The light machine gun M60 makes its return in Battlefield 6. This belt-fed powerhouse has been part of the franchise since Vietnam, and once again, it’s back to chew through ammo belts and suppress entire squads. But before you get to sling 100 rounds of freedom downrange, you need to have some grinding to do. Our Battlefield 6 guide tells how to get the M60 and the best attachments for the weapon.
How to Unlock the M60 LMG in Battlefield 6
M60 LMG unlocks at player level 20 in Battlefield 6. That means no complicated multi-step challenge chain or weird side assignment, you just need to play matches, capture objectives, heal teammates, and, of course, drop enemies. Objective play gives the best XP returns, so don’t only run around chasing kills.
Tip: A lot of players farm XP in bot or community servers, it’s still legit progress. And if your M60 doesn’t appear instantly when you hit player level 20, a quick restart usually fixes that gun unlock glitch.
If you played the Battlefield 6 beta or pre-ordered the game, you probably already have an early-access version, M60 Huntsman. It’s a cosmetic variant that looks slick, but you can’t customize it until you unlock the factory M60 version at player rank 20. So you can only enjoy the early bragging rights, but can’t tweak it with the best attachments until you reach the required level.
- Related: How to Change FOV in Battlefield 6
M60 Weapon Overview
Once unlocked, you’ll find the M/60 in Loadout → Weapons → LMG section. Here’s what this LMG brings to the table:
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Weapon Type | Light Machine Gun |
| Unlock Requirement | Player Level 20 |
| Fire Mode | Full-Auto |
| Damage Profile | High damage, moderate rate of fire |
| Effective Range | Medium to long |
| Magazine | 100 rounds |
| Reload Time | ~5.8 seconds empty / ~4.9 seconds tactical |
| Recoil Pattern | Vertical-heavy, with a bit of horizontal kick |
| Best Use | Area suppression, defensive lockdowns |
Best M60 Loadout in Battlefield 6
In Battlefield 6, the M60 is still the Support class’s bread and butter to lock down lanes, defeat squads, and hold objectives. The strategy, though, is balancing its raw power with attachments that make it less like dragging a fridge through mud.
Attachments:
- Muzzle: Compensated Brake – Helps tame the unpredictable horizontal kick that ruins a good headshot streak.
- Barrel: 22” E3 Long – Adds the range punch you need for the open-field duels, your bullets hit straight and hard.
- Underbarrel: Classic Vertical Grip – A must-have for recoil stability, which keeps your aim tight even during the “never-stop-firing” moments.
- Magazine: 100 RND Belt Pouch – Reloading in the middle of a push is how Support mains get nightmares.
- Ammunition: Hollow Point – Increases headshot multiplier, and nothing feels better than deleting someone in two taps to the skull.
- Optic: BF-2M 2.5x or 3x Scope – Pick what your eyes love. I stick with 3x for map control, and swap to a canted 1x for close fights.
The Aggressive M60 Build
If you’re not the patient turret type and want to play Support more like a frontline bruiser, then these are the attachments with which you can take off some load from the gun.
- Muzzle: Convertor (reduces horizontal recoil at the cost of some vertical, which is easier to control)
- Barrel: 17” Fluted – Improves ADS speed and accuracy while moving.
- Underbarrel: Slim Angled Grip – Faster draw and aim-down-sight time, good to react mid-sprint.
- Magazine: 50 RND Belt – Gives short reloads and fast movement; you’ll still have enough rounds to wipe half a squad.
- Ammunition: Hollow Point – Keeps your headshots meaningful — two-taps are still on the menu.
- Scope Setup: 3x Scope + Canted 1x Red Dot – Swap depending on range; canted sight saves your life in close brawls.
This setup trades pure suppression for agility, which works well when you push objectives or take aggressive angles.
Secondary Weapons Along with M60
You can build the best M60 loadout, but the wrong pair will have you end up a sitting duck when someone sprints into your face. This is what the meta suggests (and what works in live matches):
- M4A1: Best all-around partner and good to switch after suppress to clean up close to mid-range threats.
- SGX SMG: The close-quarters specialist that pairs fine with M60 for objective play where you suppress the room, then storm in with SGX to finish the job.
- M87A1 Shotgun: For the absolute mad lads because nothing clears a building faster after you’ve pinned enemies with LMG fire.
How the M60 Performs in Battle
M60 is a defensive anchor you use when you want to make sure nobody crosses a corridor or hilltop without paying the toll in respawns. This weapon will work great in these situations:
- Hold down objectives (i.e., “B” point on Orbital or city center on Arctica)
- Provide overwatch fire from mid-range positions
- Pair with an Engineer or Support Specialist who can resupply your ammo and patch you up
If you’ve played the Battlefield series before, you will likely know this gun’s legendary status. It’s been around since Battlefield: Vietnam, where it was the king of suppression. In Bad Company 2 and BF3, the “Pig” evolved into the M60E4, with a short barrel and modern rails, trading weight for quick handling.
In Battlefield 6, it has slow-fire, high-impact, and is built for players who value power over panic sprays. Its recoil is more predictable than in its predecessors, but it still gives heavy damage.
