Thread: 357 Mags in Nam
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Old 06-25-2020, 02:54 PM
Drm50 Drm50 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by handejector View Post
I was there 69-70. I had learned to reload as a teenager, and had bought and shot a variety of guns before the Army days, so I knew guns.
I moved around a lot during my tour. I was around both Marine and Army units, ARVN's, and ROK's. I flew a lot, on both Marine and Army choppers of all kinds, and AF C-130's, C-123's, and Caribou's, so you might say I saw a lot of flight crews. I never recall seeing a 357.
45's and 38's is all I recall.
This is the first MENTION of body armor I have ever heard related to the VC or NVA troops. I don't believe that any of them ever wore any.

I suppose it would have been possible to find anything there, since it had been a busy area for decades.
My CO handed me a 1911A1 one day, saying I "might need it to protect him". No paper, no receipt. He also handed me a Mod 37 Ithaca Trench gun and lots of 00 for the same reason. Again, no paper, no receipt. I liked it- one of the old ones that fired as you pumped it if you held the trigger. I loaned it to one of my men, and he let it get confiscated by an MP one sad day. The MP made no charges, and did not even take his name, so he was just flat swiping my Ithaca! We went looking for him, but could not find him.....
I was on a hill that was a sister to MacV & their Arvin counterparts in 1/44 Dusters. The MacV Captain had a Python. You did want to shoot against him for money. Not that he was such a good shot, our 1911s sucked for accuracy. I ended up going to 4/60 Dusters out of Plieku. Got shook down by MPs at Na Trang. I had a unauthorized Thompson in my duffle bag. MPs pulled same game on me. No charges or hassle they just wanted my gun. Both the 1/44 in MR 1 and 4/60 in MR 2 did not care what extra you had but you better be carrying issue weapon too. I saw everything from 22 Derringers to 44mgs. Most all this stuff was Warrant officers, chopper pilots. My Thompson came from pilot rotating out he wanted Chicom pistol to take home so we swapped.
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