re: #118 William Lewis

(Looks, shudders) yes, that’s a goddamn [the serious expletives are deleted] M-60 barrel.

Once upon a lifetime ago, first as a unit armorer and later as an Infantry NCO I learned to loath that piss-poor disaster of a machine gun. The only weapon I hated more than the M-16 (which is why I own an AK instead but I digress…)

The US Army had a series of seriously horrifically bad small arms in the 50’s ~ 80’s. The M14, the M60, the M73, the M85, and others. Of them, only the M60 could be usable for a short time when brand new but it would shake itself to death fairly quickly by weapon standards.

The kneepads on the pup are cute though.

If you can find a cheaper copy than what you’ll find over at Amazon (or check your local library), I recommend Misfire by William Hallahan. That whole era of US Army small arms procurement could be summed up in two words: Cussed stupidity. Hence the legend that the Army never really wanted the M16 and instead had it forced upon them.