Originally Posted by JTrapper73
Originally Posted by Triggernosis
Originally Posted by JTrapper73
,.
A lot of fun to fire when it worked. I would rather carry one than be an AG. They really got loaded down. I also thought it was easier to carry than a SAW. .


Two questions:
1) what is an AG?
2) I thought the M-60 was the SAW back in the day, no?


The AG stood for Assistant Gunner. He got loaded down with the tripod, spare barrel and several hundred rounds on top of the already burdensome weight a grunt carried.

The M-60 was a GPMG(General Purpose Machine Gun) in 7.62 that came into service in the very early 60’s to replace the 1919A6 and A4 Brownings in service at that time. There were also some BARS still in service as my uncle carried a BAR in Ranger school in 1961.
There was a automatic version of the M-14 that was supposed to function as a squad automatic weapon in that timeframe but it wasn’t very successful as it was hard to control.
The M249 SAW came into service in the early to mid 80’s and was chambered in 5.56. The 82nd Airborne was one of the first units to get the M249.
Until the M249 was introduced, the M-60 filled the gap wherever it was needed for close to twenty-five years. So yes, I guess you could say it was the SAW back in the day.


Mid-late '60s we were all issued a M-14 AND a M-16 rifle in Infantry AIT at Tigerland and both had full auto selector switches. M-14 only issued in Basic Training at Ft. Knox and were all sem-auto capable only.