Credit
Curiosandrelics · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗ · Modified
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At a glance
M3 submachine gunlarger figure on 0 of 3
Measured figures
stock collapsed
Single sourcestock extended /
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | M3 submachine gun | M60 machine gun |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Submachine gun[source] | General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun[source] |
| Place of origin | United States[source] | United States[source] |
| In service | 1943–present[source] | 1960–present[source] |
| Used by | See Users[source] |
M60 machine gunlarger figure on 3 of 3
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
29.1 in (740 mm) stock extended / 21.9 in (556.3 mm) stock collapsed[source]
Length
Single source1,105 mm (43.5 in)[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.
See Users[source]
| Wars | World War II Chinese Civil War Greek Civil War Indonesian National Revolution First Indochina War Korean War Cuban Revolution Algerian War Bay of Pigs Invasion Vietnam War The Troubles Laotian Civil War Malayan Emergency Sino-Indian War Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989) Papua Conflict Rhodesian Bush War Cambodian Civil War Turkish invasion of Cyprus Shaba II Cambodian–Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Nicaraguan Revolution Salvadoran Civil War Argentine Dirty War Falklands War Soviet–Afghan War Iran–Iraq War Persian Gulf War Moro conflict Burundi Civil War Kosovo War First Ambon riots War in Afghanistan Iraq War Syrian Civil 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 | George Hyde[source] | — |
|---|
| Designed | 1942[source] | 1952–1957[source] |
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| Manufacturer | General Motors , others[source] | Saco Defense U.S. Ordnance[source] |
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| Unit cost | Approx. US$ 20 (1943; equivalent to $279 in 2025)[source] | US$6,000 (M60E3)[source] |
|---|
| Produced | 1943–1945; early 1950s[source] | 1957–present[source] |
|---|
| No. built | Total: 655,363 M3: 606,694 M3A1: 48,669[source] | — |
|---|
| Variants | M3A1 PAM1 PAM2 T29[source] | See Variants[source] |
|---|
| Cartridge | .45 ACP (11.43×23 mm) 9×19mm Parabellum .30 Carbine (7.62×33mm)[source] | 7.62×51mm NATO[source] |
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| Action | Blowback , open bolt[source] | Gas-operated , short-stroke gas piston, opened rotating bolt[source] |
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| Feed system | 30-round or 32-round detachable box magazines[source] | Disintegrating belt with M13 Links[source] |
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| Sights | Fixed rear peep sight and blade foresight, calibrated to 100 yards for caliber .45 M1911 ball ammunition[source] | Iron sights[source] |
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| Former operator · Austria | Austria[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Brazil | Brazil[source] | — |
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| Former operator · People's Republic of China | People's Republic of China[source] | — |
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| Former operator · France | France[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Greece | Greece[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Italian Partisans | Italian Partisans[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Japan | Japan[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Kingdom of Laos | Kingdom of Laos[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Republic of China | Republic of China[source] | — |
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| Former operator · South Korea | South Korea[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Iran | Iran[source] | — |
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| Former operator · North Vietnam | North Vietnam[source] | — |
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| Former operator · South Vietnam | South Vietnam[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Norway | Norway[source] | — |
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| Former operator · Soviet Union | Soviet Union[source] | — |
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| Former operator · United Kingdom | United Kingdom[source] | — |
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| Reported operators |
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