Guys, the M60 from the time it was developed until it was replaced was never a SQUAD machine gun in the US Army.
A platoon was made up of three Rifle squads and a weapons Squad. There were only two M60 in the Weapons Squad and the Platoon Leader detirmined how they would be used.
An individual Gun team of a Gunner and an Assistant gunner (who carried the bipod, T&E mechanism, a spare barrel and tools and an Asbestos mittin for hot barrel changing, and a couple of ammo boxes)and sometimes ammo bearer often moved with a Squad, but with only two guns in the platoon there was NEVER a gun with every squad. Frequently the guns stayed together with the Anti Tank Section ( up until 1981 that meant two M67 90mm Recoilless Rifles with a Gunner and assistant n sometimes Ammo Bearer each) As gunners and Assistant gunners were not armed with rifles, but M1911A1 pistols and only ammo bearers carried rifles. When it was tactically convinient to use the guns as a Weapons squad to provide a base of fire or a defensive strong point often the lowest least experienced rifleman of a squad would be detailed as an Ammo bearer to the weapons squad.
Once the Infantry went 7.62 NATO each Infantry Squad consisted of two fire teams and each had a designted Auto Rifleman Initially this was with an M-14 with selector and M2 Bipod, (Later replaced by the M-14 A1 with special stock, sling, improved bipod, and bullet stablizor) all other team members M-14 had selector parts removed and a lock out in place to prevent full auto fire. There was also a designated Grenadier in each fire team. This began with the M79 Grenade Launcher had the Grenadier did not carry a rifle buy an M1911A1. (Later the Grenadier would be armed with the M203 Grenade Launcher on an M16A1 rifle, the combo usually just called a "Two-Oh-Three." The number of people in Squad changed from time to time but each remained Two teams, The Squad leader floated about and was armed with a rifle. A team consisted of a team leader armed with a rifle, an Auto Rifleman, a Grenadier and one or two riflemen.
The Weapons Squad consisted of Two MG teams and most of that time two AT team (when the Dragon came in things got wonky, and let us not go into the arguments about whether the Dragoon was a good idea at platoon level to replace the 90mm) and the most experienced of the Squad leaders, highest NCO after the Platoon Leader.
Every man in an Infantry platoon was trained to use and maintain every weapon. If necessary Joe "Fine" New Guy right out of Infantry Advanced Individual Training was expected to be able take over any non leader ship position. This was defined as the 11B Military Occupational Skill set and everyone was testable on it at any time after winning their blue rope and crossed rifles at graduation from Infantry AIT. Failure meant no promotions.
Actual 11H were guys that had most 11B skills and special additional training in the 106mm Recoilless Rifle and Later TOW. When a battalion had to many 11H and not enough 11B the least liked and least skilled of the 11H got "sent down to the Companies" for "OJT" (on the Job Training) in their "secondary MOS", 11B.
11F were guys that had finished 11B training and gone on to either school or OJT as Infantry Intell Specialist, These guys often played with non standard vehicles to do recon and many SF troops were so designated
11C were the poor dumb Mortar Mules. They got in AIT most of the 11B Training and then spent a lot of time learning the ins outs and transport of Mortars. Again if a Company ( three rifle Platoons and one Mortar Platoon) had too many 11C and not enough 11 B (Bullet stoppers) the worst of the bunch got farmed out to the Rifle Platoons.
Now throw into a Rifle Company a handful of Supply folks. and clerks that in a pinch might get stuck onto a rifle fire team and you about have it. They generally griped greatly at having classes in the M60 and M67.
Oh and each platoon had a guy named "Doc" a school trained Medic. These guys carried a rifle but only one ammo pouch in my later units, but early on after 1969 carried a M1911a1. I think the Army got tired of sending unarmed medic's moms sad letters.
When the M16A1 was issued they all had "Rock and Roll Switches" but there was still a designated Auto Rifleman in the fire team. There was a crappy clothes pin bipod with no adjustment for height and a pouch to carry it and some cleaning equipment in. It you did not have a "Church Key" and needed to open a Coke or bottled beer You could use it to lift the lid on your drink with without worrying about buggering up a magazine. These bipods were either on the rifle and open and in the way while moving or in the pouches....and had a tendency to get "Lost"
I actually thought the "203" made a better auto rifle without a bipod than a naked M16 A1 with the clothespin.
Briefly around 1970 to 75 there was an attempt especially in Europe to limit the M16A1 to semi only for persons not designated Auto Riflemen. A little metal clip got added by the unit armorer between the pistol grip and the selector switch. Some genius decided that "Just in case" the semi auto limiter should be easily breakable to allow anyone to snap it off incase they "needed" full auto fire. Darn few survived the first trip to the field in Infantry outfits. By 1982 a unit armorer asked me what the silver wafer between the lower and the pistol grip was as they no longer even taught about it in the armorers course.
When the 30 round magazine finally made it to europe it tended to be in dribs and drabs and they and the pouches generally were first issued to designated Auto Riflemen.... and the clothespin bipod was too damned short to meaninfuly use them and the bipod!
So to recap only the improtant part ... the M60 was not a Squad Automatic Weapon, but a General Purpose Machine Gun that was controlled by the platoon leader through the Weapons Squad leader. They often traveled with a Squad for their protection but might easily to other duties right when the Rifle Squad leader though he could use them best.
I thought the M60 was the BEST for use by manuover troops of all that was available in the 1970s. My direct personal experience (rather than what I read in some magazine or heard barracks tails about) included using the FN MAG, Variations on the MG 42 theme, the French AA52, and the M 1919A6.
My bitches about the M60 were:
1. the way the pistol grip was secured to the reciever
2. The firing pin not being like the double ended Mendoza (very similar system) so it was possible to install backwards ( and troops did)
3. the possibility of installing the gas piston backwards (and again troops did)
-kBob
