This Marine flashes back to his service days with an M60 on the range.
The M60 machine gun is one of the most famous firearms currently in use by the U.S. Military. This firearm is still in use with almost every branch of the armed forces from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy Seals, to the Marine Corps and even the Coast Guard.
This video showcases one Marine and Vietnam War veteran returning to this general purpose machine gun decades after he last fired one. After only a few rounds down range, it becomes obvious a flood of memories is coming back to him.
The joy on his face is completely palpable as he then starts firing "The Pig" from the hip while flinging a lot of 7.62x51mm NATO ammo at the target!
The M60 was developed shortly after World War II as a replacement for the Browning automatic rifle and the .30 caliber Browning machine gun. In Vietnam, this gas-operated, disintegrating belt-fed beast was often mounted in Huey helicopters, but this light machine gun was also carried by a dedicated M60 gunner as a squad automatic weapon meant for support. The M60 is extremely heavy at 23 pounds, but the carrying handle, pistol grip and bipod help make it a little easier to manage in the field.
Despite being more than 60 years old, the M60 design has aged well. The firepower is still there with a muzzle velocity of 2,800 feet per second and a maximum effective range of up to 1,200. As if that was not enough, this firearm has a cyclic rate of fire of up to 600 rounds per minute. In modern combat, they often use armor-piercing rounds, which makes the gun that much more powerful. No wonder the United States hasn't retired the M60 yet.
It is worth noting that there have been several design updates to the firearm in recent years to improve the gas system, to reduce the weight and add things like a quick change barrel system that helps with overheating issues.
These updates have likely helped the M60 prolong its shelf life. It's also not surprising that many other Armies have also adopted the M60 due to its reliability and raw power. It's probably safe to say we will be seeing the M60 in a combat role for many years to come.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
NEXT: SIG SAUER CROSS RIFLE FOLDS THE GAP BETWEEN TACTICAL, HUNTING PURPOSES
WATCH
