Iraq vets, your expertise, please...

[rero360]

thats it, 600 rounds? I thought that a combat load was two minutes of sustained fire worth of ammo.

Personally I'm going to be carrying as much as my back and knees can handle and have that amount again in the vehicle. I don't mess around, between my SAW and my MK19/M2 (which even I get) I plan on being well stocked and able to provide cover fire for my troops.

I miss being a scout, but as a MP at least I don't have to walk as much anymore and I get bigger toys.

 

[Sgt Stevo]

He would never get that shotgun out of the states. And he sure would not get it back.

I understand the good intent in wanting to help a guy going over. And I respect that. You would be better off buying buying him something he can have. Binos, A good pair of boots,"that are aloud" Mabe a battle ax, from one of the high tech makers. I really wanted to take my own pistol over my first our. I never would have used it. we did not carry them in the field. And when we did carry them. they gave us one we signed out from the SOG.

But there was a whole lot of stuff in the blackhawk website I could have used.

 

[striker3]

thats it, 600 rounds? I thought that a combat load was two minutes of sustained fire worth of ammo.

http://www.hqmc.usmc.mil/factfile.n...0678d19b6a3890f98525628100765697?OpenDocument

Sustained rate of fire for the M249 is 85 rounds per minute. Sustained rate of fire is the rate at which the weapon can fire for an extended period of time with out overheating. Over that rate and you will usually have to start incorporating barrel changes.

So in reality, you are carrying about 7.5 minutes worth of ammo at the sustained rate.

Just some advice, take it for what it is worth. Learn EVERYTHING there is to know about any weapon you will take into combat. It may save your life.

 

[Lebben-B]

The info given about personally owned weapons in-theatr is good and accurate, so I'm not gonna beat that dead horse.

As far as lube, I had good performance from Militec-1 and StrikeHold while I was deployed. The best part about Militec is they give free "samples" to .mil customers. My "sample" was 40 4 oz bottles - enough for everybody in my unit. Another good to have thing is a shaving brush. The dust and sand over there has the consistancy baby powder and the soft bristles of the brush makes it easier to wipe down the weapon.

Mike

 

[DougW]

My son will be heading for the sand box later this year. His weapon is a SAW, and his load will be 400 rounds in the pouches, 200 on the weapon, 2 M16 mags in a spare pouch, and another 1000 when traveling. SAW'ing is not his primary function, as he has another primary job, but he will be dragging that thing around with him on a daily basis. I have told him to find some sort of side arm when he gets in country.

 

[Cromlech]

I don't have any experience to justify poking my nose in, but it seems to me that Sgt Stevo had a good idea. Good desert boots and other Gucci kit would prove invaluable in a place as hot and as harsh as Iraq.

As DougW mentioned, he could always procure a back-up sidearm once in country. It would possibly be a 'Don't ask, don't tell' sort of situation, depending on his Squad/Platoon leaders et cetera. A cheap but proven pistol with a couple of magazines could surely be found on the cheap, something like a Makarov perhaps? Then he could carry it stashed away but easy to use. Again, it all depends on whether he wants to risk any trouble.

 

[Fosbery]

Iraq is full of gun shops. No problem finding a Makarov, Tokarev, even a Browning HP or CZ.

 

[Thin Black Line]

No personal firearms for US military in Iraq. This was attached somewhere
after GO #1 if I recall in 2005.

There are Mossberg 500s in inventory in Iraq, but good luck getting one since
people who get them (like I did) tend not to let them go until they go home.

The military is a bit touchy on big knives --technically nothing over 4" unless
it's actually *issued* to you (such as a bayonet). That said, no one gave a
crap in Iraq if you had one when I was there. Just keep it in the duffle in
cargo for plane trips in and out of country. You can also MAIL THEM HOME
as long as they're not automatics.

Iraq is full of gun shops. No problem finding a Makarov, Tokarev, even a Browning HP or CZ.

This is also a no-no and why there are amnesty boxes all over the place.
A big knife is one thing, the makarov that a COL happens to see on you and
then wonders how much you paid an Iraqi for it is quite another.....

 

[Fosbery]

I didn't say it was legal, I just said it was possible

 

[Navy joe]

I just spent a good while being a taxi service to the 22 MEU. The landing force Marines eat, get gear inspected, sleep, get gear inspected, work out, get gear inspected, train, get gear inspected, etc.... I doubt that any of the groundpounders had so much as an extra pair of socks that their leadership did not know about. So, where are you going to hide a shotgun? Now the MALS (aviation) Marines that worked for me were more concerned with having an extra seabag stuffed with laptops, PSIIs, electric guitars and what have you, but I know they did not have anything their leadership did not want them to have. Buy him a good knife, find out if he gets issued hemostatic dressings (Quikclot), and hope he was raised to use his head. If you need a secondary weapon there is more than likely going to be one available from a former user. More important than him lugging an extra weapon is carrying the ability to adapt and the will to suceed, all of which I am confident his NCOs will beat into him. I wish him the best of luck.

 

[Thin Black Line]

I picked up both Marine and Army personal first aid kits --both had
tourniquets in them (the Army had the cats), but I think the Marine
had qc in it. QC can be hard to find in some areas unless you're
medical.

The best advice I can give is not to wear those "hi-speed" commercial
100% polyester sweat-wicking t-shirts since these will melt to the skin
when a flammable is applied.....I stuck with cotton outside the wire.
Same thin with gloves, neck gators, any other clothing. You can
find the same things made from kevlar or nomex that are not flammable
and will offer some protection. I bought a tan kevlar fabric balaclava,
but the army actually issues nomex flight-style gloves. I can't recall
ever wearing polypros even in winter in Iraq when it was 30 deg outside
the wire. I did wear the goretex jacket once over my dcus but under my
iba.....hmmm, what kind of flame resistance does goretex offer????

 

[Pickpocket]

It's not just the Makarovs that are there, but there are large quantities of Glock 9mm for all of the Iraqi Police - event the ones who just came in long enough to get issued a weapon. Those are all over the place.

+1 on the Militec. That stuff is great over in the sand, wayyy better than standard issue CLP.

+5 on the advice to "get him something useful" like:

1. A good pair of tactical gloves (i.e. Damascus, BlackHawk, Hatch, or anything with kevlar)
2. Small Binos (about 10x)
3. Good wicking socks (UnderArmour makes good ones)
4. A digital voice recorder (used as a patrol log)
5. An Aimpoint or ATN Digital red-dot sight (no magnification)
6. A better load-bearing (combat) rig than the one they issue
7. A handheld GPS (like the Garmin eTrek)
8. A small tactical flashlight (like the Surefire G2)
9. A good pair of ballistic glasses (like WileyX Romers or the XL-1)
10. Good Flexi-cuffs (a decent amount of them)

If you're going to spend money on gear, start with that list. Those things will serve him better in theater than an unauthorized sidearm.

The synthetic wicking shirts have been declared "unauthorized" in theater, although that was done after I left last time. I wore them regardless. I figured if I had a melted synthetic material seared to my skin that I had other problems of a more pressing nature....like my missing limbs from the explosion.

thats it, 600 rounds? I thought that a combat load was two minutes of sustained fire worth of ammo.

Striker already got you on the sustained rate of fire, but let's assume that you DID want to carry 2 minutes of ammo at 1000rpm. That's 2000 rounds... that's 10 drums. You ever try to carry 10 SAW drums on a multi-day patrol?
A person's standard combat load when I was there was 600 rounds (3 drums). I always pulled more and spread-loaded it amongst the squad. There was also more in the vehicle, both of 5.56 link and 5.56 ball.
And - do you personally have both a SAW and a Mk-19/M2? That doesn't seem right.

My SAW gunners would break off about 20-30 rounds and carry that locked & loaded. The drum would go in the patrol pack where they could get to is easily. That keeps them from having to haul around the whole drum all day.

 

[Thin Black Line]

if I had a melted synthetic material seared to my skin that I had other problems of a more pressing nature....like my missing limbs from the explosion.

Nah, plenty of burns without missing limbs in theater including plain ole fuel
accidents. It's actually easier to keep you alive after simple blood
loss/amputation than the battle with infection after major burns across most
of your body. The melted synthetic material on the skin really complicates
things because it's difficult to remove which greatly hinders proper treatment.
We're not talking peeling off a band-aid, more like wax dripped on wool.
Most soldiers wouldn't have guessed this since we actually had the poly
T's issued to us. Good thing the military figured out its mistake.

 

[azflyman]

T B L is right. It is much easier to treat a traumatic amputation than a burn. The amputation is a localized wound and the stump will usually seal off the bleeding in over 50% of the cases with a little help if you don't run out of blood first. No skin due to a burn injury is rough because of a many fold increase in infection risk. It is also a long term proposition when it comes to the healing process. When you peel the melted material off you don't get just the plastic. No skin is a bad, bad thing. Most people don't realize how the skin is the body's first line of defense against infection and to maintain hydration.

az

 

[Pickpocket]

No skin is a bad, bad thing. Most people don't realize how the skin is the body's first line of defense against infection and to maintain hydration.

Pfft.
I scoff at your misguided attempts to convince me that my UA shirt was unnecessary!!

Why, if you had to peel the shirt off and the skin went with it, I simply would have asked for a titanium exoskeleton and come cool ninja skills to go with it.

 

[1911_CQB]

+1 for the quick clot. We get em in our gear when we deploy. ( we just stared anyways)

 

[Thin Black Line]

All this talk of how would it be a worse way to go: bleed out after limbs
blown off or 3rd degree burns....hmmmm......

God: "Ah, hello, little soul. I'm about to send you to earth. How would you
like to be delivered back to Me?"

little soul: "Ummmm... as pain free as possible?"

God: "Well, I could put you in a place where morphine will be necessary."

little soul: "Being 'necessary' might not be good, though."

God: "Coming home to Me is good. That I can promise you."

little soul: "You're right."

God: "Of course, I Am. Now off you go --see you back here soon."

 

[usmccpl]

ready team fire assist that is a fire team assist has extra ammo for the SAW the only personal weapons marines are allowed to carry in combat are knives when i was in iraq 3 months ago i seen all kinds of big fixed blade knives up to and including an 18 in machate personal firearms are very forbidden not trying to beat a dead horse that is just the way things are in the service now i did see one person with a personal weapon while i was over there his gunny caught him with it and that corporal is now a private and a resident of the camp lejeune brig for violating the roe and laws of war



one shot one kill

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I don't want to sound like a broken record here but bringing a personally owned weapon in the Marine Corps is strictly forbidden. You cannot even get it over into the war theater. If that Marine managed to do just that he would get into some serious trouble. You pack exactly what they tell you what to pack down to your last pair of underwear and socks. Firearms are Controlled items anywhere in the service in and out of a war zone period. You might think you are helping him but in fact you are only giving him a gun that he gets to keep at home. They will brief him about bringing anything like that over and that will be the end of the story.

 

[JShirley]

A good knife is a great idea. I personally wouldn't suggest anything with over a 5" blade. Even if allowed his leadership will think he's an idiot if he carries a short sword.

Militec-1 makes a noticeable difference in the how smoothly the weapons in my squad operate, and does seem to reduce the dust/dirt/debris collected by the weapon. Good gear.

John

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

http://www.coldsteel.com/90vt.html

for the utility of it...

I was only in Kuwait, but I saw tons of amnesty pistols... can't be too hard to find an old tokarev, or even an Iraqi Beretta 1951 in 9mm parabellum... (for ammo compatibility sake)

 

[Glockster35]

I don't think that anyone has mentioned this yet, but as a Marine, whatever firearms he brings into theatre, he probably has to carry in theatre (everywhere he goes). The last thing anyone wants is to be carrying two long rifles (not to mention that one is a SAW) to and from the crapper or Chow Hall!

I highly doubt he will be azllowed to bring personal weapoins over there, but the Marines may allow it.

I suggest he find out before spending the cash on this purchase!

I wish him luck!

I am looking to deploy again around the beginning of the year!

BTW, I was asked to edit my mention of my deployment timeframe. Why, I don't know. It wasn't specific at all, and didn't say where I was going!

 

[leadcounsel]

As stated, General Orders prohibit personal owed firearms. My interpretation is that personal knifes are fine (or at least no officers or NCOs will care to enforce a "no knife" policy).

As also mentioned, a SAW gunner needs to be firing his SAW. He would be screwing his squad members and his platoon if he set down his saw for a shotgun or pistol.

Practically speaking, if for some reason his SAW goes down, he needs to man another one or pick up an M4. In a firefight there's probably a few M4's available from wounded Soldiers. Not a good idea for SAW gunners to clear rooms. If they have to, they are generally the 4th person in.

Also, practically speaking, adding the weight and bulk of a shotgun to the SAW gunner is NOT a viable option because he is weighted down significantly with a lot of gear already (IBA, kevlar, and weapon and ammo are around 70-80lbs alone).

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Sond the Knife deal, Personally I would get him a Strider, they have a NSN #'d DBL about $300 and its a serious knife. see pic

That knife better have magic powers....Because thats really not a lot for $300.

 

[mljdeckard]

BELIEVE ME, I am trying to think of any way I can get away with carrying a good sidearm over there, any the bottom line is, it just isn't gonna happen. Difficult to take in, pretty much impossible to bring home, and while you're there, even if YOUR CO says he'll look the other way, one day you'll bump into a division staff officer or SMAJ who will let him AND his chain of command have it. A butt-chewing for him, and negative paperwork in his CO's file, MINIMUM. They know this and their careers aren't worth it. (Even if every single one of them would like some better weapons than those made by the cheapest bidder.) People are even getting UCMJ action against them for using unauthorized body armor, even if it's much better than the issued IBA.

The field I work in is kind of grey. Some of us will get attached to units that operate on their own, or 'OGAs', (Other Governmental Agencies) where it will be part of their job to not reveal to the enemy exactly who they are. Some of these guys have worked with these guys, know they will work with them again, and are taking personal weapons completely at their own risk. I asked them, they said, "Wait until you get there, see what the climate is, and see what everyone else is doing. Downtown Baghdad, no way. Long-term isolation out in Afghanistan, maybe."

What he will more likely find, is that when he gets there, if he asks the armorer for an M-9, he will probably give him one without a word. The main thing they are concerned about is making sure they have plenty of weapons to go around. If they have plenty, (And from what I hear, no one there has any kind of weapon shortage,) there is no reason not to let him have one. In my unit, it's NCOs get sidearms. After they draw theirs, everyone else can ask for one.

Having said all that, while every weapon should be kept clean, a pump gun is probably the best possible option for this environment. Just wipe it and keep it damp, and it will go forever.