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S&W Revolvers: 1961 to 1980 3-Screw PINNED Barrel SWING-OUT Cylinder Hand Ejectors WITH Model Numbers


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  #151  
Old 03-21-2016, 08:59 PM
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Pic of me with an M10
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Old 03-21-2016, 09:01 PM
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SEAL Team 2 member with an Model 39. Pistol is hidden, but you can see Bob's shoulder holster strap.
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  #153  
Old 03-21-2016, 09:17 PM
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Because this thread has been open again I am showing my hooch mate , Hal Birk after a bad day of combat assaults in the UH-1. Hal died in an aircraft accident well after his tour in RVN. The second picture shows Hal with Pat Fitz (right) who was shot down in an OH-58 a month after I went home. God bless them both. W-1's and 2's were God's lunatics.
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  #154  
Old 03-22-2016, 08:44 PM
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so many good stories here
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  #155  
Old 03-25-2016, 06:50 PM
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This is a fascinating thread- one of the best on the forum-here are a few shots of a 10-5 carried in Vietnam-
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  #156  
Old 03-25-2016, 06:52 PM
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10-5 II .......
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Old 03-25-2016, 06:54 PM
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10-5 III .........
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Old 03-25-2016, 06:55 PM
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10-5- IV.........
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  #159  
Old 03-25-2016, 07:24 PM
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rblue, Welcome home.
Frank
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Old 03-25-2016, 08:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scary Gary View Post
I spent six years in the NAVY trying to figure out how to bring back my 1911-A1 but I could never come up with anything that didn't have me sitting in leavenworth .
lol. Same for me with the M-14 I was issued.
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  #161  
Old 03-26-2016, 09:55 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by williamcrane View Post
SEAL Team 2 member with an Model 39. Pistol is hidden, but you can see Bob's shoulder holster strap.
Any chance you have a picture that shows the Model 39?
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  #162  
Old 03-26-2016, 10:36 AM
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there were more than a few that were captured in may 1970 at rock island east

everything from flintlocks to Mercedes's were captured


The 1st Cav hauled huge stores of enemy arms and equipment out of Cambodia. The Engineers had to build a road into "Rock Island East" to get trucks in to haul it away. It took nine days of convoys to move the material into South Vietnam. a display of some of the captured weapons at Phuoc Vinh



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  #163  
Old 07-22-2016, 12:30 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rimfired View Post
Only pic I have for posting is this. I bought the S&W for twenty bucks from a chopper pilot (1970). I used to trade them .45acp ammo for the .38 they were issued. I could get all the .45 ammo I wanted but could not be issued a sidearm (11B, Spec4). I upgraded later as you can see. Short, last month in country, workin for the SP. Oh the greasegun cost me the princly sum of $45.00.
Those photos do bring back memories. I was a Tanker and the M3 and 1911 was my standard issue until I got stuck behind a desk.
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  #164  
Old 07-22-2016, 02:04 AM
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Default S&W IN VN

As a Security Police type in VN I carried a S&W M-15 and a M-16 on Base LE patrol at Tuy Hoa AB. Great weapon but we had lousy issue ammo. I always tried to get state side ammo when you could trade some out the flying types.
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  #165  
Old 07-22-2016, 09:02 AM
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THANKS


TXCP
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  #166  
Old 07-23-2016, 03:09 PM
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Anyone interested in current OSI sidearms can see my post on that in the forum for guns from 1980-Present. There's an important announcement there about agents now being allowed personal guns.

The commanding general for OSI is also encouraging routine carry.
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  #167  
Old 07-23-2016, 03:15 PM
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I was a little young for this War, Reading this Thread gave me goose bumps. Thank You ALL for your Service. Great thread and great reading.

Brian

Last edited by Raystown; 07-23-2016 at 03:18 PM.
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  #168  
Old 08-21-2017, 02:17 PM
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Default Very interesting thread...

Sorry to come late to this thread.. but it brought back memories. I was an advisor (MACV) to the backwoods south vietnamese troops and often didn't know who was the bigger threat, the VC or my counterparts. I was in a remote area (think "apocalypse now"). I carried a Combat masterpiece mod 15 during that part of my tour and it served me very well, even saving my bacon at least once. I always slept with it in my hand. Got it off an Air force doctor who did remote medical civic action program trips to my district. He was a "boob man" and always wanted to go to the far out Montagnard villages and see the topless girls pounding rice. We had some tight times because of that fondness of his, and going so remote with little to no security. He wanted a 1911 so we traded (for the duration). I loved that gun. Shot some wild hogs with it. Slept (very lightly) with it every night. I had good intel on many of the VC cadre in my district, one of whom was the only barber in town. There was no power, except my generator. He used hand operated clippers. He knew I had a dossier on him, but of course always denied being VC. When it came time for him to shave around the edges & ears, I always took the 38 out of the shoulder holster and cocked it, laying my hand in my lap with it. He always laughed but was very careful and never even nicked me with that straight razor.
Turning it back in after my tour was like a divorce. I Later found S&W was making it in stainless (mod 67) and bought one that I kept a long time and foolishly traded off. A few years back I got one from Germany in a shipment of guns that I imported. That one, with the German proofs, will be in my estate. definitely my favorite revolver.
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  #169  
Old 08-21-2017, 03:48 PM
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Glad to see more stories has been added

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  #170  
Old 08-21-2017, 03:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 05CarbonDRZ View Post
He probably laughed as He knew he could slice your jugular before you could even get on Target if he wanted to.Great Story though,Thanks for sharing.
Yep and I told him that, and told him that he'd never see me hit the floor. In both languages. He laughed because he knew that as well. It was a very nervous laugh.

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  #171  
Old 08-21-2017, 04:02 PM
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Great story!
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  #172  
Old 08-21-2017, 04:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LubeckTech View Post
I've seen marines using pencil barrel model 10s in the movies.
Yes, they were good for writing scripts.
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  #173  
Old 08-21-2017, 04:34 PM
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Just stumbled upon this rejuvenated thread and I'm def glad that I did.

While he didn't serve in Vietnam, my grandfather served in the Army Europe in WWII. I recall a story he told about acquiring a S&W "Victory" (essentially a 4" Mod 10) sometime in the Spring of 1945 near the end of the war. He was an officer and was walking thru base camp in Belgium (wherever that happened to be) and came across a barrel full of weapons likely from KIA or wounded soldiers and noticed this S&W on the top and decided to take it as a sidearm as he preferred the balance and weight of it to the Colt 1911 he was issued. He even had a German POW fashion some custom grips with his initials "RLM" engraved on them. He carried that S&W until he was sent home in 1946 and it lived in his nightstand until he passed it on to my father in the late-1990s. Three years ago my father passed it along to me and it sits in one of my safes with other "safe queens" that are taken out and oiled (and sometimes fired) once or twice a year, custom grips and all.

Got S&W letter on it back in Dec 2014 and as per Jinks it was part of a batch of Victory Models sent to Naval Strategic Sevice at Norfolk, Va Aug 22, 1944. That S&W is a favorite heirloom of mine and while not a Vietnam story, I figured it was appropriate.
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Old 08-21-2017, 05:44 PM
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I read somewhere where Col. Charlie Askins carried a model 29 44 magnum. Also, read his account of killing a Viet Cong with the same revolver.
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  #175  
Old 08-21-2017, 06:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakebfr480 View Post
I read somewhere where Col. Charlie Askins carried a model 29 44 magnum. Also, read his account of killing a Viet Cong with the same revolver.
Yes- would've been an early pre-29 .44. I may be mistaken but IIRC he claims that he was the first to "field test" the gun on a human target in his autobiography in 1955-56 while stationed in SE Asia...needless to say it appears to have worked just fine.

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Old 08-21-2017, 06:53 PM
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Yes, Askins relished in blowing people's head off from ambush.

It was one of his most glorious kills.

He dearly loved his blood and guts image he
painted for himself.
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Old 12-15-2023, 07:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BADSBSNF811 View Post
The QSPR was an off the shelf S&W Model 29-2that was modified by AAI Corp.
The ammunition was actually modified, it had a captive piston that ejected the slug from a very heavy cartridge so no gas was vented, hence, silenced ammo!




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  #178  
Old 12-15-2023, 08:29 PM
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My Buddy John was shot down and landed in a swampy area in NVN near the Gulf of Token.
He called for help on his radio and Search and Rescue Folks come to his aid.
They determined where he was and told him not to move.
Later tonight the Navy will arrive and extract you.
Later that night he heard sounds and said the urge to move was almost overwhelming.
The sounds got louder and then a head poked through the brush.
It was a Black Guy! Not sure if if was the Seal posted.
They got into a nearby inflatable, then out to a powerboat.
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  #179  
Old 12-15-2023, 09:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BADSBSNF811 View Post
The QSPR was an off the shelf S&W Model 29-2that was modified by AAI Corp.
The ammunition was actually modified, it had a captive piston that ejected the slug from a very heavy cartridge so no gas was vented, hence, silenced ammo!
No offense but neither of these statements is quite correct. S&W shipped frames with no barrels, cylinders, grips or sights to AAI. The ammo was captive piston driven but it was loaded with hardened shot, not a slug.
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  #180  
Old 12-19-2023, 02:32 AM
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Not a member of SEAL Team 2 as verified by former UDT-11 ST-1 and ST-2 members along with SEAL historian. I.D. as possibly EOD.
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  #181  
Old 12-19-2023, 09:27 AM
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I found this on line about the AAI. QSPR Silent Revolver ~ Just Share for Guns Specifications
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Old 12-19-2023, 03:16 PM
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That article is more accurate than many but gets the caliber wrong. The final cartridge was 0.523 inches in diameter and 1.87 inches long. The charge holes almost no metal between each other.
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Old 12-19-2023, 03:29 PM
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I was wondering if anyone has done the math to come up with muzzle energy on the round. I might be able to tolerate more noise knowing I killed the VC I was aiming at. Most all of us came home with some level of hearing loss any way. I know I did.

BTW, I carried Revolver, Cal. .38 in the cockpit.
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Old 12-19-2023, 03:33 PM
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730 FPS. It made about the same noise as .22LR according to the final evaluation report.
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Old 12-19-2023, 04:04 PM
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133.3 ft.-lbs. or E=M x Vel squared.

Shot placement would be critical, like in the face.
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Old 12-20-2023, 11:59 AM
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My dad, second from the left, is wearing what is likely (I think) a 4” Model 15-2 on his hip. This is the morning after he earned his Silver Star, combatting fires, on the flight line, during a mortar attack at Bien Hoa. I believe the year was 1964.
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  #187  
Old 12-27-2023, 09:11 PM
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What a wonderful story it is that you just shared. Two men on opposite sides in two horrible conflicts became and stayed friends. Wars are started by old men and fought by young men who often would rather not be fighting at all.
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Old 12-27-2023, 11:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Retired W4 View Post
Because this thread has been open again I am showing my hooch mate , Hal Birk after a bad day of combat assaults in the UH-1. Hal died in an aircraft accident well after his tour in RVN. The second picture shows Hal with Pat Fitz (right) who was shot down in an OH-58 a month after I went home. God bless them both. W-1's and 2's were God's lunatics.
Is that an Easy Rider Poster in the first photo behind your hooch mate Hal Birk?
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  #189  
Old 12-28-2023, 12:00 AM
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Some of you may remember my post from a while back. Seems pertinent to this thread.
Bought a 66 and Got Extras
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Old 12-28-2023, 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by llowry61 View Post
Is that an Easy Rider Poster in the first photo behind your hooch mate Hal Birk?
Yes it is. Many of my pictures taken inside our hooch can't be posted here due to the proliferation of Playboy fold-outs on the wall.
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Old 12-28-2023, 10:31 AM
18robert 18robert is offline
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gfors,i was there when your pic was taken. model 15's pretty much went to officers,us poor enlisted got victory models mostly,like i did.
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Old 12-28-2023, 10:43 AM
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My dad, second from the left, is wearing what is likely (I think) a 4” Model 15-2 on his hip. This is the morning after he earned his Silver Star, combatting fires, on the flight line, during a mortar attack at Bien Hoa. I believe the year was 1964.
I was looking at the broken windows on those trailers. Something must have landed close to your dad's quarters.
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Old 12-28-2023, 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Retired W4 View Post
I was looking at the broken windows on those trailers. Something must have landed close to your dad's quarters.
He said the explosions next to his trailer is what woke him up.
From what I’ve read, there were “illicit” B-57’s, armed and staged, waiting for the next day’s mission. Apparently, the presence of the bombers is what brought on the nighttime mortar attack.

ETA: My mom set the record straight. Dad was not asleep, when the attack occured. He was sitting in the readiness trailor, writing her a letter. He leaned back in his chair, just in time to avoid the pane of glass that shattered, with the first boom. He taxiied one of the A1-E's off of the flight line, then returned to fight fires on the B-57's.
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Last edited by gfors; 12-30-2023 at 11:46 AM. Reason: Correction
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  #194  
Old 12-28-2023, 04:21 PM
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He said the explosions next to his trailer is what woke him up.
From what I’ve read, there were “illicit” B-57’s, armed and staged, waiting for the next day’s mission. Apparently, the presence of the bombers is what brought on the nighttime mortar attack.
yea, the BUFFs were suppose to come out of Guam, but what ever. Saw a U-2 land and take off a Bien Hoa in 1970.

Opps. You said B-57s.
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  #195  
Old 12-28-2023, 07:51 PM
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I was wondering if anyone has done the math to come up with muzzle energy on the round. I might be able to tolerate more noise knowing I killed the VC I was aiming at. Most all of us came home with some level of hearing loss any way. I know I did.

BTW, I carried Revolver, Cal. .38 in the cockpit.
I've gone through as much paperwork as I was able to find on the TW/QSPR back in the 1990's, including most of the files from the Limited Warfare Laboratory.

Penetration was actually a concern voiced by a number of people in the field when they first saw the revolver; the folks doing the demonstrations would then shoot though sheets of plywood to demonstrate penetration. I suppose up close and personal, that would be sufficient.

As to the projectile, the term I saw used most commonly was "Mallory balls". It was my understanding that these were a particularly hard spherical ball and should not be confused with simple lead buckshot sort of projectiles. I don't know if I still still have the files, I need to check. I seem to remember tungsten being mentioned and the projectiles may have been made from or had a high tungsten content.

When I was researching this back in the 1990's I was at an SWCA Symposium and, being new to the historical firearms research game, was trying to impress and old time collector/researcher/author with my newfound TW/QPR knowledge. I was describing the ammunition to him and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a fired round!!

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Old 12-28-2023, 08:00 PM
18robert 18robert is offline
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people do not confuse b-52s with b-57s,very different aircraft. i have a few pics of the b-57's looking like a junk yard when move out to the bush a bit. we had two u2's at bien hoa in 64 when i was there,also i think our .38 spec. was fmj. we got to carry what we wanted to,so all kinds of stuff showed from the field, we got our choice as flight crew.

Last edited by 18robert; 12-28-2023 at 08:04 PM.
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Old 12-28-2023, 08:01 PM
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Yup. They were tested with a standard 6 layer winter uniform over ballistic gel.
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  #198  
Old 12-28-2023, 09:51 PM
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Since this thread started I actually have acquired something pertinent to add.

I found this US marked Model 10 at Cabelas a couple of years ago. I lettered it and shoot it often.

Just today I found a box of 1967 GI .38 ammo to go with it.

I don’t know if it went to Vietnam, but the timing is right.

Now I just need a GI shoulder holster and helicopter to complete the set.
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Last edited by sigp220.45; 12-28-2023 at 09:52 PM.
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Old 12-29-2023, 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by gfors View Post
He said the explosions next to his trailer is what woke him up.
From what I’ve read, there were “illicit” B-57’s, armed and staged, waiting for the next day’s mission. Apparently, the presence of the bombers is what brought on the nighttime mortar attack.
i have a picture of the Bien Hoa flight line I took on an over flight in My UH-1D. I'll find it and scan it in. The whole landing and take off procedure of the U-2 was pretty complicated. The tight spiral down approach was spectacular.

BTW, I always had my 38 loaded, hanging in it's holster on my bunk when not out and about. Not that it would do me much good during a ground attack. Wore it on me during the few times I got in town. No match for the punk cowboys armed with AKs in the dark alleys. Don't ask what I was doing there.

Last edited by Retired W4; 12-29-2023 at 10:03 AM. Reason: spelling
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  #200  
Old 12-29-2023, 10:02 AM
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Bien Hoa, 1970. The few Hercs parked on the ramp with what looks like an old Otter or a Beaver parked by itself. All the fast movers are under the shelter/bunkers. Looks pretty mundane from here, and nothing to do with S&W except that the aircrews were armed with them.

The 145th Combat Avn. Bn., the unit I was in at the time, is far off camera to the upper left. 5th SF HQ was located near by. That was a fun bunch. I know because I was invited to a few of their parties.
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