Firearms / Machine guns / M60-E3
M60-E3
General Facts
- TYPE
Machine gun - ORIGIN
United States
- NICKNAMES
- - DESIGNED
Early 1980s - DESIGNER
Saco Defense - PRODUCTION
1986 - early 2000s - PRODUCERS
United States - Saco Defense
United States - U.S. Ordnance
- QUANTITY
Unknown - UNIT COST
$ 9.500 per unit in 2005 - CHARACTERISTICS
Lighter than most medium machine guns
More ergonomic than the original M60
Low rate of fire aids stability
Easy to use and clean
Mediocre reliability and rapid wear
Limited sustained fire capability
Introduction
The M60-E3 is a late Cold War era machine gun of US origin. The design objective was to improve the suitability of the M60 in the infantry role. When introduced the M60-E3 was one of the lightest and most portable 7.62mm machine guns.
Design
The M60-E3 retains the overall design and internal mechanism of the original M60. As such it is a belt fed gas operated weapon. The M60-E3 has been made much lighter by using lighter parts and thinner barrel. Ergonomics have been improved by fitting a forearm with vertical grip and placing the bipod further towards the rear.
Firepower
The M60-E3 fires the 7.62x51mm NATO round from 50, 100 and 200 round disintegrating belts. With a rate of fire of 500 to 650 rpm the M60-E3 is very controllable despite its limited weight. The sustained fire capability is limited. Firing 100 rounds per minute requires a barrel change every 5 minutes. With 200 rounds per minute a barrel change is required every 2 minutes.
Users
The M60-E3 was mainly adopted by US forces. In the 1990s it was supplemented and replaced by the heavier and more reliable M240. The M60-E3 was exported but not in similar quantities as the original M60. The heavier and more reliable M60-E4 replaced the M60-E3 in production in the year 2000.
M60-E3
The M60-E3 is a lighter and more ergonomic redesign of the M60. It was produced in only one variant. Later on a shorter barrel was made available. Due to its lighter barrel and less durable parts a vehicle mounted weapon based on the M60-E3 made little sense and was not developed. The M60-E3 can be distinguished from the original M60 by the forward grip and bipod placement. The newer M60-E4 looks rather similar to the M60-E3.
- Specifications:
- M60-E3 (short)
- M60-E3
Type | Machine gun |
---|---|
Caliber | 7.62x51mm NATO |
Magazine | Belt fed, 50, 100 rounds |
Operation | Gas operated, rotating bolt, fires from open bolt |
Fire selector | 0-F |
Rate of fire | 500 - 650 rpm |
Barrel length | 440 mm |
---|---|
Rifling | 4 grooves, 305 mm right hand twist |
Muzzle velocity | ? |
Stock | Fixed |
Length | 957 mm |
Width | ? |
Height | ? |
---|---|
Weight | 8.78 kg |
Sights | Iron sights |
Remarks | Bipod, forward grip |
Type | Machine gun |
---|---|
Caliber | 7.62x51mm NATO |
Magazine | Belt fed, 50, 100 rounds |
Operation | Gas operated, rotating bolt, fires from open bolt |
Fire selector | 0-F |
Rate of fire | 500 - 650 rpm |
Barrel length | 558 mm |
---|---|
Rifling | 4 grooves, 305 mm right hand twist |
Muzzle velocity | 853 m/s |
Stock | Fixed |
Length | 1.077 mm |
Width | ? |
Height | ? |
---|---|
Weight | 8.96 kg |
Sights | Iron sights |
Remarks | Bipod, forward grip |