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M60 machine gun vs Sterling submachine gun A Small arms
General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun
B Small arms
Submachine gun
Credit Original photographs by an unidentified US Naval History and Heritage Command photographer, collage by User:Dvaderv2 · Public domain · Resized ·
Public domain ·
Source ↗ · Modified
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 5 of 5
M60 machine gun Sterling submachine gun
1.11m
686mm
Length +61%
All recorded figures & sources 1.105 m Length
Single source 1,105 mm (43.5 in)[source]
0.686 m Length
Single source M60 machine gun and Sterling submachine gun configuration Specification M60 machine gun Sterling submachine gun 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]
1944–present[source]
Used by See Users[source]
See Users
Length+61%
Mass+289%
Range+450%
Barrel length+186%
Rate of fire+9% Sterling submachine gun larger figure on 0 of 5
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
0.481 m Stock folded
Single source 686 millimetres (27.0 in ) Folded stock: 481 millimetres (18.9 in)[source]
10.5kg
2.7kg
Mass +289%
All recorded figures & sources 10.5 kg Mass
Single source 10.5 kg (23.15 lb)[source]
2.7 kg Mass
Single source 2.7 kilograms (6.0 lb )[source]
1.1km Effective; Effective firing range
0.2km Effective; Effective firing range
Range +450%
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]
0.2 km Effective; Effective firing range
Single source 0.05–0.1 km Effective; Suppressed
Single 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 millimetres (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
550rpm
Rate of fire
All recorded figures & sources 550–650 rounds/min Rate of fire
Single source 550–650 rounds/min[source]
550 rounds/min Rate of fire
Single source 550 rounds/min[source]
853m/s
—
Muzzle velocity
All recorded figures & sources 853 m/s Muzzle velocity
Single source 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s)[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 (Limited) Malayan Emergency Korean War Mau Mau Uprising Suez Crisis 1958 Lebanon crisis Bizerte crisis Aden Emergency Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation Rhodesian Bush War Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Bangladesh Liberation War Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Nigerian Civil War Second Malayan Emergency The Troubles Angolan Civil War Iran–Iraq War Falklands War Lebanese Civil War Sri Lankan Civil War Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Gulf War Nepalese Civil War Iraq War Libyan Civil War[source]
Manufacturer Saco Defense U.S. Ordnance[source]
Sterling Armaments Company[source]
Cartridge 7.62×51mm NATO[source]
9×19mm Parabellum 7.62×51mm NATO (Prototype only) .30 Carbine .357 (proposal) .40 S&W .45 ACP (PAWS ZX)[source]
Action Gas-operated , short-stroke gas piston, opened rotating bolt[source]
Straight blowback[source]
Feed system Disintegrating belt with M13 Links[source]
34-round box magazine or 32- or 50-round box magazine from the Sten and Lanchester[source]
Designer — George William Patchett[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 · Brazil Reported operator · Ghana Reported operator · Kuwait Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Malaysia Reported operator · Morocco Reported operator · Papua New Guinea Reported operator · Philippines Reported operator · Portugal Reported operator · Spain Reported operator · Sudan Reported operator · Trinidad and Tobago Reported operator · Tunisia Reported operator · Uganda Reported operator · United Kingdom Reported operator · Argentina Reported operator · Austria Reported operator · Bahrain Reported operator · Bangladesh Reported operator · Barbados Reported operator · Belize Reported operator · Botswana Reported operator · Brunei Reported operator · Canada Reported operator · Cuba Reported operator · Cyprus Reported operator · Eswatini Reported operator · France Reported operator · Gabon Reported operator · Gambia Reported operator · Guyana Reported operator · Hong Kong Reported operator · India Reported operator · Iran Reported operator · Iraq Reported operator · Jamaica Reported operator · Kenya Reported operator · Lesotho Reported operator · Libya Reported operator · Malawi Reported operator · Malta Reported operator · Myanmar Reported operator · Nepal Reported operator · New Zealand
200 metres (220 yd ) Suppressed: 50–100 metres (55–109 yd)[source]
Reported operator · Nigeria
Reported operator · North Korea
Reported operator · Oman
Reported operator · Qatar
Reported operator · Rhodesia
Reported operator · Saudi Arabia
Reported operator · Sierra Leone
Reported operator · Singapore
Reported operator · Solomon Islands
Reported operator · Somalia
Reported operator · Sri Lanka
Reported operator · Sweden
Reported operator · Tanzania
Reported operator · United States
Reported operator · West Germany
Reported operator · Vanuatu
Reported operator · Zambia
Reported operator · Zimbabwe 
