FORCETALLY
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At a glance
M60 machine gunlarger figure on 4 of 5
Type 81 assault riflelarger figure on 1 of 5
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
Measured figures
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.
Configuration
| Specification | M60 machine gun | Type 81 assault rifle |
|---|---|---|
| Type | General-purpose machine gun Medium machine gun[source] | Assault rifle Squad automatic weapon (Type 81 LMG)[source] |
| Place of origin | United States[source] | China[source] |
| In service | 1960–present[source] | 1983–present[source] |
| Used by | See Users[source] | See Users[source] |
| 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] | Sino-Vietnamese conflicts Cambodian–Vietnamese War Soviet–Afghan War Iran–Iraq War Sri Lankan Civil War Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Barin uprising Gulf War Croatian War of Independence Bosnian War Kosovo War Kargil War War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) Iraq War Boko Haram insurgency Syrian Civil War Internal conflict in Myanmar 2025 Cambodia‒Thailand conflict[source] |
| Designed | 1952–1957[source] | 1979–1981[source] |
| Manufacturer | Saco Defense U.S. Ordnance[source] | Manufactured by: Various state arsenals Marketed by: Norinco Emei Licensed by: Bangladesh Ordnance Factories[source] |
| Unit cost | US$6,000 (M60E3)[source] | — |
| Produced | 1957–present[source] | 1983-2023 (China) 1980s-present (Bangladesh and other countries)[source] |
| Variants | See Variants[source] | See Variants[source] |
| Cartridge | 7.62×51mm NATO[source] | 7.62×39mm[source] |
| Action | Gas-operated , short-stroke gas piston, opened rotating bolt[source] | Short stroke gas piston , rotating bolt[source] |
| Feed system | Disintegrating belt with M13 Links[source] | Proprietary 30-round detachable box magazine (20 rounds for CS/LR14), 75-round detachable drum magazine[source] |
| Sights | Iron sights[source] | Adjustable iron sights[source] |
| Designer | — | Wang Zijun[source] |
| No. built | — | ~400,000 (Type 81)[source] |
| Reported operators |
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