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M60 machine gun vs Sten A Small arms
General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun
B Small arms
Submachine gun
VS At a glance Head to head Details Methodology Length comparison One shared metre scale 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope. M60 machine gun larger figure on 4 of 4
M60 machine gun Sten
1.11m
762mm
Length +45%
All recorded figures & sources 1.105 m Length
Single source 1,105 mm (43.5 in)[source]
0.762 m Length
Single source M60 machine gun and Sten configuration Specification M60 machine gun Sten Type General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun[source]
Submachine gun[source]
Place of origin United States[source]
United Kingdom[source]
In service 1960–present[source]
1941–1960s (United Kingdom) 1941–present (other countries)[source]
Used by See Users[source]
See Users
+1733%
Barrel length+186%
Muzzle velocity+134% Sten larger figure on 0 of 4
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
10.5kg
3.2kg Mk. II
Mass
All recorded figures & sources 10.5 kg Mass
Single source 10.5 kg (23.15 lb)[source]
3.2 kg Mk. II
Single source 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) (Mk. II)[source]
1.1km Effective; Effective firing range
0.1km Effective; Effective firing range
Range +1733%
All recorded figures & sources 1.1 km Effective; Effective firing range
Single source 3.724 km Maximum; Maximum firing range
Single source 1,200 yd (1,100 m)[source]
4,073 yd (3,724 m)[source]
0.06 km Effective; Effective firing range
Single source 60 m (66 yd)[source]
560mm
196mm
Barrel length +186%
All recorded figures & sources 0.56 m Barrel length
Single source 560 mm (22.0 in)[source]
0.196 m Barrel length
Single source 196 mm (7.7 in)[source]
7.6mm Caliber
—
Calibre
All recorded figures & sources 7.62 mm Caliber
Single source 7.62 mm (0.308 in)[source]
550–650rounds/min
version dependent; c. 500–600 round/min
Rate of fire
All recorded figures & sources 550–650 rounds/min Rate of fire
Single source 550–650 rounds/min[source]
version dependent; c. 500–600 round/min[source]
853m/s
365m/s
Muzzle velocity +134%
All recorded figures & sources 853 m/s Muzzle velocity
Single source 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s)[source]
365 m/s Muzzle velocity
Single source 305 m/s suppressed models
Single source 365 m/s (1,198 ft/s) 305 m/s (1,001 ft/s) (suppressed models)[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
Wars 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]
World War II Second Sino-Japanese War Chinese Civil War Indonesian National Revolution First Indochina War Indo-Pakistan Wars 1948 Arab–Israeli War Malayan Emergency Korean War Mau Mau Uprising Algerian War Suez Crisis 1958 Lebanon crisis Cuban Revolution Annexation of Goa Portuguese Colonial War Sino-Indian War Vietnam War Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Laotian Civil War Greek Civil War Bangladesh Liberation War Lebanese Civil War Angolan Civil War Rhodesian Bush War Turkish invasion of Cyprus IRA Border Campaign The Troubles Punjab insurgency Maluku sectarian conflict Iraq War Syrian Civil War[source]
Manufacturer Saco Defense U.S. Ordnance[source]
Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield BSA ROF Fazakerley ROF Maltby ROF Theale Berkshire Lines Brothers Ltd Long Branch Arsenal, Canada Various underground resistance group factories[source]
Unit cost US$6,000 (M60E3)[source]
£2/6s in 1942 (equivalent to £94 in 2025 )[source]
Action Gas-operated , short-stroke gas piston, opened rotating bolt[source]
Blowback-operated , open bolt[source]
Feed system Disintegrating belt with M13 Links[source]
32-round detachable box magazine[source]
Designer — Major Reginald V. Shepherd Harold J. Turpin[source]
No. built — 3.7–4.6 million (all variants, depending on source)[source]
Reported operators Reported operator · Algeria Reported operator · Australia Reported operator · Bolivia Reported operator · Bosnia and Herzegovina Reported operator · Brazil Reported operator · Cambodia Reported operator · Chile 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 · Malaysia 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 · Portugal Reported operator · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Reported operator · Senegal Reported operator · South Korea Reported operator · Spain Reported operator · Sudan Reported operator · Taiwan Reported operator · Thailand Reported operator · Trinidad and Tobago Reported operator · Tunisia Reported operator · Turkey Reported operator · Uganda Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · United Kingdom Reported operator · U.S. Army Reported operator · Venezuela Reported operator · Vietnam Reported operator · Australia Reported operator · Denmark Reported operator · Egypt Reported operator · Greece Reported operator · Italy Reported operator · Indonesia Reported operator · Jordan Reported operator · Luxembourg Reported operator · Malaysia Reported operator · Philippines Reported operator · Portugal Reported operator · Thailand Reported operator · Turkey Reported operator · United Kingdom Reported operator · Albania Reported operator · Argentina Reported operator · Bangladesh Reported operator · Botswana Reported operator · Belgium Reported operator · British Hong Kong Reported operator · Canada Reported operator · Central African Republic Reported operator · Ceylon Reported operator · Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) Reported operator · Katanga Reported operator · Cuba Reported operator · Cyprus Reported operator · People's Republic of China Reported operator · Republic of China Reported operator · Czechoslovakia Reported operator · Finland Reported operator · France Reported operator · Grenada Reported operator · India Reported operator · Israel Reported operator · Empire of Japan Reported operator · Kenya Reported operator · Kingdom of Laos Reported operator · Libya Reported operator · Malta Reported operator · Myanmar Reported operator · Nepal Reported operator · Netherlands
Reported operator · Nazi Germany
Reported operator · New Zealand
Reported operator · Nigeria
Reported operator · North Korea
Reported operator · Norway
Reported operator · North Vietnam
Reported operator · Pakistan
Reported operator · Poland
Reported operator · Rhodesia
Reported operator · Sierra Leone
Reported operator · South Africa
Reported operator · South West Africa
Reported operator · South Vietnam
Reported operator · Tibet
Reported operator · United States
Reported operator · West Germany
Reported operator · Yugoslavia 
