Still in use today with the US military, albeit at a reduced capacity, the M60 machine gun is a well-known force to be reckoned with. With its ability to controllably lay down suppressive fire, “The Pig” (as it was affectionately known), was the back-bone of the infantry squad through the Vietnam War. The weapon was often cited as the single reason a wave attack was repulsed.

The M60 is a fully-automatic, gas-operated, air-cooled, shoulder or mount-fired, open-bolt, medium machine gun. It first 7.62×51 NATO from linked belts of ammunition. The barrels are quick-change and come with an integral bi-pod for firing from the prone position. The weapon was typically loaded with ball ammunition in a ratio of 4 standard rounds to a single tracer, which helped machine gunners walk the weapon in to their intended target.

Provided, by Documentary Tube, HOW IT WORKS: The M60 Machine Gun is an old army instructional video complete with the mesmerizing male voice, keep-it-simple break-it-down-barney-style demonstrations, and the pre-computer cardboard style cut-away of the weapons systems.

To me, its amazing how effective these videos are. They are truly instructional and for some reason that I do not understand, wholly entertaining unlike the death by powerpoint training found in armories today.

Enjoy the video!