Those who served in vietnam, I have a question

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brentn

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My friends dad served in vietnam for a while, enough time to collect alot of stories and some stuff to bring back home. His dad died of a stroke about 6 years ago, and left him and his brothers a whole crapload of stuff. Most of it is WW2 stuff that he had brought from the states, probably stuff from his grandpa but I didn't ask. His dad also left him an M16 colt.

When he was a kid he was told that when his dad came back from his tour, he was allowed to buy his rifle from the military. My friend doesn't know anything about firearms, all he can tell me is that it looks like the pictures that I've shown him of service rifles of that time. He remembers his dad using it for hunting etc when he was a kid, so he knows that it works properly. However its been sitting in storage for years on end.

I have a question for you guys who served in vietnam. Did they really allow you to buy your rifle when you were finished your tour? Or do you think his dad maybe took it without them knowing?
Would it still be full auto, or would the military have it converted to semi auto back in the 70's?

Its interesting to say the least, the storage locker in which its contained is in a different city but he's going up there this christmas and promised me that he would take pictures of it.
 
not being or served in Nam, but having been in the military, if it really is a early m16, and he "got" it from the military, then it should be full auto. Drool!!!!
Personally i have never heard of the military selling any of their hardware, to civilians. Not directly anyway. By the way, if it is full auto, it is worth some big money.
 
By the way, if it is full auto, it is worth some big money.
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With the paperwork, yes.

Without the paperwork it's worth about 5 years in club fed.
 
Yep, very possible. We brought it up one day cause he was telling me that his dad served and when he was a kid would tell him stories etc about the war and what he did. He mentioned that he brought back a "rifle" and I asked what type and he had no idea. We went through some pics of different types and he pointed it out.

Honestly, I highly doubt this is BS. When he does get pics I will defenitly post them.
 
Hell no. Whisky Tango Foxtrot, the Army never allowed weapons to be brought home. If you did slip one out in pieces you will do time if found out. The exception might be 1911's brought home in a duffle if it was 'borrowed' from another unit, especially if it was classified as a combat loss. But, get caught with it when you got home in San Francisco and you were mud.
I can't believe that people from any war tell these bull**** stories. (The Army loved me so much that they let me come home with a weapon that my Company Commander is signed for and they will take it out of his paycheck to make good)
 
Hell no. Whisky Tango Foxtrot, the Army never allowed weapons to be brought home. If you did slip one out in pieces you will do time if found out. The exception might be 1911's brought home in a duffle if it was 'borrowed' from another unit, especially if it was classified as a combat loss. But, get caught with it when you got home in San Francisco and you were mud.
I can't believe that people from any war tell these bull**** stories. (The Army loved me so much that they let me come home with a weapon that my Company Commander is signed for and they will take it out of his paycheck to make good)


Keep in mind this is what his dad told him.. I think its obvious that it was jacked.
 
I was there in 1969/70 and never heard of that policy. Not to stray too far off-subject, but some prople from combat units did return with AK47s, that had to have some specialized work done on them prior to return to CONUS.

I've got some stories about returning from RVN, but not here, not now. Maybe later.
 
How does Canada feel about machine guns? Don't you need special paperwork for your semi-autos even?
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:scrutiny:

Ha. How does Canada feel about any firearm?

Somewhere along the lines of they are all mass-produced by Satan, I think.

:cool:
 
From what I understand, the military has never "allowed" bring-backs from wars. During WWII and prior, officials "looked the other way" when GIs brought back hardware from either side as keepsakes. Vietnam and later, however, they sort of clamped down on it.
 
Sorry, I mis-enterpreted what you were trying to say. THought you were incinuating that becuase I was from canada having a friend who could possibly have this rifle is impossible.

Anyways, yea canada never ever allowed full auto's as far as I know. Been banned since they were produced.

Anyways, he doesn't want to sell it, or give it away, it was his dads and has sentimental value.
He has no idea what he has to tell you the truth, he has no idea how illegal it would be to have it, he is completley oblivious to what he really has.

Just some FYI
 
Vietnam Vet 1970 - 1971

I was there from 13 Aug 70 until 15 Aug 71. Not only no , but HELL NO, could this have happened legally. When I went through customs prior to leaving country the customs MPs took a jacket that I had that was made from a poncho liner.

We used to sell AK-47s to RMFs telling them they could get them back. The going price was about $100.00. Some of the guys did keep the occasional SKS to bring back to "the world" but they were few and far between.

We had a smattering of M-1 carbines and the occasional M-3 Grease Gun floating around in the unit with the John Wayne types and I never heard of anyone trying to get those back to the states either. Something about being government property no matter how old. There was one guy who did come up with a Ruger .30 Carbine Blackhawk who was going to try to get it back. Never heard if he made it or not.
 
If it is a USGI mil-issue M-16 it was stolen. Soldiers were not allowed to buy or bring back their own personal weapons from Vietnam.

I'm not up on Canadian law, but it is very likely a felony for him to own that weapon. Personally, I wouldn't ask any more about it and would not want to see it.

There's always a chance that instead of bringing a military M-16 home, his dad instead bought a Colt SP-1 AR-15 after his return from Vietnam. It would look just like a M-16, except for the markings, and would be semi-auto only.

I know this isn't what your friend thinks, but it is possible. Stories and facts can get misremembered over the years. I know of more then one family of a WWII vet where his "actual service rifle from WWII" turned out instead to be a commercial M-1 Carbine copy or a Korean War era M-1 Garand obviously bought after WII. Somewhere along the line the idea that "this is *just like* the rifle I carried in the war," becomes "This *IS* the rifle he carried in the war."
 
Battlespace said:
We had a smattering of M-1 carbines and the occasional M-3 Grease Gun floating around in the unit with the John Wayne types and I never heard of anyone trying to get those back to the states either. Something about being government property no matter how old. There was one guy who did come up with a Ruger .30 Carbine Blackhawk who was going to try to get it back. Never heard if he made it or not.
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My father served in a Navy UDT during the Korean War. He brought back an M-1 Carbine, several magazines and a rucksack full of .30 carbine ammo when he returned from the war.
I still have that carbine ....(and some of the ammo....:D)
 
Ahhh the good old days. My neighbor Don has his father's uniform, pistol belt, and colt DA from the first war. And I wasn't even allowed to bring a bayonet back from Iraq.:cuss:
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No, No, NO, the Army did not allow anyone to buy their weapons. After WWII, Officers were allowed to keep their issued .45s, but that was it.

VN era Army was very strict about what you brought back with you. No U.S. produced weapons such as M-1 carbines or the odd 1903 or pump trench gun. Bolt action weapons picked up on the battlefield only. Later it was revised to include SKSs. Absolutely no Ak-47s.

I served in VN from May 66 to April 69. During that time I came and went several times and found lapses in the system sometimes (demilled MKII pineapple grenade went through customs in Oakland without a hitch. Another time I got hassled for hours over a Chinese bolt action carbine with the Proper paperwork in good order).

I am a serious collector of military insignia and as such am interested in specific unit histories. I have found the least reliable source of information to be the recollection of veterans.

As a former bartender, VN veteran, amateur military historian and volunteer at the VA, I am especially appalled at the BS that I hear from VN vets. I could write a book about lies I have heard.
 
If it is a USGI mil-issue M-16 it was stolen. Soldiers were not allowed to buy or bring back their own personal weapons from Vietnam.

I'm not up on Canadian law, but it is very likely a felony for him to own that weapon. Personally, I wouldn't ask any more about it and would not want to see it.

There's always a chance that instead of bringing a military M-16 home, his dad instead bought a Colt SP-1 AR-15 after his return from Vietnam. It would look just like a M-16, except for the markings, and would be semi-auto only.

I know this isn't what your friend thinks, but it is possible. Stories and facts can get misremembered over the years. I know of more then one family of a WWII vet where his "actual service rifle from WWII" turned out instead to be a commercial M-1 Carbine copy or a Korean War era M-1 Garand obviously bought after WII. Somewhere along the line the idea that "this is *just like* the rifle I carried in the war," becomes "This *IS* the rifle he carried in the war."


Yea it is a federal offence, even if you don't know if its illegal. He honestly has no idea if its full auto, i'm just assuming, and yea its ENTIRELY possible its what you speak of, colt sp-1. This is why I asked here cause I just want to find out some more info.

To also get something straight, I care not about OWNING a fully automatic weapon really, let alone would ever want to. I just find it extremley fascinating that he could have a real vietnam rifle from the war that no one else has. He looks at all his fathers stuff, not just this rifle, but everything else for that matter as very sentimental. Its not just his, but his whole familys.

I appreciate all the 'open minded' replys, and I'm not out to critisize any of the comments posted.
I think i'm going to take the advice given and just stay away, I don't want to goto jail or have any evidence on me that I'm looking at a weapon that is illegal. Just wanted some info on the possibility that someone has a genuine vietnam rifle.

Thanks for the replys :D
 
I think what i'm also trying to say is that i'm not trying to aquire illegal weapons, just want to know if this could be the real deal.
Just want to make this clear.
 
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