Credit
Photo Courtesy of PEO Soldier · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified
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At a glance
M2 Browninglarger figure on 4 of 4
M60 machine gunlarger figure on 0 of 4
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
Measured figures
Length
Single sourceAN/M2
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | M2 Browning | M60 machine gun |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Heavy machine gun[source] | General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun[source] |
| Place of origin | United States[source] | United States[source] |
| In service | 1933–present[source] | 1960–present[source] |
| Used by | See Users[source] | See Users[source] |
1,654 mm (65.1 in) 1,429 mm (56.3 in) (AN/M2)[source]
Length
Single source1,105 mm (43.5 in)[source]
Mass
Single sourceAN/M2
Single sourcebarrel weight
Single sourcewith tripod and traverse and elevation mechanism (T&E)
Single source38 kg (84 lb) 28 kg (62 lb) (AN/M2) 58 kg (128 lb) with tripod and traverse and elevation mechanism (T&E) 24 lb (11 kg) barrel weight[source]
Mass
Single source10.5 kg (23.15 lb)[source]
Caliber
Single source7.62 mm (0.308 in)[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Wars | World War II 1947-1949 Palestine war Indonesian National Revolution Korean War First Indochina War Suez Crisis 1958 Lebanon crisis Cuban Revolution Portuguese Colonial War Rhodesian Bush War Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War Colombian conflict Dominican Civil War Ethiopian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Nicaraguan Revolution Falklands War Operation Urgent Fury Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–2025) Iran–Iraq War Operation Just Cause Persian Gulf War Rwandan Civil War Somali Civil War Yugoslav Wars Operation Uphold Democracy War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War Mexican drug war Syrian Civil War (2011–present) War in Iraq (2013–2017) Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) Russo-Ukrainian War[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 | John Browning[source] | — |
|---|
| Designed | 1918[source] | 1952–1957[source] |
|---|
| Manufacturer | Active Fabrique Nationale General Dynamics Ohio Ordnance Works Inc. U.S. Ordnance Former Manroy Engineering Sabre Defence Industries Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company High Standard Firearms Savage Arms Corporation Buffalo Arms Corporation General Motors Corporation Frigidaire AC Spark Plug Saginaw Steering Gear Division Brown-Lipe-Chappin Divisions Kelsey Hayes Wheel Company Springfield Armory Wayne Pump Company ERMCO Ramo Manufacturing Rock Island Arsenal[source] | Saco Defense U.S. Ordnance[source] |
|---|
| Produced | 1921–present (M2HB/M2A1)[source] | 1957–present[source] |
|---|
| No. built | 3 million[source] | — |
|---|
| Cartridge | .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO)[source] | 7.62×51mm NATO[source] |
|---|
| Action | Short recoil-operated[source] | Gas-operated , short-stroke gas piston, opened rotating bolt[source] |
|---|
| Feed system | Belt-fed (M2 or M9 links)[source] | Disintegrating belt with M13 Links[source] |
|---|
| Unit cost | — | US$6,000 (M60E3)[source] |
|---|
| Variants | — | See Variants[source] |
|---|
| Sights | — | Iron sights[source] |
|---|
| Reported operators | — |
|
|---|