american_weapons

M-16

M-249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon)

On 1 February 1982 the M249 machine gun was officially adopted (type classified) by the United States Army. That America now has the finest, most reliable weapon ever placed into its small-arms inventory is due in large measure to a group of dedicated and impressively professional small-arms technologists at the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Command (ARRADCOM) in Dover, N.J., and Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md. Although not as startling or dramatic to either the media or public as the space-shuttle program, this major achievement will have far more important immediate consequences for our troops in the field.
The M249 5.56mm SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) will be primarily deployed in the infantry fire teams of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. It will replace the bipod-mounted M16A1 AR (automatic rifle) at the squad level and selected M60 GPMGs (general-purpose machine guns) in non-infantry units. The two fire teams in the rifle squad will each be issued an M249.

M-60 GPMG (General Puropose Machine Gun)

    The current crop of rifle caliber machineguns after the Korean war were all John M. Browning designs: the M-1917A1 heavy water-cooled; the M-1919A4 medium air-cooled; and the M-1919A6 light air-cooled. The Army wanted a new general purpose machinegun (GPMG) that was lighter than the lightest Browning (M-1919A6); had a quick-change barrel (which the Browning did not); could be used as an infantry, vehicular, or aircraft gun; had an improved belt feed, and could be fired from either the shoulder, hip, bipod, or tripod.
     Army Ordnance experimented with a T-series copy of the German MG-42 general purpose machinegun in the mid-1940s. Ordnance even manufactured copies in .30 caliber. However, someone fouled-up the reverse engineering and made the receiver too short to accommodate the extra length of the American .30 caliber cartridge vs. the German 7.92x57mm cartridge. The American replicas would not function and the project was abandoned at the end of 1945.
     Ordnance did not give up and decided to incorporate features of several guns from its previous research. The new GPMG would use a modification of the American WW1 Lewis Gun gas and bolt system and the feed mechanism of the German WW2 MG-42. The result was the M-60 machine gun in 7.62mm NATO.
     The M-60 GPMG has several design features shared with the MG-42: The M-60 infantry gun has a butt stock and pistol grip/trigger group. The M-60 has a combination hand guard and barrel shroud instead of the slotted barrel jacket of the MG-42. The M-60 has a folding bipod similar to the MG-42 design and is adapted to a tripod mount.
     The M-60C is a helicopter machinegun. The butt stock and pistol grip of the M-60 ground gun are removed. The butt stock is replaced by a sheet metal cover. The pistol grip is replaced by a solenoid-actuated trigger. The hand guard/barrel shroud is removed as is the bipod from the barrel. The M-60C was mounted in two gun pairs on either side of UH-1 helicopters. The pairs of guns were slaved to the pilot's lead-computing sight. A mechanical buffer replaces the hydraulic buffer. The mechanical buffer raises the gun's cyclic rate of fire.cyclic rate of fire. The M-60C is also used in pairs as part of the M-6 armament system on UH-1 helicopters (see below) and in the fuselage sponsons of OV-10 "Bronco" aircraft as used by Navy Light Attack Squadron FOUR [VA(L)-4] in Viet Nam.
     The M-60D is a flexible gun used by special operations units or helicopters. The butt stock is replaced by a pair of spade grips (similar o the .50 Browning MG). A trigger bar connects the triggers to the trigger group that replaces the pistol grip/trigger group of the M-60. Barrels may or may not have bipods. Aircraft guns are fed through a flexible feed chute that attaches to the side of the gun. The cradle of the aircraft gun incorporates a bag to catch expended links and brass as they are ejected from the gun during firing. In Viet Nam, MST users clipped a C-ration can o the bracket that was designed to hold the ammunition bandolier. The purpose of the C-ration can was to help the gun feed the ammunition more reliably.
     The M-60 is a general purpose machinegun that weighs 23 pounds, is air-cooled, gas operated, belt-fed, and fires full automatic. Length is approximately 43 inches. Cyclic rate is approximately 550 to 650 rounds/minute.
     Other versions of the basic M-60 are the M-60E1, M-60E2, M-60E3, and Mk 43 Mod 0. The M-60 has several quirks that caused users problems over the years. The barrel change lever could not be worked without asbestos gloves. Several important parts can be installed wrong which either render the gun inoperable or a single shot weapon. For instance, it was found that the mechanical buffer would stretch the gun's receiver if used for extended periods. The first attempt to cure the problems identified in the M-60 was made by the M-60E1.

A History of Selected American Weapons.

Home

    The M16 Assault Rifle is the standard issue shoulder weapon in the US military. It marks a departure from normal ballistics in that it uses a smaller, high-velocity round (5.56 mm caliber vs. 7.62 mm). This results in a smaller and lighter weapon as well as smaller ammunition, significantly decreasing combat load.
     The US Army long had a deeply entrenched and historical view which argued that carefully aimed, long-range rifle fire is superior to the high-volume, but largely unaimed, bursts of automatic weapons. Those who argued for aimed fire believed that good marksmanship and judicious control win battles and conserve ammunition. Others argued that weapons with higher volumes of fire would have met the wartime needs of the US military much better. At a time when the infantry of many armies is armed with sophisticated and fully automatic versions of assault rifles, US foot soldiers are equipped with the M-16, a one-pull, three-shot rifle.
     The M-14 was the Army’ s original choice to replace World War II-era M-1 and Browning Automatic rifles. The M14 was an unhappy compromise weapon, that satisfied virtually no one, least of all the men for whom it was intended. General dissatisfaction with the M14 and numerous studies led the Army to the development of a light weight weapon capable of firing a burst of small caliber bullets with a controlled dispersion pattern. Unfortunately, the M-14's follow-on initially fared little better.
     The replacement for the M14 was originally designed by Eugene Stoner, of the ArmaLite Company, as the AR-15 around 1956. The AR-10 was conceived by Eugene Stoner as a 7.62mm Basic infantry rifle in 1955. At that time the Army was considering replacements for the M1 Garand. The AR-10 was stunningly different than any previous design. It was produced with aircraft grade aluminum receivers, and therefore weighed less than seven pounds. The stock and other furniture were plastic, while the T-44 and T-48 were of wood. The configuration of the rifle itself, with its integral carrying handle and charging handle distinctively mounted within it, sparked intense curiosity. In the end, the AR-10 wasn’t able to catch up, and eventually lost out to the M-14 rifle in 1959.