general-purpose machine gun first adopted by the US military in 1957. Having seen the GPMG concept proven by the German MG42, the US decided to develop their own to replace the aging Browning Automatic Rifle as a squad automatic weapon and the Browning M1919 in the medium machine gun role. Seeking a more mobile weapon without the MG42's fearsome rate of fire (the design requirements specified the weapon should be fireable from the shoulder like the BAR), Saco Defense's winning design was based on an FG 42 paratroop rifle converted to belt feed using an MG42 receiver cover called the T44.
The weapon was noted for performance issues in Vietnam, though often well-regarded by troops; like the early M16 versions, it was prone to fouling and mechanical issues in the harsh jungle environment. Perhaps the most criticised feature was that the weapon mounted the barrel, gas regulator, bipod and front sight as a single inseparable group with no handle, making barrel changes difficult and increasing the weight of spares. The weapon aged poorly and by the 80s there were complaints regarding runaway fire and worn pins resulting in guns literally falling apart: the fact that the entire trigger group is only secured with a single pin certainly did not help with this.
The M60 was partially replaced in the SAW role in the US Army by the M249 SAW in the 1980s and in the GPMG role by the M240 in 1995, but is still employed as a door gun on helicopters and enhanced versions used by a number of US military branches and other militaries. Fully-automatic M60s were available on the civilian market in the US prior to the passage of the Hughes Amendment which outlawed new production, and some companies produce semi-automatic clones.
The M60 machine gun and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Specifications
1957-present
Type: Medium Machine Gun / General-Purpose Machine Gun
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO
Capacity: 100 or 200 round belt
Fire Modes: Fully Automatic (~600 RPM)
M60 Machine Gun
Film
Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Henchman | 2016 | ||
Son of a Gun | Brenton Thwaites | JR | With railed handguard and ELCAN scope | 2014 |
A Dark Truth | Ecuadorian soldiers | Mounted on a jeep. | 2012 | |
Battleground | Seen in The Hunter's hideout. | 2012 | ||
Osombie | Jasen Wade | Derek | 2012 | |
Tropic Thunder | Jack Black | Jeff "Fats" Portnoy | Nicknamed "The Pig" | 2008 |
A door-gunner | Seen in the opening sequence | |||
American Gangster | soldier in Vietnam | 2007 | ||
Delta Farce | Larry the Cable Guy | Corporal Larry McCoy | 2007 | |
The Battle of Long Tan | Australian soldiers | w/ bipod deployed | 2006 | |
Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Seen sitting in Eddie's house | 2005 | ||
Lord of War | Sammi Rotibi | André Baptiste Jr. | Nicknamed "the gun of Rambo" | 2005 |
Resident Evil: Apocalypse | S.T.A.R.S. officer | for a second, during the shootout with the overrunning zombies | 2004 | |
Without a Paddle | Ethan Suplee | Elwood | the belt is loaded with crimped blank rounds | 2004 |
Saving Jessica Lynch | Iraqi insurgents | 2003 | ||
Cradle 2 the Grave | Anthony Anderson | Tommy | Erroneously shown mounted on an M1 Abrams tank | 2003 |
Warriors (Guerreros) | Albanian soldiers | Bipod-mounted | 2002 | |
The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course | U.S. Army Rangers | 2002 | ||
We Were Soldiers | U.S. 1st Cavalry Division soldiers | 2002 | ||
2009: Lost Memories | Fureisenjin terrorist | Futurized with digital ammo counter | 2002 | |
Black Hawk Down | Ewen Bremner | U.S. Army Ranger Nelson | 2001 | |
Going Back | United States Marines | 2001 | ||
Tigerland | U.S. Army soldiers | 2000 | ||
The Beach | Robert Carlyle | Daffy | 2000 | |
The General's Daughter | US soldier | humvee-mounted; training sequence during the end credits | 1999 | |
Two M60's are seen in the crate in the armory | ||||
Wild Zero | can be seen on the Yamazaki's base. | 1999 | ||
Three Kings | Ice Cube | SSG "Chief" Elgin | 1998 | |
Spike Jonze | PFC Vig | |||
Soldier | Mounted on Humvees | 1998 | ||
Godzilla | U.S Army Soldiers | 1998 | ||
The Siege | Mounted on U.S. Army Humvees | 1998 | ||
The Ultimate Weapon | Gunrunners | 1998 | ||
Courage Under Fire | U.S. Army soldier | 1996 | ||
Independence Day | Mounted on Humvees | 1996 | ||
Die Hard with a Vengence | Jeremy Irons | Simon Gruber | 1995 | |
Soldier Boyz | David Barry Gray | Lamb | 1995 | |
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | Vinh Moc | |||
Vinh Moc's soldiers | ||||
Forrest Gump | U.S. Army soldiers | 1994 | ||
Clear and Present Danger | U.S. Coast Guard personnel & reciprocity team member | 1994 | ||
Demolition Man | Seen mounted in opening sequence | 1993 | ||
Hard Boiled | Seen in the weapons cache | 1992 | ||
Universal Soldier | Dolph Lundgren | Sgt Andrew Scott/GR13 | 1992 | |
Flight of the Intruder | USAF crewmen | Door-mounted on HH-3 "Jolly Green" helicopter | 1991 | |
Terminator 2: Judgement Day | seen inside the Mojave desert armory | 1991 | ||
The Last of the Finest | Criminals | 1990 | ||
Fire Birds | U.S. DEA Agent | 1990 | ||
UHF | "Weird Al" Yankovic | George | 1989 | |
Casualties of War | U.S Army soldiers | 1989 | ||
Born on the Fourth of July | U.S. Marines | 1989 | ||
Hell Comes to Frogtown | Cec Verrell | Centinella | 1988 | |
BAT*21 | S-61 Sea King doorgunner | 1988 | ||
Die Hard | Helicopter door gunner | 1988 | ||
I Love Maria | Scientist | 1988 | ||
Hamburger Hill | U.S. Army soldiers and Việt Cộng | 1987 | ||
Full Metal Jacket | Tim Colceri | helicopter door gunner | Mounted on H-34 Choctaw helicopter | 1987 |
Adam Baldwin | "Animal Mother" | |||
Matthew Modine | "Private Joker" | |||
Eastern Condors | Yuen Biao | Rat Chieh | 1987 | |
Joyce Godenzi | Guerilla Girl #1 | |||
Gardens of Stone | Casey Siemaszko | Pvt. Wildman | 1987 | |
In Country | US troops | 1987 | ||
Police Academy 3 | David Graf | Eugene Tackleberry | 1986 | |
Platoon | Willem Dafoe | Sgt. Elias Grodin | 1986 | |
Johnny Depp | Lerner | armed on the watch | ||
David Neidorf | Tex | Pvt. Junior Martin (Reggie Johnson) feeds the ammunition belt | ||
Keith David | King | keeps in the typical Vietnam configuration with the bipod down | ||
Kevin Eshelman | Morehouse | Big Harold Forest Whitaker feeds the ammunition belt | ||
Dale Dye | A helicopter door gunner | mounted on a UH-1 'Huey' | ||
Heartbreak Ridge | Peter Koch | "Swede" Johanson | 1986 | |
Coordinates of Death (Koordinaty smerti) | Viet Cong guerrillas | 1985 | ||
American Ninja | Steve James | Cpl. Jackson | 1985 | |
Rambo: First Blood Part II | Andy Wood | CIA operator Banks | the bipod removed door-mounted on the UH-1 'Huey' | 1985 |
Commando Leopard | Lewis Collins | Enrique Carrasco | 1985 | |
Soldiers and rebels | ||||
The Annihilators | US Army soldier | Footage | 1985 | |
Wheels of Fire | Scourge's Man | 1985 | ||
Ghostbusters | Army National Guard soldier | 1984 | ||
Missing In Action | Chuck Norris | Col. James Braddock | 1984 | |
Red Dawn | Gorunov SGM mockup | 1984 | ||
used as a door gun on a US Army "Huey" helicopter | ||||
Code Name: Wild Geese | Manfred Lehmann | Klein | 1984 | |
Lee Van Cleef | Travers | |||
Klaus Kinski | Charleton | |||
General Khan's soldiers, Charleton's men | ||||
Exterminator 2 | Seen in X's hideout | 1984 | ||
Lone Wolf McQuade | David Carradine | Rawley Wilkes | 1983 | |
Octopussy | South American soldiers | Mounted on Dodge M37 | 1983 | |
Under Fire | . | Chadian Military | . | 1983 |
Blue Thunder | LAPD S.W.A.T. | 1983 | ||
Uncommon Valor | Randall "Tex" Cobb | Sailor | 1983 | |
First Blood | Sylvester Stallone | John Rambo | 1982 | |
The Dogs of War | Zangaran troops | fixed mount | 1981 | |
Mercenaries | ||||
Paul Freeman | Derek | removes it from the mount | ||
The Exterminator | Steve James | Michael Jefferson | 1980 | |
Apocalypse Now | Laurence Fishburne | Tyrone "Mr Clean" Miller | Mounted on U.S. Navy Patrol boat | 1979 |
The Odd Angry Shot | Australian SAS Troopers | 1979 | ||
The Boys in Company C | Andrew Stevens | Billy Ray Pike | 1978 | |
Hickey & Boggs | Michael Moriarty | Ballard | 1972 |
Television
Show Title / Episode | Actor | Character | Note | Air Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hawaii Five-O | Various | Revolutionaries | Season 2 Episode: "Savage Sunday" | 1968-1980 |
Magnum, P.I. | Larry Manetti | Rick Orville Wright | 1980-1988 | |
V: The Original Miniseries | Various | 1983 | ||
A-Team | Various | 1983 - 1987 | ||
Miami Vice | Coati Mundi | Ramone | 1984 - 1989 | |
Tour of Duty | U.S. military personnel | 1987 - 1990 | ||
Vietnam War Story | Eriq La Salle | KC | 1987-1989 | |
Vietnam War Story | Todd Graff | Pvt. Malone | "Seperated" | 1987 |
The X-Files | Various | 1993 - 2002 | ||
The Stand | U.S. military personnel | 1994 | ||
Viper (TV Series) | Gangbaner | 1996 - 1999 | ||
Stargate SG-1 | Various | 1997 - 2007 | ||
Ultimate Force | Columbian Army | 2006 | ||
Trevor White | Ritzic | |||
Guns | 2007 - 2008 | |||
Deadliest Warrior | Medellin Cartel | Season 2 Episode: "Somali Pirate vs Medellin Cartel" | 2009-??? | |
Iris - Season 1 | North Korean terrorists | 2009 | ||
Breaking Bad - Season 5 | Bryan Cranston | Walter White | 2013 |
Anime
Title | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Kochikame, The UFO Movie | 1996 - 2004 | ||
Spriggan | Yu | 1998 | |
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig | Batou | With futuristic detailing and furniture | 2004 - 2005 |
Black Lagoon | Rico | 2006 | |
Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan | Vespania soldiers | 2009 | |
Rideback | BMA terrorist | 2009 | |
Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C³ | Karila Hatsuse | Airsoft | 2013 |
Video Games
Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Doom | Plasma Gun | the front end of a dart-firing Nerf M60 replica was used for sprite design | 1993 | |
Doom 2 | Plasma Gun | the front end of a dart-firing Nerf M60 replica was used for sprite design | 1994 | |
The Ultimate Doom | Plasma Gun | the front end of a dart-firing Nerf M60 replica was used for sprite design | 1995 | |
Final Doom | Plasma Gun | the front end of a dart-firing Nerf M60 replica was used for sprite design | 1996 | |
Fallout Tactics | 2001 | |||
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 | Seen in cutscene, non-playable | 2001 | ||
Operation Flashpoint | 2001 | |||
Ghost Recon: Desert Siege | M60 | 2002 | ||
Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror | 2002 | |||
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Handheld and mounted on helicopter | 2002 | ||
Battlefield: Vietnam | 2004 | |||
Shellshock Nam '67 | Upgradable with extended barrel and 1,000 round ammo backpack | 2004 | ||
Project Reality | Handheld and mounted on rigid inflatable boats | 2005 | ||
Vietcong 2 | 2005 | |||
Elite Warriors Vietnam | 2005 | |||
The Suffering: Ties That Bind | 2006 | |||
World in Conflict | Cutscenes only | 2007 | ||
7.62 High Calibre | 2008 | |||
Left 4 Dead 2 | With weaponlight and optional laser sight | Cannot be reloaded | 2009 | |
1968 Tunnel Rats (VG) | 2009 | |||
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | M60 & M60SB | w/ various upgrades, SB is an M60B | 2010 | |
Battlefield Bad Company 2 | 2011 | |||
Breach | M60 | w/ railed top | 2011 | |
Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops | Minigun | twin-mounted on Humvees and Black Hawks | 2011 | |
War Inc. Battlezone | 2012 | |||
Project Reality: Vietnam | Hand-held and vehicle-mounted | 2012 | ||
Alekhine's Gun | non-playable | 2016 | ||
Shadow Warrior 2 | MG Triple-6 | w/ golden parts | 2016 | |
Mafia III | 2016 |
M60B Machine Gun
Short-lived variant without a pintle mount or bipod that was used in helicopters but was not actually mounted. Some versions also lacked a stock. Replaced by the spade-grip M60D.
Video Games
Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | M60 (SB) | Used as a standard handheld weapon | 2008 |
M60C Machine Gun
Aircraft-mounted stockless variant with an electronic firing control and hydraulic cocking mechanism, used on US helicopter external mounts in the 60s and 70s, often as part of the M-6E3 Weapons System.
Film
Title | Vehicle | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Starman | UH-1 Huey | M-6E3 Weapons System | 1984 |
Apocalypse Now | UH-1 Huey | M-6E3 Weapons System | 1979 |
The Green Berets | UH-1 Huey | M-6E3 Weapons System | 1968 |
M60D Machine Gun
Spade-grip pintle mount version with no handguard, made as a replacement for the M60B.
Film
Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Our Agent Tiger (Le Tigre se parfume à la dynamite) | Micaela Pignatelli | Sarita Sanchez | 1965 | |
The Green Berets | US Army soldiers | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters | 1968 | |
Apocalypse Now | US Army soldiers | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters | 1979 | |
Red Dawn | Lea Thompson | Erica Mason | Mocked up as DShK heavy machine gun, mounted on tripod | 1984 |
Soviet Army soldiers | Mocked up as DShK heavy machine gun, mounted on tripods & fake T-72 tanks and door-mounted on fake Mi-24 Hind helicopters | |||
Rambo: First Blood Part II | Soviet Army soldiers | Mocked up as DShK heavy machine gun, door-mounted on fake Mi-24 Hind helicopter | 1985 | |
Commando Leopard | Soldiers | Door-mounted on helicopters | 1985 | |
The Annihilators | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter; Footage | 1985 | ||
Hamburger Hill | US Army soldiers | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters | 1987 | |
Casualties of War | US Army soldiers | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters | 1989 | |
Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection | Door-mounted on helicopter | 1990 | ||
Toy Soldiers | US Army soldiers | Door-mounted on UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters | 1991 | |
In the Army Now | Mounted on desert patrol vehicles | 1994 | ||
Mercenary | Olivier Gruner | 'Hawk' | modded to look like a DShK | 1996 |
Mercenaries | modded to look like a DShK | |||
Courage Under Fire | US Army soldiers | Standing in for M240D machine gun, mounted on fake M1 Abrams tanks | 1996 | |
April Captains (Capitães de Abril) | Portuguese soldiers | Mounted on M48A5 tanks | 2000 | |
Going Back | US Marine | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter | 2001 | |
Behind Enemy Lines | US Marines | Door-mounted on UH-1N & UH-1H Huey helicopters | 2001 | |
Tears of the Sun | US Navy crewmen | Door-mounted on SH-60 Seahawk helicopters | 2003 | |
Saving Jessica Lynch | US Army soldiers | Door-mounted on UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters | 2003 | |
Jarhead | Door-mounted on UH-1N Huey helicopter | 2005 | ||
Tropic Thunder | Door gunner | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter | 2008 | |
Terminator Salvation | Christian Bale | John Connor | Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter | 2009 |
Act of Valor | US Navy | Door-mounted on SH-60/HH-60/MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter | 2012 | |
R2B: Return to Base | South Korean pararecsueman | Door-mounted on SH-60 Black Hawk helicopters | 2012 |
Television
Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Firefly | henchman | "Heart of Gold" (S01E13) | 2003 | |
Ultimate Force | Unused, door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters | 2006 | ||
Situation Critical | 2007 - 2008 | |||
Revolution | S01E10, seen door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters | 2012 |
Video Games
Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames | mounted on various vehicles | 2008 |
M60E3 Machine Gun
Lightweight version developed in the mid-eighties for the US Marine Corps and adopted in 1986 to replace their stocks of original production M60s, using a bipod mounted to the handguard rather than the barrel and fitted with a front pistol grip. The decreased weight led to decreased reliability and heating problems, and the E3 was largely replaced in service by the M240.
(As a side-note, the M60E1 was a version with the bipod mount moved to the handguard which never entered production, while E2 was a coaxial version with no furnishings or stock and a lengthened gas tube used on the M48A5 and M60 Patton tanks (replacing the alarmingly awful M73 machine gun) and the South Korean K1 MBT)
Film
Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Commando | Arnold Schwarzenegger | John Matrix | Short barrel | 1985 |
Arius' men | Short barrel | |||
Rambo: First Blood Part II | Sylvester Stallone | John Rambo | 1985 | |
Predator | Bill Duke | Sgt. Mac | Short barrel | 1987 |
Rage of Honor | Henchmen | 1987 | ||
Die Hard | Terrorists | 1988 | ||
Bulletproof | Danny Trejo | Sharkey | 1988 | |
Hot Shots! Part Deux | Charlie Sheen | Topper Harley | Short barrel | 1993 |
In the Army Now | Pauly Shore | PFC Bones Conway | 1994 | |
Clear and Present Danger | Special Ops members | Short barrel | 1994 | |
The Rock | Steve Harris | Pvt. McCoy | 1996 | |
Tomorrow Never Dies | Götz Otto | Robert Stamper | 1997 | |
Exit Wounds | A helicopter gunner | 2001 | ||
Jarhead | U.S. Marines | 2005 | ||
The A-Team | A helicopter gunner | 2010 | ||
FDR: American Badass | Anachronistic | 2012 |
Television
Show Title | Actor | Character | Note | Air Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stargate SG-1 | U.S. military personnel | 1997 – 2007 | ||
Harsh Realm | Republican Guard | 1999 | ||
Battlestar Galactica | Colonial Marine | 2004-2009 | ||
Continuum - Season 2 | remote-controlled / Episode 2 "Split Second" | 2013 |
Anime
Title | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Sky Blue | A rebel | 2003 | |
Eden of the East | Seen in Takizawa's closet | 2009 |
Video Games
Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear | M60 | Black Thorn expansion | 2000 | |
Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza | N/A | 2002 | ||
Conflict: Desert Storm | 2002 | |||
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | M60E4 | 2007 | ||
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | Seen in crate of weapons, non-playable | 2005 | ||
Call of Duty: Black Ops | M60 | 2010 | ||
Rainbow Six: Vegas | cut weapon | 2006 | ||
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 | cut weapon | 2008 | ||
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | 2011 | |||
Call of Duty: Black Ops II | M60 | w/ optional Colt scope, Aimpoint Electronic reflex sight, or foregrip | 2012 | |
The Showdown Effect | Mk-60 | 2013 |
M60E4 Machine Gun
Improved M60E3 with improved internals, a new front pistol grip/handguard and a redesigned gas system.
Film
Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tears of the Sun | Cole Hauser | James "Red" Atkins | 2003 | |
Paul Francis | Danny "Doc" Kelley | |||
U.S. Navy SEAL | ||||
Dawn of the Dead | Zack Snyder | Commando | 2004 | |
Blade: Trinity | Paul Levesque | Jarko Grimwood | 2004 |
Television
Show Title | Actor | Character | Note | Air Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black and White | Sarkozy group | 2009 |
Video Games
Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow | 2004 | |||
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter | X360 only | 2006 | ||
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | X360 only | 2007 | ||
ArmA II | Available in the Operation Arrowhead expansion | 2010 | ||
Counter-Strike Online | 2010 |
MK43 Mod 0/1
M60E4 variant designed for the US Navy, largely identical to the standard E4. The Mod 1 version features additional RIS mounts.
Television
Show Title | Actor | Character | Note | Air Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Unit | Dennis Haysbert | Jonas | S04E07 | 2009 |
Banshee - Season 2 | Fat Au's man | Episode 10 | 2014 |
Video Games
Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | M60E4 | With optional foregrip, laser pointer, and various optics | 2008 | |
Medal of Honor | M60 Machine Gun | Can be fitted with sights | 2010 | |
Battlefield Play4Free | M60 | With optional tan foregrip, pistol grip, and stock | 2011 | |
Battlefield 3 | M60E4 | With various optional attachments | 2011 | |
SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs | M60 | 2011 | ||
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier | M60 | w/ various attachments | 2012 |
M-6E3 Weapons System
M-6E3 Weapons System is an armament system for helicopters, which contains dual automated M60C machine guns remotely-controlled by the pilot.
Film
Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Green Berets | mounted on UH-1 "Huey" gunship | 1968 | ||
Apocalypse Now | mounted on UH-1 "Huey" gunship | 1979 | ||
Starman | mounted on UH-1 "Huey" gunship | 1984 |
See Also
- U.S. Ordnance - A list of all firearms manufactured by USORD.