Gratuitous L4 (and M-60) pic

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Photo taken at the 1974 open day at the Officer Cadet Training Unit, Wacol, Queensland.

Note the Canadian C2 sight on the mounted M-60 and the "barber's pole" in the mid distance.

The C-2 was the standard "indirect fire" sight for machine-guns and Mortars at the time.

Information

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[RCS]

This is very difficult to repair in the field as better tools are going to be required. I saved the broken firing pin and damaged spring as a reminder.Attachment 55813Attachment 55814

The other photo shows the adopter to mount the M60 on the US M2 tripod

[Peter Laidler]

That's ingenious....... the C2 sight on the M-60 too. Never saw that but what a good idea. Same as us on our 81mm and GPMG.

When did your last M-60's go Bruce?

[Bruce_in_Oz]

I seem to recall that most units had been relieved of their M-60s by late 1989.

Some may have hung on longer.

The last M-60 shoot I remember supporting was 1989 at Wide Bay. I did get a chance to do a "nostalgia" shoot in the US a couple of years ago: good times!

Whilst the "word" was that the M-60 was a piece of crap, like many other bits of gear, if you kept it "fed and groomed" correctly, it would chug away quite reliably. The trick was to TOTALLY strip and inspect them before going "live". ANY part that looked "tired" was swapped out, burrs were carefully polished off critical surfaces, extractor and ejector springs were replaced. Heat and corrosion kill springs; dud springs cause functioning issues. On BIG shoots, EVERY spring was replaced. It is amazing how well equipment will work when properly maintained............

The same applies to Mag58s (M-240) and Minimi (M249): before ANY qualification shoot or other live fire exercise,with the Minimi, I preferred to replace the extractor and ejector springs, as well as the pawl springs in the feed mech and, of course, the main return spring. One of the problems with the Minimi is the amount of crud that accumulates in the extractor recess. This causes all sorts of problems with extractor "bite" and is a guaranteed way to start spring corrosion.

It always intrigued me that the "designers" of the M-60 cut corners on the feed mech. They obviously had a long hard look at the MG-42; and then decided to "simplify" things, thus losing the wonderful "double-shuffle" action that was so religiously carried over to the MaG 58. The M-60 bolt system is almost a straight lift from the old Lewis gun, via the FG-42, but, again, in the standard '60, the "designers", cut corners on the trigger mech and over-simplified it, at a cost of parts wear, especially on the op-rod. On a MaG-58, the nifty "hold and reset" trigger system from the MG-42 was retained (as were the grip panels). The re-hashed Hotchkiss gas regulator system on the MaG is a pain compared to the elegant (mostly) "self-regulating" system on the '60, though the '58 system has the "unintended"? side function of a "speed" control. It's amazing how fast a '58 will go through ammo after a "tweak" by an "enthusiastic" gunner. (Never mind that the entire mechanism gets severely hammered, the buffer blows gaskets and body rivets start to loosen from too much "fun".

Obviously FN retained a huge Browning legacy in the '58: Big slab sides, big rivets, a big nod to the BAR breech block system ...........

[browningautorifle]

I was issued one in 1977 (M60) for training in Canungra and it worked fine except for the blank ammo. Didn't seem to have enough push. Mine was a tired old veteran that had been to RVN and back, very early 5 digit number too...it worked fine.

[Peter Laidler]

Canungra......... another xxxx-hole! I don't think the M060 was particularly bad as such, Just being brought up on the very first GPMG's, you got a bit spoiled and was a better gun. I remember when we got some from Pommy Ordnance in Malaya I hadn't seen one for many months and had to show the Military Trg team and the Armourers around it. The gas system was always controversial and I didn't really understand it as I'd just learned it parrot fashion. But once I was told that I was going to have to explain it inside out to some senior SASC instructors, then sectioned a few barrels and gas regs to pass around it all fell into place.

But that system made it the most accommodating gun that'd just eat any old ammo that you cared to feed it. Brian at BDL has a very high mileage one that's been to hell and back. But it just seems to come back for more......... Another good thing is that FN would not allow any variation from the drawings during manufacture (?) so parts are interchangeable across the world as I learned with captured Argentinian manufactured guns. We call it '.....The General........' When it opens up it just gives you a warm secure feeling inside........

[browningautorifle]

Make no mistake, we ached to get the MAG when in the 70s we had the FN and the FNC2...you had a MAG per rifle section... If the two were sitting there, brand new M60 and a well used C6(MAG), I'd pick up the MAG. No games...

I'm just very pleased to have had all the experiences I have...

[Peter Laidler]

The conditions attached to the manufacture of the L7 gun here were horrendous. And the financial costs to 'buy out' a relaxation were prohibitive too - as were some simple modifications such as the strengthened bipod leg struts and the 50 round mag boxes. Both British mods/designs that were taken on by FN (and we didn't have to pay) but we did have to pay to change the butt sling loop position. (I think I might have got these the wrong way round but whatever!!!!!). When I left last year we still had L7 Belgian made BL64 A- xxxxx guns on the shelf!

Brilliant bit of kit...... One of those things that works out, like the AK47 or AKM where you use a load of other ideas, not necessarily the BEST ideas and all of a sudden they gel and you get it........

Someone from the US tried to sell us a single shot fire trigger mechanism in the early 00's but it never took off. Anyone else trial such a tool? Bruce - BAR

[browningautorifle]

Do you mean a semi auto conversion for the MAG? Kind of un-needed...no, never heard of it.

[ActionYobbo]

I was still carrying the M60 in 1992 but by then I was in the cut lunch crew (ARes)