Heckler & Koch MG4 vs M60 machine gun

Heckler & Koch MG4 — licensed reference photograph

ASmall arms

Heckler & Koch MG4

Light machine gun

Credit

Herpezon3 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

BSmall arms

M60 machine gun

General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

Length comparisonOne shared metre scale

Heckler & Koch MG4stock extended /

1.03 m

Length source ↗

M60 machine gunLength

1.105 m

Length source ↗

Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope.

Heckler & Koch MG4larger figure on 2 of 4

Rate of fire+38%
Muzzle velocity+8%

M60 machine gunlarger figure on 2 of 4

Mass+29%
Barrel length+24%

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

26 of 83 rows sourced on both sides

1.03mstock extended /

1.11m

Length

All recorded figures & sources

1.03 m

stock extended /

Single source

0.83 m

stock folded

Single source

1,030 mm (40.6 in) stock extended / 830 mm (32.7 in) stock folded^[source]

1.105 m

Length

Single source

1,105 mm (43.5 in)^[source]

90mm

—

Width

All recorded figures & sources

0.09 m

Width

Single source

90 mm (3.5 in)^[source]

250mm

—

Height

All recorded figures & sources

0.25 m

Height

Single source

250 mm (9.8 in)^[source]

8.15kg

10.5kg

Mass+29%

All recorded figures & sources

8.15 kg

Mass

Single source

8.15 kg (17.97 lb)^[source]

10.5 kg

Mass

Single source

10.5 kg (23.15 lb)^[source]

≈ 1kmEffective; Approx

3.7kmMaximum; Maximum firing range

RangeScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

≈ 1 km

Effective; Approx

Single source

0.6 km

Official specification · MG4; 600 m

Manufacturer claim

Approx. 1,000 m^[source]

600 m^[source]

1.1 km

Effective; Effective firing range

Single source

3.724 km

Maximum; Maximum firing range

Single source

450mm

560mm

Barrel length+24%

All recorded figures & sources

0.45 m

Barrel length

Single source

450 mm (17.7 in)^[source]

0.56 m

Barrel length

Single source

560 mm (22.0 in)^[source]

830rpm

550–650rounds/min

Rate of fire

All recorded figures & sources

830 rounds/min

Rate of fire

Manufacturer claim

890 (± 60) rounds/min^[source]

830 Rounds/min^[source]

550–650 rounds/min

Rate of fire

Single source

550–650 rounds/min^[source]

920m/s

853m/s

Muzzle velocity+8%

All recorded figures & sources

920 m/s

Muzzle velocity

Single source

920 m/s (3,018 ft/s)^[source]

853 m/s

Muzzle velocity

Single source

2,800 ft/s (853 m/s)^[source]

—

7.6mmCaliber

Calibre

All recorded figures & sources

7.62 mm

Caliber

Single source

7.62 mm (0.308 in)^[source]

Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.

Configuration

Details

Heckler & Koch MG4 and M60 machine gun configuration
Specification	Heckler & Koch MG4	M60 machine gun
Type	Light machine gun^[source]	General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun^[source]
Place of origin	Germany^[source]	United States^[source]
In service	2005–present^[source]	1960–present^[source]
Used by	See Users^[source]	See Users^[source]
Wars	Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Saudi–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present)^[source]	Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Dominican Civil War Cambodian Civil War Moro conflict The Troubles Lebanese Civil War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Salvadoran Civil War Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Persian Gulf War Operation Gothic Serpent War in Afghanistan Iraq War Cambodian–Thai border stand-off Colombian armed conflict Insurgency in the Philippines Bougainville conflict Myanmar conflict various others^[source]
Designer	Heckler & Koch^[source]	—
Designed	1990s^[source]	1952–1957^[source]
Manufacturer	Heckler & Koch^[source]	Saco Defense U.S. Ordnance^[source]
Produced	2001–present^[source]	1957–present^[source]
Variants	See Variants^[source]	See Variants^[source]
Cartridge	5.56×45mm NATO^[source] DM11^[source]	7.62×51mm NATO^[source]
Action	Gas-operated , rotating bolt^[source]	Gas-operated , short-stroke gas piston, opened rotating bolt^[source]
Feed system	M27 linked disintegrating belt^[source]	Disintegrating belt with M13 Links^[source]
Sights	Iron sights ; MIL-STD-1913 rail provided for optics, German Army models are equipped with telescopic sights with 3× magnification.^[source]	Iron sights^[source]
Unit cost	—	US$6,000 (M60E3)^[source]
Reported operators	Reported operator · Albania Reported operator · Brazil Reported operator · Chile Reported operator · Estonia Reported operator · Germany Reported operator · Malaysia Reported operator · Portugal Reported operator · Saudi Arabia Reported operator · Spain Reported operator · Turkey Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Yemen	Reported operator · Brazil Reported operator · Chile Reported operator · Malaysia Reported operator · Portugal Reported operator · Spain Reported operator · Turkey Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Algeria Reported operator · Australia Reported operator · Bolivia Reported operator · Bosnia and Herzegovina Reported operator · Cambodia Reported operator · Colombia Reported operator · Costa Rica Reported operator · Czech Republic Reported operator · Democratic Republic of the Congo Reported operator · Denmark Reported operator · Dominican Republic Reported operator · East Timor Reported operator · El Salvador Reported operator · Egypt Reported operator · Fiji Reported operator · Ghana Reported operator · Greece Reported operator · Haiti Reported operator · Honduras Reported operator · Italy Reported operator · Indonesia Reported operator · Jordan Reported operator · Kuwait Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Liberia Reported operator · Lithuania Reported operator · Luxembourg Reported operator · Mexico Reported operator · Morocco Reported operator · Nicaragua Reported operator · Panama Reported operator · Papua New Guinea Reported operator · Peru Reported operator · Philippines Reported operator · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Reported operator · Senegal Reported operator · South Korea Reported operator · Sudan Reported operator · Taiwan Reported operator · Thailand Reported operator · Trinidad and Tobago Reported operator · Tunisia Reported operator · Uganda Reported operator · United Kingdom Reported operator · U.S. Army Reported operator · Venezuela Reported operator · Vietnam

FORCETALLY

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Heckler & Koch MG4

M60 machine gun

Type

Light machine gun^[source]

General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun^[source]

Place of origin

Germany^[source]

United States^[source]

In service

2005–present^[source]

1960–present^[source]

Used by

See Users^[source]

Wars

Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Saudi–Yemeni border conflict (2015–present)^[source]

Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Dominican Civil War Cambodian Civil War Moro conflict The Troubles Lebanese Civil War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Salvadoran Civil War Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Persian Gulf War Operation Gothic Serpent War in Afghanistan Iraq War Cambodian–Thai border stand-off Colombian armed conflict Insurgency in the Philippines Bougainville conflict Myanmar conflict various others^[source]

Designer

Heckler & Koch^[source]

—

Designed

1990s^[source]

1952–1957^[source]

Manufacturer

Heckler & Koch^[source]

Saco Defense U.S. Ordnance^[source]

Produced

2001–present^[source]

1957–present^[source]

Variants

See Variants^[source]

Cartridge

5.56×45mm NATO^[source]

DM11^[source]

7.62×51mm NATO^[source]

Action

Gas-operated , rotating bolt^[source]

Gas-operated , short-stroke gas piston, opened rotating bolt^[source]

Feed system

M27 linked disintegrating belt^[source]

Disintegrating belt with M13 Links^[source]

Sights

Iron sights ; MIL-STD-1913 rail provided for optics, German Army models are equipped with telescopic sights with 3× magnification.^[source]

Iron sights^[source]

Unit cost

—

US$6,000 (M60E3)^[source]

Reported operators

Reported operator · Albania
Reported operator · Brazil
Reported operator · Chile
Reported operator · Estonia
Reported operator · Germany
Reported operator · Malaysia
Reported operator · Portugal
Reported operator · Saudi Arabia
Reported operator · Spain
Reported operator · Turkey
Reported operator · Ukraine
Reported operator · Yemen

Reported operator · Brazil
Reported operator · Chile
Reported operator · Malaysia
Reported operator · Portugal
Reported operator · Spain
Reported operator · Turkey
Reported operator · Ukraine
Reported operator · Algeria
Reported operator · Australia
Reported operator · Bolivia
Reported operator · Bosnia and Herzegovina
Reported operator · Cambodia
Reported operator · Colombia
Reported operator · Costa Rica
Reported operator · Czech Republic
Reported operator · Democratic Republic of the Congo
Reported operator · Denmark
Reported operator · Dominican Republic
Reported operator · East Timor
Reported operator · El Salvador
Reported operator · Egypt
Reported operator · Fiji
Reported operator · Ghana
Reported operator · Greece
Reported operator · Haiti
Reported operator · Honduras
Reported operator · Italy
Reported operator · Indonesia
Reported operator · Jordan
Reported operator · Kuwait
Reported operator · Lebanon
Reported operator · Liberia
Reported operator · Lithuania
Reported operator · Luxembourg
Reported operator · Mexico
Reported operator · Morocco
Reported operator · Nicaragua
Reported operator · Panama
Reported operator · Papua New Guinea
Reported operator · Peru
Reported operator · Philippines
Reported operator · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Reported operator · Senegal
Reported operator · South Korea
Reported operator · Sudan
Reported operator · Taiwan
Reported operator · Thailand
Reported operator · Trinidad and Tobago
Reported operator · Tunisia
Reported operator · Uganda
Reported operator · United Kingdom
Reported operator · U.S. Army
Reported operator · Venezuela
Reported operator · Vietnam