Quote:
Originally Posted by CSB
.And there was one firing table I'll bet the 18B's haven't seen: FT 7.62-A-2.
Yes gentleman, that's the Firing Table for the 7.62 mm M-60 Machine Gun, when used in the tripod indirect fire mode. If you ever wanted to know why the pig has machined flats on top of the replaceable barrel, this is it. So you can lock the M-60 into a tripod, cinch it down, and adjust elevation with a gunners quadrant (see image attached) and fire the machine gun in an indirect fire mode, as if it was artillery, from defilade or behind fortifications, or over the heads of friendly forces in more or less safety (YMMV).
When you have more ammo than air support ...
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When the M60 was being phased out in the late 80s early 90s, the army wanted to saw to replace the 7.62 as a crew served weapon. Someone at Ranger Regiment (as my understanding went) decided that was a bad idea and competed 7.62 LMG.
I recall:
M60E3 (USA)
MG3 (GER)
MAG58 (BEL)
they were probably a few more but those were the ones I remembered.
They selected the MAG58 and redesignated it the M240G.
One of the selling points of the MAG 58 was the indirect fire kits that came with it. I remember it came with special sights and aiming stakes. It could be set up in defilade and the squad leader could spot over the hill and direct the guns.
I was not part of the testing as I had just left a weapons squad when I got promoted to E5 and went to a line doggie squad.
Addendum: FM 23-67 Machinegun 7.62-MM, M60, Dated Feb 1984, never mentioned indirect fire mode. It only mentioned plunging fire, presumably in the direct fire mode.