Captured Mosin's in Vietnam
- Thread starter lionking
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Neat pics, just remember the Soviets sent mountains of equipment to the communists, and the VietCong were still often fighting with captured Japanese, French and US WW2 era weapons. Those in the wrapper Nagants would have been like Christmas in July. More than a few of those bolt action rifles came home with GI's (I've seen 3 with capture papers.)
wally
Member
The worst of the lot looks a bunch better than the bring back my father-in-law gave me (I have the papers too).
--wally
--wally
The rifles I've seen were all very well cared for, one even had a brass 'dedication plate' in the stock. Think the only reason they weren't fired regularly is 7.62x54 Russian wasn't exactly common here in the states until fairly recently.
CH47gunner
Member
During the Cambodia Incursion 5/1970 thru 7/1970, we hauled thousands of cases of not only Mosin's but SKS's also. And this was a drop in the bucket when compared to all captured stuff.
The theft of legal bring home weapons was so wide spread that we had to start dropping sling-loads of weapons inside of fenced off areas, so it could be inventoried & destroyed. Real shame that.
We all got a brand new Russian SKS's, still paper wrapped, cosmoline covered, & with a wooden plug in the barrel.
Bruce
The theft of legal bring home weapons was so wide spread that we had to start dropping sling-loads of weapons inside of fenced off areas, so it could be inventoried & destroyed. Real shame that.
We all got a brand new Russian SKS's, still paper wrapped, cosmoline covered, & with a wooden plug in the barrel.
Bruce
Eightball
Member
My thoughts exactly.
Wyld_Cat
Member
Eeeps... kid in a candy store with that lot.
chuckusaret
member
I brought war souvenirs home from Vietnam when I returned to the states in 1962, 66 and early 68 as did many others. SKS's and AK's were the favorites.
Not after 1968 you couldn't, but there were quite a few GI bringback AKs that were registered in the '68 amnesty. It's obviously difficult to get accurate info about unregistered NFA stuff, but I suspect there's a whole bunch moldering away in attics and basements that were smuggled in and never registered.
chuckusaret
member
I carried the AK47 home at sling arms wrapped in a Stars And Strips Newspaper
My AK47 was taken by me from a NVA soldier that was wearing a better, newer, cleaner uniform than me with exception of the two loads of 000 buck in his COM. Yes, it was a full auto. This weapon along with many other weapons was lost during hurricane Katrina.
chuckasaret...wow, now thats a story, sorry that you lost them. Wish my brother had brought some stuff back with him, but he came back alive, so that was good enough. I read somewhere that someone thought there was probably only about 250 real full auto AK's in civilian hands in the U.S.
I don't think now, thats the case at all, would have to say its alot higher....by the way my brother liked the shotguns in Nam......should I say good shooting...
I don't think now, thats the case at all, would have to say its alot higher....by the way my brother liked the shotguns in Nam......should I say good shooting...
Auburn1992
Member
chuckusaret, how did you like the shotgun?
I always felt that they wouldn't be as affective as an M16, was this the case.
Too bad you lost that AK, would have been neat.
I always felt that they wouldn't be as affective as an M16, was this the case.
Too bad you lost that AK, would have been neat.
Auborn1992....I know my brother got the chance to carry the shotgun for a short while..short version is he always an still hates the M16....he said once that he'd rather put 12 holes in a "guy" instead of just one little one...or something like that. I know he killed with M16, not sure about the shotgun, I didn't ask. Its just one of those things you hear, an just listen too when he decides to talk about things..
OP
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lionking
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wow hearing your stories is great.Such a different mindset back then compared to today's military rules,it is my understanding that trying to bring back any type of weapon in the military today will land you in deep s***.Current military folk can confirm this or not maybe?
To hear you guys were allowed to bring back SKS and even AK's back in the day is boggling.
To hear you guys were allowed to bring back SKS and even AK's back in the day is boggling.
No pics available but I served in I Corps with the 196th light Infantry. We captured a lot of absolete rifles including SMLEs, Moisins, Arisakas, and many of the French bolt action 7.5x55 with the two piece stock. In most cases souvenir rifles were confiscated by higher ranks for resale.
rangerruck
Member
looks like one of the nice ones has a laminate stock, and one of the dudes there... not sure.... looks a lot like Art Garfunkel?
I was a read echelon type who left VN in 1970. I was just one of the guys with a dufflebag getting on a commercial charter. As best I recall, the searches for pot and illegal currency were sufficiently intimidating that it would have seemed silly to risk taking a gun. I was much more interested in getting myself home than taking an illegal souvenir.
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lionking
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hoppy share away they are public photos available by search on google images anyway.Which btw go to google images for LIFE archives,post a search topic relating to anything like "rifle" "Vietnam" "Korea" "WW2" "military" "patrol" "rebel" "revolution" or whatever and you'll come up with some great photos.
Speaking of the MAS French rifle,LIFE has alot of pics in Vietnam showing them in use along with Garands and specially M1 and M2 carbines.There were alot of different rifles used there besides the M16 and AK47 from what I see in photos.I even found a pic of a South Vietnamese patrol with M1917 Enfields and Arisaka rifles.
Speaking of the MAS French rifle,LIFE has alot of pics in Vietnam showing them in use along with Garands and specially M1 and M2 carbines.There were alot of different rifles used there besides the M16 and AK47 from what I see in photos.I even found a pic of a South Vietnamese patrol with M1917 Enfields and Arisaka rifles.
U.S.SFC_RET
Member
Confirmed: There are no bringbacks. If you are caught trying to bring back an unauthorized weapon out of theater you are toast. However there are some weapons brought back as museum pieces and wall mounts for commands.
Two soldiers got into more trouble then they ever wanted to get out of when they cut the bottoms out of oxygen tanks smuggling AKMs back into the U.S.
There are more than a few of those types of stories.
I have heard a few came back a few clever ways. Heard of a guy working in the armory who would place a few complete rifles into the bluing vats which would remove all traces of gun powder. These clean rifles would pass by dog inspection without setting off their nose. I'm far too young to have been there and not close enough with the guys telling the stories to know if any of these are still in possession but I could see how over a couple years quite a few made it back.
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