In Vietnam war when ARMY or Marines when out on Patrol

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Before my uncle passed away he finally told some stories, was in Vietnam in 62-63, then went to Germany in 64 where he learned romanian, then back to the states in 65, and when my cousin was born in 66 he got out.

He told me he never carried the M14 or the M16, he had a M2 carbine or AK47, hated the M2.

Back to your question he told me he carried 1200 rounds for the M2 and did not say about the AK.....he never would talk about what he did over there....but I do know enough to know that to carry sterile weapons he had to be doing some sneeky stuff.
 
After reading this it make me want to buy more AK 74 mags, i only have five for now and plenty of strippers. Oh well maybe four more if i can find a good deal and a East German rain camou pouch so i can stash it with strippers. You can never have enough ammo and mags , just more of them . Its food for the gun .
LOL
 
I agree Nathan! Never have I felt so undergunned than after reading this thread! I try to keep 3-6 mags per gun, and in reality that's only ~65 rounds of ammo for my AR-15 and 38 rounds for my Saiga .308. I also keep 2 mags for my handgun, a S&W 4046 (18 rounds). I need to do some stocking here...
 
Ranger30-06 and nathan
You have to look at this topic in the right light. Combat loads are carried by men who go out looking for a fight or know that they have a good chance of getting in one. When you run out of ammo in a gun fight, your no longer in a gun fight, but if the other guy still has ammo, he is still in the gun fight.

At work I carry 46 rounds of 40 S&W ammo, three 15 round mags and one in the chamber.
At home I have a few loaded handguns, 3 autos (one mag each) and 2 revolvers. And one loded mag for my AR.
When out and about on my day off I carry one loaded mag in the gun.

When at work I know something can happen and I'm ready for a fight, but when at home or out and about, I am not looking for a fight. I just need enough to protect my self or to get out of the area if need be.
 
As part of an FO/AO team my issued weapon was a 1911-A1. The standard issue of the time was (3) magazines. I acquired (2) addition magazines for a total of (5). Not standard but issued an M-97 Winchester Pump-Shotgun. The 12Ga shells I carried in M-14 magazine pouches. My job wasn’t a shooter as such but rather laying down artillery fire.
 
i saw Nam from a few hundred feet to few thousand feet in altitude and usually in advance of the guys on terra firma, but ocassionally not. I carried a K frame Smith predominately.
 
For all that did, Thank You for your service.
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+1,000,000

These stories and tidbits of information, when shared, are such an amazing insight into a world and experiences that I have no experience in, but an infinite amount of respect for. Thank you to those who have served and who are serving.
 
I just talked about ammo load with my long time friend, who was Army infrantry, and quite active in 69-70....bronze star recipient. He carried his 20rd mags loaded and in the cloth bandoliers the ammo came in, which was 7 pockets, or 140 rds each. He carried two, slung over each shoulder, across his chest, and carried two more just like them in his buttpack. That was 280rds ready to go, with 20 in the gun, and another 280 available in his pack. He said there were a few firefights where he had to get into the ammo carried in the buttpack, but only a few times, and he never ran dry. He also said that it was common practice to carry first aid and other useful things in the regular ammo pouches on the belt, but that access and quantity of loaded mags were faster and lighter using the cloth bandoliers. Apparently, 30rd mags were not yet that common in use, or they just didn't like them.
 
When we were on operation, it could last months before we were in a base camp. Outside the wire, anyone carrying an M16 carried at least 20x20 round mags. Some carried 30. Basic load for an m-60 was several thousand rounds carried in bags and ammon cans. No pancho via style over the shoulder bandoleers. Thumper bunnies carried 40 HE and an assortment of smoke and flechette. Each man except for grenadiers carried 4 frag grenades, a trip flare, a claymore mine and a hand held star cluster flare. Radio operators carried assorted smoke grenades and extra batteries. 3-4 LAWS were carried in each squad with them being rotated daily.

No 1911s were carried by our unit except brand new lts. After a few weeks, they sent theirs back to the base camp. The weight of a .45 and accessories was made up for by carrying extra frags and mags. The .45 was held in universal low esteem for it's excessive daily maintenance, lack of accuracy and lack of dependablility. Once the leather holsters got wet, they stayed that way for months resulting in a couple of extra pounds weight and the nightmare of keeping rust off any .45 carried in it.

In addition to our basic load of arms and ammo, we had a basic load of shovels, entrenching tools, and machetes. Additionally, a couple of demo kits were carried in rotation as well as a chain saw and a can of gasoline. It seems like there were a couple axes rotated between platoons every day.

On occasion, we would also be burdened with mortars, telephones, aiming stakes, aiming circles, mortar rounds and a couple of reels of wire.

I can't remember when we humped over a hundred yards on level ground. The rest of the time was in triple canopy jungle going straight up and down hill. Try sleeping on a 50% grade by roping off to a tree to keep from sliding down the hill.
 
Our dustoff unit was busy many nights in Vietnam and our efficiency was often enhanced as we'd come and go fully loaded both ways. Inbound with casualties and often outbound with resupply, most often M60 barrels and as much armamen as we could load on board. Sorry to waiver from the purpose of the thread......it just got my attention. Our observation of the Geneva Convention was equal to our enemies I suppose you'd have to say. Hopefully the statute of limitations has expired:)
 
Rifleman 173 said:
On short patrols, guys in my unit carried about 20+ rifle magazines if they had M-16 rifles. If they lugged a heavier sniper rifle, they carried about 12 magazines. Anybody who had a .45 caliber pistol generally only had 2 magazines on them: 2 in a pouch and 1 in the pistol.

If contact were almost guaranteed, you carried as many as you could lug on you, in ammo cans and in bandoleers. We'd carry them in ammo cans and then put them on the perimeter when we got back to our base perimeter so as not to have to unload them. If we were in our perimeter when we got hit, we'd used our ammo cans of magazines first and then use what we had on our person as a last resort. So the number of magazines and ways to use magazines were explained to new guys coming into the platoon when they got there.
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From what I saw about 10 magazines for the short patrols. I never saw long patrols in my line of work.

The only time you have to much ammo is when your house is on fire.
 
lowerunit411 said:
i saw Nam from a few hundred feet to few thousand feet in altitude and usually in advance of the guys on terra firma, but ocassionally not. I carried a K frame Smith predominately.
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Exact same here. I never had to lug much around at all or walk very far. I thank god I had a good life in Vietnam.

I also never saw a 30 round magazine while I was there between 69 and 70.
 
In 1966, the official weapon was still the M14 rifle. It was issued with five magazines, in the wrapper.

I carried two double-pouches (total of eight mags ) on my belt, one more (double) in/on my ruck, and one in the gun.

We did a lot of ambush work, and had to keep enough ammo to stay ahead of the Battalion that we ambushed. Intelligence always seemed to be underwhelming in accuracy. In that instance, there were "only scattered patrols", "ripe for the picking". Uh-huh.:)
 
20 mags, a double basic load of 5.56 (400 rdsX2), plus one can of 7.62 belted or 1 81mm motar rd or 3 claymores or 6 rds of 40mm

2 canteens with addition halizone tabs, 3-5 days rations (LURPS if you could get them, stripped C's if you couldn't)

Now most of the time you couldn't get all the stuff you were suposed to carry, but if you could.
 
I can't read these posts without getting teary eyed. I missed service by 1 year. I have great admiration and respect for you all Vietman Vets. My cousin was killed there in 69. God bless you all.
 
Thanks to all of you for your service

My older brother flew in the 504 tatical air support group (0-1A) and was shot down after 7 months...breaking his right leg in 2 places and fractured wrist, jaw etc.
and spent 51 days in a Hospital.
He only had a .45, flare gun...and later carried a Winchester pump with him
on missions. he said he only fired one shot in the time he was there after he was shot down....he said he could not fire the shotgun and could only shoot the .45 .....left handed.....and he is right handed.
In 2002 he died from Leukemia from what he thought was exposed to Agent Orange....having to fly through the stuff to make sure it was dropping where it was suppose to.
 
The standard basic load was 210 rounds -- three 30-round magazines in each of two magazine pouches on the LBE, and one 30-round magazine in the rifle. On operations (as distingushed from patrols) troops often carried one or two 50 round bandoliers, ready to load into magazines as they emptied them.
 
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