The M60 was a direct derivative of the MP-40
The M-60 was derived from the MG-42/MG-43.
What was I thinking? That was the MG 42.
The M60 was not derived from the MP40; it was a hybrid from the Maschinengewehr 42.
Interestingly, enough, the MG 42 is still in use with the German armed forces, it’s chambered in 7.62 x 51 NATO and is now called the MG3.
IOW, if it ain’t broke… Don’t fix it.
And one more interesting thing… The MP40 is often called “Schmeiser“… but Hugo Schmeiser had nothing to do with it. Hugo Schmeiser designed the MP 18 and the upgraded MP 28… Berthold Giepel at ERMA actually designed the MP38/MP40 series. “Schmeiser” was just a nickname that’s stuck because of the original MP18 submachine guns he designed late in World War I (those were also called “Bergmann’s”).
No it wasn’t. The MG42 was the gun the US military used for the M60.
One of the draw backs to the MP 40 is that long magazine makes it tough to fire from a prone position and the MG 42’s problems were it ate too much ammo and the barrels tended to heat up fast.