The US Rifle 7.62 mm M14 is an American 7.62 mm semi-automatic rifle from the post-war period, which is still in service to a small extent. The first prototypes of this rifle appeared in 1954, and serial production continued in 1959-1964. It is estimated that a total of about 1.3 million pieces of these weapons were manufactured. The weight of the empty rifle is approximately 4.1 kilograms, and its length is approximately 115 centimeters. The initial velocity of the projectile fired from this weapon is approx. 850 m / s.
The M14 rifle was developed for the US military to replace the World War II M1 Garand. The new rifle differed from its predecessor mainly because of a lighter barrel, the use of a classic magazine, it was also powered by a standard NATO cartridge 7.62 × 51 mm. It was also a solid and rather reliable rifle. Generally, however, it did not constitute a significant progress in relation to the M1 Garand, and it certainly did not significantly increase the firepower of American infantry units. In the course of production, several versions of the rifle were created, among them: the M14 (basic version), the M14A1 (a version with a changed buttstock shape and other improvements, which was to be used as a machine gun) or the M21 (a sniper rifle). The M14 rifle began to be replaced in line by the M16 automatic rifle in the 1960s, but in some special units it remains in use until today.
The M79 (commonly known as Thumper) is an American grenade launcher, the first examples of which appeared in the 1950s, but the weapon went into production in 1961 - it was continued until 1971, ending with the production of about 350,000 pieces of these weapons. The M79 measures 73.7 cm with a mass of only 2.72 kilograms. The effective range of the shot is up to 400 meters, when hitting surface targets. The projectile fired from this weapon has an initial velocity of about 80 m / s.
The M79 was developed as a result of the experience of the Korean War (1950-1953), when it turned out that the use of rifle grenades provides good support to infantry in terms of firepower, but the accuracy of such weapons is insufficient and deviates from initial assumptions. The creation of the new weapon was entrusted to the Springfield Armory plant, which, after a series of trials and tests, fulfilled the task. The M79 underwent its baptism of fire during the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), where it proved to be a very effective weapon. In the course of this conflict, a version intended for suspension under the M16 rifle, called the M203, was also developed. It is worth adding that the M79 grenade launcher remained in the equipment of the American infantry for a long time and was still used during the 2003 Iraq war to destroy improvised explosives.
The M60 is an American, modern, universal 7.62 mm machine gun (UKM). The total weight of the weapon is 10.5 kilograms, the total length is 110 cm, and the length of the barrel itself is 56 centimeters. The effective range of this weapon is 1000-1100 meters. The theoretical maximum rate of fire is 550 rounds per minute, and the muzzle velocity is approx. 850 m / s.
The M60 was created in connection with the US military's desire after 1945 to create a universal machine gun modeled on the captured MG 34 and MG 42. The new rifle was to replace the Browning M1917A1, M1919A4 and BAR rifles in service. Despite the fact that research and development work lasted until 1957, the M60 exhibited numerous problems, which were mainly revealed by the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), such as, for example, impractical bipod placement, very difficult barrel replacement in field conditions or frequent jamming of weapons. In order to eliminate the shortcomings of the weapon, subsequent development versions were created (eg M60E1 or M60E2), but finally in the 1980s the M240 became the basic weapon of the American armed forces, being a license version of the Belgian FN MAG.
The M16 rifle was created in the design office of the Californian company Armalite. It was developed according to the tactical and technical assumptions for the new rifle, issued by the American Infantry Board, which was to replace the worn-out and obsolete M14 rifles. The main designer of the weapon was Eugenie Stoner, who based the new design on his earlier work, the AR-10 rifle. The main change was the use of a different caliber, which was reduced from 7.62mm to 5.56mm. The cartridge used raised doubts from the beginning, today it is almost universally believed that it was not accurate, and the new rifle at that time should fire 6.6mm cartridges. After the modernization of the weapon, as a result of which the M16A2 version was created, the thread pitch in the barrel was changed, which allowed the use of a Belgian 5.56 mm cartridge, ballistically much better than the previously used cartridge of the same caliber produced in the USA. The first ten copies were tested on March 31, 1958. The field trials, conducted at two sites (Aberdeen Proving Ground - normal conditions; Fort Greely - arctic conditions), turned out to be successful, and the Committee recommended that the M16 rifle be used in the armament of the US Army. After the necessary corrections were made in January 1959, the Colt Patent Firearms Company, which acquired the license rights from Armalite, began serial production. Deliveries to the army began in 1961. Initially, the army received 85,000 units, while the US Air Force received 8,500. At the same time, the company designation was changed from AR-15 to M16. In 1967, the US government bought the patent rights from Colt. The M16A2 version was introduced into service in 1984. The rifle works on the principle of using the energy of gunpowder gases discharged from the barrel. The gases are discharged directly to the bolt carrier with a thin tube. Locking is performed by means of a rotary lock, the bolts of which enter the thrust of the bolt chamber, screwed on the barrel of the weapon. Interchangeable box magazines with a capacity of 20 or 30 cartridges, arranged in two rows, are used for power supply. The cartridge extractor and their ejector are located in the lock. Hammer action mechanism, with a covered stopcock. The trigger mechanism allows for single and series fire. Sight, dual-setting: 0-300 m and 300-500 m. The barrel of the weapon can be fitted with an M7 bayonet-knife or a device for firing blank ammunition. The "M203" grenade launcher can be hung under the barrel. Caliber: 5.56mm. Maximum shot distance: 3,600 meters. Maximum effective range: surface target: 800 meters; target target: 550 meters. Muzzle velocity: 853 m / s. Theoretical rate of fire: 800 rounds per minute. Magazine capacity: 20 and 30 rounds.