Quote:
Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic
I believe the M60 had only been in Australian service for about five years by the time of Long Tan so they were still quite new in that sense. They're a pretty tough gun when they aren't old and worn out (like most GPMGs from that era) and I'd be willing to argue that sustained, direct fire from those guns made the difference between life and death at Long Tan.
To me, it makes plenty of sense that they ignored the 200-rd barrel change and only did it when they had the luxury of time. The gun could take the abuse and there were plenty of reasons (about 2,500 to 3,000 of them) to ignore the barrel change every 200-rds.
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There's a semi-famous picture in one of the Jane's Infantry Weapons about 15-20 years back showing an American instructor coaching an Australian M60 gunner at the range.
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