Vietnam Tunnel Rat

[louis Morrison aka Mark]

1st Air Cav 1967-1968 Div Cml /184th/ 26th CML Det All work together under one commander.( Subject is Tunnel rat weapons) Our first tunnel mission all we had was M-16 rifle, Army issue flash light, and Mighty Mite. We then purchased out of our own money 6 volt flash light, and had a gaffling hook made to trip off bobby traps, we confenscated 45 pistols from officers working in LZ X-ray they left all their gear hanging in the DTOC. we needed those pistols. Someone gave me a Buck Knife ( It broke, nice knife but will not stand up in battle field conditions) K-bar Knife. worked great. On one mission the Enginers showed up with a Army issue tunnel team kit! The only thing we borrowed from the kit was the 38 revolver with silencer. ( The Gun was very loud because the noise went out the cylinders) We cleared the Cave and the enginers used det cord to cut down trees so helicopters could get in to support us. If you have to fire your weapon under ground the least of your problems will be noise or flash! You are in serious trouble. Given my choice of weapon it would be something with a built in flash light that I can quickly turn on and off, with what ever caliber they can silence best, that I can drop into mud and know it will still fire. I also want my K-bar to have a rubber mouth attachment so I can carry it easly in my mouth. I seen a earlier post on this subject, it was to old to respond to!

 

[Humakavula]

much respect for doing something I would never volunteer to do.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

The mind simply boggles! Where do these manly men come from?

Bal turret gunners - minute men (18th century) - Gemini crews - tunnel rats......

 

[St8LineGunsmith]

Thank you for your service!
you are one guy I would not like to piss off

I think a ruger Mark III target pistol with rail for flashlight and fitted with a silencer and lots of magazines would fit the bill as a good tunnel rat weapon.

come to think of it that setup would make a good zombie gun too

 

[sallzy]

Welcome mark. Did you volunteer to be a rat or were you volunteered? Did you know what you were getting into? I tip my hat to you boys. You were hard core. I imagine you had your share of close encounters.

 

[mnrivrat]

On one mission the Enginers showed up with a Army issue tunnel team kit! The only thing we borrowed from the kit was the 38 revolver with silencer.

Never heard of this issued kit - could you give more details regarding it - What did it all contain ?

A silenced revolver - do you remember anything about that, such as make, or any other details ?

 

[AirForceShooter]

No way would I ever do that.

Brass balls doesn't even begin to cover doing that.

AFS

 

[JShirley]

So, is this post by way of an introduction, or do you mean to speak about the firearms used by tunnel rats?

John

 

[BullfrogKen]

I'm wondering the same as John.


While we'll have discussions on military firearms, this site isn't a military discussion forum. And you're really delving into some extremely narrow applications and missions, discussing technology and equipment civilians simply don't have access to.


Perhaps this topic is best discussed on a forum dedicated to military, veterans, and the associated topics.

 

[Pilot]

I think there is a lot of crossover here. I like hearing about what firearms they used, especially as most ARE available to civilians, including semi-auto version of the M-16, and the other mentioned pistols.

Maybe I am misunderstanding, and if so I aoplogize, but it seems you want to chase away someone that has actually used weapons we own in combat, and has personal experiences to share.

 

[X-Rap]

I'd like to hear more about the silenced revolvers and what their purpose was. Can't onderstand why a 1911 or BHP wouldn't have been worlds ahead of something like a revolver. I can't say but I don't imagine there was much sound surpressed and that which wasn't would be directed in the worst direction.

 

[dogrunner]

Close friend of mine described a .45 auto, rigged to fire only full auto. ...gun was dangled down a vertical entry & fired using an attached line......said it worked pretty well.

 

[BullfrogKen]

I think there is a lot of crossover here. I like hearing about what firearms they used, especially as most ARE available to civilians, including semi-auto version of the M-16, and the other mentioned pistols.

Maybe I am misunderstanding, and if so I aoplogize, but it seems you want to chase away someone that has actually used weapons we own in combat, and has personal experiences to share.

Yes, but we can't get Det cord, Mighty Mite's, and helo resupplies. Not do we need to concern ourselves with crawling around tunnels with a K-bar between our teeth and setting off booby traps with grappling hooks.


Personal wartime experiences make great discussions, but this isn't a military discussion forum. Many of the combat vets on this site have a story to tell. If it's told in a focused way, those stories have places here. This is a very specialized topic that even few military veterans have experience with.


What's made THR so great has been its focus. This discussion could have a place here, but the more the discussions of military experiences delve into military tactics and situations unique to a theater of combat, the less it belongs here. There are thousands of veterans from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They all have stories, too. It's not that we don't want to hear them, but rather they belong in a forum dedicated to such discussions.