Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IV · 246

T161 machinegun, experimental

Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 89 ↗

U.S. Machinegun, Model T161, cal. 7.62mm, S/Ns EXP21, EXP25, EXP26, EXP27, EXP30, EXP32, EXP34, EXP35, EXP37, EXP38, EXP42, EXP45, EXP47, EXP51, EXP53, EXP56, EXP57, EXP60.

ATF lists cal. 7.62mm; this is the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/Ns EXP21, EXP25, EXP26, EXP27, EXP30, EXP32, EXP34, EXP35, EXP37, EXP38, EXP42, EXP45, EXP47, EXP51, EXP53, EXP56, EXP57, EXP60”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1952–1957.
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
U.S. Army Ordnance²
Type
Machinegun
Action
Select-fire / auto
Caliber
7.62×51mm NATO
Made
Listed serials only · c. 1952–1957production; ATF states no date¹
Service
Military
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “M60 machine gun” ↗, years: T161 was the developmental designation; standardized as the M60 in 1957
  2. auctions.morphyauctions.com ↗, maker: Morphy lot (T161 S/N EXP21, the lowest in the ATF C&R registry): experimental gun used in M60 testing, marked 'MACHINE GUN / 7.62MM: T161 / U.S.', manufacturer listed as United States
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
1 change · see below

Correction history

  1. Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → Medium. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

M60 machine gun (base model shown for T161 machinegun, experimental)
Shown: a production M60, not this experimental T161.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “M60.jpg”, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “M60 machine gun”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for use in the M60, including ball, tracer, and armor-piercing rounds.