Back in my infantry days, I hated carrying the M-60 (that was before the SAW entered the inventory). First, the sucker weighed over 30 pounds when equipped with a bipod, sling, and ammo belt. Combine that with your rucksack and web gear and you had a heavy load. If you carried it with the sling over your shoulders, within a few hours it began to feel like your shoulders were pressing into your pelvis. I called it a "long neck" weapon, because as my shoulders moved down, my neck got longer (or felt like it did). Second, the M-60 is a pretty long weapon (close to 4 feet long). Maneuvering that big bastard through the briars and bushes was a pain, especially when the bipod snagged on things (even when folded). Still, with an effective range of up to 1,100 meters, you could really reach out and touch someone.

I've talked to some current infantry soldiers about the M249 SAW. They love it. It's smaller and lighter than the M-60 with a higher rate of fire, yet still has an effective range of around 800 meters.