Guns of Vietnam

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jtward01

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All,

I'm looking for information on the types of small arms used by US, ARVN, VC and ANV soldiers during the period the US was involved.

I know, of course, about the 1911A1, M1A1/M14, M16A2, M1 carbine, M3 "grease gun" and BARs. Were Thompson's still used? Garands? I know there were sniper rifles used, but I don't know types or model numbers. Anything else?

I believe the SKS was used by the communist forces but I don't know anything about what else they used in significant numbers.
 
AK 47's were used, mostly by the NVA. I saw a few Grease guns but no Thompsons. The VC used lots of old strange French weapons also.

Kevin

p.s I have a Poloroid I can fax you of some of the 'off the wall' NVA, VC, guns we found. Can't post it. My computer was made by Fred Flinstone. PM me if you are intrested.
 
Two of my friends carried Thompsons. One was a Ranger and the other was SF. Another SF friend used a Garand as a sniper rifle.

I have heard that Swedish K's were used by some of our SF troops but haven't met anyone who actually carried one.
 
The M16, m16A1, M40 sniper rifle(was a Rem 700 with Win onepiece baseplate/triggerguard). Also it was not an M1A1 it was the M14. Also the CAR-16 and XM version
 
WT said:
Two of my friends carried Thompsons. One was a Ranger and the other was SF. Another SF friend used a Garand as a sniper rifle.

I have heard that Swedish K's were used by some of our SF troops but haven't met anyone who actually carried one.

Hi WT,

I was a Marine, flying Cobras. Our Recon people said thanks once, by giving me a Swedish K. I carried that until I got my grease gun. Prior to that, I had a cut down M14. It was convenient, since we carried 4,000 rounds of 7.62.

Be Well,
Scarface
 
jtward01 said:
All,

I'm looking for information on the types of small arms used by US, ARVN, VC and ANV soldiers during the period the US was involved.

I know, of course, about the 1911A1, M1A1/M14, M16A2, M1 carbine, M3 "grease gun" and BARs. Were Thompson's still used? Garands? I know there were sniper rifles used, but I don't know types or model numbers. Anything else?

I believe the SKS was used by the communist forces but I don't know anything about what else they used in significant numbers.

Standard weapons were the M16A1, the M1911A1 and the M60 machinegun. The M79 grenade launcher was standard until replaced late in the war by the M203, which mounts under the M16A1 rifle.

The M14 and M14A2 were used early in the war -- 'til about 66 or 67 in some units. The standard sniper rifle was the M21. My company had two pre-M21s, accurized M14s (since I had only one trained sniper, I kept the other for myself.)

As an adviser my previous tour, I was issued an M2 carbine, which got wrapped around a tree. After that, I carried an M1 rifle I bummed from the ARVN. ARVN units of that era carried the M1, with officers being issued the M2 carbine, the M1911A1. The M1918A2 BAR was standard, as was the M1919A6 machine gun.

Lots of older weapons floated around, including the Thompson (which was not standard issue with either US or ARVN) and the M3 grease-gun (standard with tankers and often found in other units.) I sometimes saw S&W copies of the Swedish K submachine gun. My company had two Winchester Model 12 shotguns, as well.

The VC had a hodge-podge of weapons -- mostly WWII vintage early in the war -- I saw a US M1917 captured from the VC once. I also saw a captured hand-made M1911A1 pistol. Very crude. As you can imagine, they had a lot of French weapons and some Japanese, too.

I once killed an NVA lieutenant who had a Browning Hi-Power, made by Inglis of Canada, complete with shoulder stock and cleaning rod.

The M1944 Moisn Nagant was not uncommon among VC, and by '66 the SKS and AK 47 began to appear in numbers. The MN sniper version was also used -- my battalion killed an NVA sniper near Con Thieu in '69.
 
Soviet: SKS(carbine), AK-47(rifle), SVD(sniper rifle), RPK(light machinegun), RPD(light machinegun), 12.7(heavy machinegun), 75mm Recoiless rifle (chinese), RPG7, and tons of US WWII arms that were captured by the Chinese communists after the communists kicked the nationalists off the continent.

Some US arms not previously listed: SW-76 (9mm submachinegun), S&W Model 39 (suppressed), MAC-10, STEN, assorted .38 SPL revolvers. Stoner (belt fed 5.56mm machinegun), Browning .50 machinegun(assorted configurations), M73 7.62 machinegun, and LAW.
 
Hi Tim,

Look at http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/grease.htm

The bolt on this was about the size of a soft drink can. When it was fired, it felt like you were shootin a pogo stick. We taped 3 maazines together to have a LOT of .45 ACP handy.

Vern, we saw some of the same territory. Glad you made it.

Be Well,

Scarface
 
Scarface said:
Hi Tim,

Look at http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/grease.htm

The bolt on this was about the size of a soft drink can. When it was fired, it felt like you were shootin a pogo stick. We taped 3 maazines together to have a LOT of .45 ACP handy.

Vern, we saw some of the same territory. Glad you made it.

Be Well,

Scarface

Thanks and the same to you. And here's to absent comrades.

Chesty, by the way, is in the old cemetary in Tappahannock, Virginia. Many of his family are there, but the main attraction was that until he got there, the ranking man was a Confederate Brigadier General.:p
 
I read that the SOG's used CAR15's & K9's. Sometimes they had to use AK's for when they went into Cambodia.
 
RPGs

Good night, Chesty, wherever you are!
And Semper Fi, too.

I don't believe RPGs would qualify as "small arms".
Just as I don't think LAAW's or claymores would be
classified as "small arms".

Just my opinion.

Walter
 
Quite a few early M-16s carried by USAF Air Police were stamped AR-15. Had one in my inventory so stamped that was made by H&R with a 5 digit serial number. Side arm for the USAF SPs and air crews was S&W Model 15. Might also see the occasional Model 10 and heard there were some Rugers for issue in country.
 
Ala Dan said:
FWIW, the suppressed Smith & Wesson model 39 was called a "Hush Puppy".
Used to take out sentry's (or guard dogs) around fortified positions.:uhoh: :D
There are some slight differences between the 29 and the Mk 22 Mod 0, most notably the raised sights to allow you to aim with the suppressor attached (as well as the threaded barrel to attach the suppressor). There were a few other little things I can't quite remember right now. Nothing so dramatic as the difference between a USP Tactical and an Mk 23 Mod 0.

Also worth mentioning that a lot of WW2 era Soviet hardware showed up in Vietnam, including PPSH41s, PPS43s, and Mosin Magants. The weaponry being used depends pretty heavily on what part of the war you're looking at.
 
For our weapons, can't forget the 106 recoiless rifle nor the 90 mm recoiless. Also the mortars count. The 60mm, 81mm and the 4.2". Sorry was a 45b. Small arms repairman in the 701st (68-69). Seen a nice Purdy 12 ga. stolen from a french plantation. Was brought in from a s&d off a VC. Oh and what was that under barrel grenade launcher the xm 240? Got to handle one one of the three shot automatic 40mm grenade launcher. Never did find out the designation though.
tom
 
I've met two different SF guys who carried the BAR in Vietnam.

Both told me the RF/PF forces and ARVN used the BAR as a crew served (2 man team) weapon. Both liked the BAR's ability to shoot through log bunkers out in the sticks.

I read a story about one of the survivors of the US Embassy attack at Tet never went anywhere unarmed afterwards, one of his many arms was a bedside Thompson.
 
There are some slight differences between the 39 and the Mk 22 Mod 0, most notably the raised sights to allow you to aim with the suppressor attached

It also had a slide lock to keep the slide from cycling when fired.
 
Quite a few early M-16s carried by USAF Air Police were stamped AR-15.

As I recall, all of our Army Colt M16A1s were stamped "COLT AR15" with the horse and the globe and below it "Model M16." Just like a civilian SP1 except for the SP1 stamped where the M16 would be. YMMV
 
I was there in 1968. We didn't have M16A1s ... we had M16s.

Ran into some Republic of Korea Marines once who were carrying US carbines. Dunno if they were M1 or M2 version, though.
 
BigG said:
As I recall, all of our Army Colt M16A1s were stamped "COLT AR15" with the horse and the globe and below it "Model M16." Just like a civilian SP1 except for the SP1 stamped where the M16 would be. YMMV

Yup, had Colts like that too. The H&R I had in inventory was the only H&R I've seen. The "AR" stamped ones were probably from the early-mid 60s vintage.
 
dumza said:
Oh and what was that under barrel grenade launcher the xm 240?

Are you thinking of the M-203? There was also the M-148. And can't forget the M-79.
 
Weapons

Early on the VC had a lot of German weapons (captured by the Russians in WWII) as well as Japanese, U.S. and Russian stuff. At one time there were quite a few Mauser types and I know of StGw 44s being encountered as well.

As the war progressed, Russian Moisen-Nagant rifles of various types showed up, and later SKS carbines of assorted heritage and AK type started arriving as well.

Also, there were a LOT of privately owned weapons carried by U.S. forces. The PX sold tons of S&W and Colt's pistols and revolvers. The S&W M58 .41 Magnum was considered a particular prize because of it's power and reliability as well as low price, but it was in short supply.

The troops from Oz used a home built version of the FAL plus some BHP pistols and AUSSTEN SMGS.

FWIW

Chuck


jtward01 said:
All,

I'm looking for information on the types of small arms used by US, ARVN, VC and ANV soldiers during the period the US was involved.

I know, of course, about the 1911A1, M1A1/M14, M16A2, M1 carbine, M3 "grease gun" and BARs. Were Thompson's still used? Garands? I know there were sniper rifles used, but I don't know types or model numbers. Anything else?

I believe the SKS was used by the communist forces but I don't know anything about what else they used in significant numbers.
 
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