Round Butt 15 in Vietnam...Nope

[stu1ritter]

The .50 caliber Browning machinegun was not primarily intended as an anti-personnel weapon, ---snip

Ammunition types included ball, armor piercing, and tracer-incendiary. Each projectile weighed about 1.5 oz (~700 grains). and left the muzzle at close to 3000FPS. Massive impact energy and penetration abilities (compared to the more standard infantry weapons).

The M2 Browning heavy barrel machinegun, with tripod mount and traversing-elevation mechanism, is a massive and heavy piece of equipment (long time ago now, but I'm thinking about 100 lbs. total). Not easily transported by dismounted troops, usually requiring either a fixed position or a fairly heavy vehicle for mounted use or transport.

The gun weighed right at 85 pounds with the barrel and the tripod another 42 pounds, give or take. I used to repair them for the 1st Cav. Div. in 1959. It was also my embedded weapon when we went on defense alert and my crew of three would chogee (chug) up a steep hill carrying the gun, a spare barrel, the tripod, 4 cans of ammo and a camouflage net and poles along with our packs and individual weapons. Much fun.

Stu

 

[LoboGunLeather]

The gun weighed right at 85 pounds with the barrel and the tripod another 42 pounds, give or take. I used to repair them for the 1st Cav. Div. in 1959. It was also my embedded weapon when we went on defense alert and my crew of three would chogee (chug) up a steep hill carrying the gun, a spare barrel, the tripod, 4 cans of ammo and a camouflage net and poles along with our packs and individual weapons. Much fun.

Stu

So my estimated weight was off by about 27 lbs. Not bad for 50 years! When I went to Vietnam I weighed 148 lbs, but when I came home I was down to 129. Fifty years later the lying scales at the doc's office say I am closer to 190.

I was also 6 feet tall, back in the day. Now I am 5' 11". I attribute that to the long-term effects of gravity, which also seem to have dragged my old pectoral and shoulder muscles down around my belt.

Thanks for chipping in with your recollections, stu1ritter. Best regards!

 

[majick47]

Could be issue, sent by friends/family or passed on/picked up locally whatever the round butt is, know way of knowing unless pictured a aviator responds.

 

[ramprat]

I have a round butt Model 15 in my collection, but it's a 15-7. To my recollection from my service time in USAF (1974-1978) I saw square butt Model 15's in the holsters of our Security Police and round butt Model 10's in the holsters of US Army chopper jockeys when I was stationed at the joint Fort Bragg/Pope AFB complex in Fayetteville, NC
Gary

 

[zonker5]

You took me wrong. I'm not challenging your aviation quals. I just meant that I have never seen or heard of, or talked to anybody who has seen or heard of a round butt Mod 15.....

A few exist, I auctioned one off at the S&WCA meet in Richardson a year or two back. Mine was a special order, one of three according to the letter I got from Roy Jinks.

 

[jimmyj]

Round Butt S&W Model 15:
1966 I had a gunsmith round butt a square butt Model 15. It was an excellant job as later a S&W Collector purchased it convinced that it came from the factory round butted.

 

[handejector]

A few exist, I auctioned one off at the S&WCA meet in Richardson a year or two back. Mine was a special order, one of three according to the letter I got from Roy Jinks.

Do you remember the dash number or when it shipped?

 

[GerSan69]

I had a 2" Model 15 round-butted and Armoloyed back in '79 to '81 or thereabouts. If anyone has it (and I don't recall the dash number or serial,) I'd love to know.

 

[zonker5]

Do you remember the dash number or when it shipped?

The model was hand stamped on the frame, no dash.