Unusal guns of Vietnam

[Saigon1965]

That is a superb find - I am glad you post these pictures here - Now I have a special project!

I dug around and found these pictures I had taken. I was really facinated with the gun and the guy even let me shoot it. Sorry for the poor quality but it was back before digital cameras and such.

 

[Saigon1965]

Hello Drm50 - Thank you and welcome home!

Laughing at the hooch maid line -

I was in country 70-71, did extended tour to early out. Was in
XXIV Corps ( Core for our fearless leaders) MR-1 and 4/60th
Dusters out of Pleiku. We were sitting on duel 40mm guns, we
had M16 M79 M60 and 1911s issued. We carried anything we
wanted as long as we had what we were issued. I got a sawed
off M2 carbine on a trade, MP at airport at Pleiku, took it off me
cause it wasn't authorized. The most unusual gun I saw was a
captured Portugeese Luger.


No Bic- No Bic - GI number 10:: the call of the hootch maid bird

 

[amazingflapjack]

We were about a mile and a half up Hwy 4 from some 5th Rangers (training ARVN Rangers) that got the call to spear head into Cambodia at the part of the border adjacent to us. They were jubilant! You would have thought they were being sent to Disney World. Oh, they couldn't wait. When they finally got back, they pulled up in front of our compound with 3 deuce and a halfs full of SKS's. They wanted to know if anybody wanted one for 60 bucks a throw; they were headed into Saigon to sell them to the clerks for 2-3 hundred a piece. Them Cats were different, they saw a "tour" as 5 years. Vietnam to them was where the fun, rank, and MONEY was at. For fun, they would come back from "town" at night and try to infiltrate their own perimeter for bragging rights! One guy had a chrome pump shotgun that he took on a daylight island sweep off the coast. "Man, the guys were really ****** at me, because of all of the small arms we started getting." It was comforting, at least to me, to have them close by.

 

[PA Guns & Ammo]

Anyone ever hear of the gyrojet pistol?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpOcdyxvUvc

How about the M65 nuclear rifle?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khyZI3RK2lE

 

[JJ_BPK]

The gyrojet, in all it's iterations, was just not useful on any level. Even today, man fired small weapons using rockets are not viable.

Until the payload is the size of something like the M72 or RPG/B40 or today's Carl Gustav.

1)expensive
2)inaccurate
3)prone to ignition failures

The Davy Crockett, was a complete failure for one reason. The crew, who served the weapon, were within the radius of the fall-out. This did not make the troops very happy.

Another failure, for the same reason was the 280mm atomic munitions fired from the M65 canon, nick-names Atomic Annie.

The only "small" atomic munitions that did have some usefulness was the US's back-packable SADM. Never employed, but it was deployed in several units in Europe during the 50t's thru the early 70t's. I never touched one, but had briefings and know several friends that actually were in units that had them as TO&E. The idea for the SADM was area denial. Explode one in an area to cause the East block advance to be rerouted around an area. Europe is full of train tracks that weave through the mountain valleys. The unit could be placed and the team would retreat to a "safe" area to detonate the munitions. (do google search)

My $00.00002

 

[steveno]

in the current issue of American Handgunner there is an article on the gyrojet

 

[Saigon1965]

Awesome stuff - The guys that my dad worked with was the same - Things were moving faster out the back doors than front!

Just to compare but 2-3 bills is quite steep for an SKS -

So many were brought back but no ammo was around to use them - So I believe they sat in closets or attic until much later -

We were about a mile and a half up Hwy 4 from some 5th Rangers (training ARVN Rangers) that got the call to spear head into Cambodia at the part of the border adjacent to us. They were jubilant! You would have thought they were being sent to Disney World. Oh, they couldn't wait. When they finally got back, they pulled up in front of our compound with 3 deuce and a halfs full of SKS's. They wanted to know if anybody wanted one for 60 bucks a throw; they were headed into Saigon to sell them to the clerks for 2-3 hundred a piece. Them Cats were different, they saw a "tour" as 5 years. Vietnam to them was where the fun, rank, and MONEY was at. For fun, they would come back from "town" at night and try to infiltrate their own perimeter for bragging rights! One guy had a chrome pump shotgun that he took on a daylight island sweep off the coast. "Man, the guys were really ****** at me, because of all of the small arms we started getting." It was comforting, at least to me, to have them close by.

Why yes - It was designed right here by me in San Ramon, CA -

I was at a gunshow in Reno, NV last month - A fella had a pistol and the carbine along with a big box of ammo for sale -

Price was quite attractive for the set -

Anyone ever hear of the gyrojet pistol?

President Nghiem and a soldier with a MAS 36 -




Self-explanatory -




Another Aussie with FAL -

 

[Drm50]

M-60 NVA Helmets

Me & a buddy found 8 NVA helmets in abandoned Marine 155
position. 7 of the helmets were in good shape, one looked like the
last owner caught a load of scrapnel in the head. Inside had dried
parts of him still there. We took helmets with us on next trip to
HQ. We were going to sell them to Navy, easy to separate from
their money. Our company clerk wanted to buy one. We told him
$20, he took gory one! Being capitalist we took other 7 down
behind motor pool and worked them over with M-60. We felt a
price increase was called for. Sold them to Navy for $35 @.

 

[Saigon1965]

LOL - Excellent!

Me & a buddy found 8 NVA helmets in abandoned Marine 155
position. 7 of the helmets were in good shape, one looked like the
last owner caught a load of scrapnel in the head. Inside had dried
parts of him still there. We took helmets with us on next trip to
HQ. We were going to sell them to Navy, easy to separate from
their money. Our company clerk wanted to buy one. We told him
$20, he took gory one! Being capitalist we took other 7 down
behind motor pool and worked them over with M-60. We felt a
price increase was called for. Sold them to Navy for $35 @.

Here's a VC jungle workshop gun that was brought back by a member of the "Dirty 30" - First "Combatants" in VN - They were there to start the VN airforce and trained the men - Mainly flew C47s -

If you have more info regarding these Gents - Please add to thread -

Dirty thirty (Vietnam) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[steveno]

it is my understanding that we had some OSS people in Vietnam fighting the Japs and at the time Uncle Ho was our ally. is that true and is there any books from that time frame up to the 1960's?

 

[one eye joe]

THE AUSSIE INFANTRY TROOPS CARRIED THE L1A1 A DERIVATIVE THE FN FAL. THEY SOMETIMES CAME INTO THE HANDS OF AMERICAN TROOPS, AS DID THEIR HATS AND BOOTS. ACTUALLY, OUR JUNGLE BOOTS WERE SUPERIOR TO THEIRS IN THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT THEIRS HAD A "COOL FACTOR". SINCE WE WERE ISSUED 2 PAIRS OF JUNGLE BOOTS, GUYS WOULD SWAP A PAIR OF OURS, FOR A PAIR OF THEIRS. THEN THEY WOULD SEEK TO SCROUNGE UP A 2ND PAIR OF OURS, FROM A FRIENDLY SUPPLY SERGEANT………..

 

[Saigon1965]

We sure did Steveno -

it is my understanding that we had some OSS people in Vietnam fighting the Japs and at the time Uncle Ho was our ally. is that true and is there any books from that time frame up to the 1960's?

Here's the latest book on the subject -

The OSS and Ho Chi Minh

Other good reads of subject -

Ho Chi Minh and the OSS

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/w...rained-vietnamese-troops-dies-at-91.html?_r=0

Origins of the American War in Vietnam: The OSS Role in Saigon in 1945 :: JapanFocus


Ho and Giap along with members of the OSS "Deer team" -

 

[wrhk33]

The Davy Crockett, was a complete failure for one reason. The crew, who served the weapon, were within the radius of the fall-out. This did not make the troops very happy.

My $00.00002

In my mind that would not be a factor. It was pretty unrealistic for defenders of a Eastern Block attack to think they would survive an attack. You have 3 to 5 thousand T-55 tanks racing towards you it is your job to kill more of them than they kill of you and you will most likely die doing it.
I'm going to die a anyway I'm going to launch as many of those Davy Crocketts as I got. Nerve and Mustard gas would probably be all over as well. Same thing with wearing all that NBC gear. My thinking was that it just allowed you to live a little longer so you could kill a few more of the bad guys before to nerve gas got you.

 

[Drm50]

44 mag. Stub ?

I had to hit this thread one more time. Somebody said" don't forget the issue snubbies issued tunnel rats. Are you crazy! Do you realize what firing 2"/44 mag. in tunnel would do? I never
did any tunnel ratting but I once shot at a snake in bunker. It
was made out of 1/2 a culvert buried in ditch and sandbagged.
I missed the snake but the blast from 45 liked to bust my ears.
Somebody is watching to much tv.

 

[kwill1911]

Actually...Smith & Wesson/AAI 44 Magnum Vietnam Tunnel Gun - Smith & Wesson Forum

 

[jimmyj]

I had to hit this thread one more time. Somebody said" don't forget the issue snubbies issued tunnel rats. Are you crazy! Do you realize what firing 2"/44 mag. in tunnel would do? I never
did any tunnel ratting but I once shot at a snake in bunker. It
was made out of 1/2 a culvert buried in ditch and sandbagged.
I missed the snake but the blast from 45 liked to bust my ears.
Somebody is watching to much tv.

Firing a .45 inside a bunker:
reminds me of the time I fired a .22 Jet (S&W M53) inside a closed car with only the vent window (1954 Chevy) opened enough for the muzzle to poke though

 

[30-30remchester]

Since I started this thread a few months ago, I never thought it would continue for such a long time, Having never been in Uncle Sam's employ, I didn't have anything to contribute. I do remember a story about Col. Charles Atkins being an early adviser in the mid 50's. He kept getting harassed by a sniper when visiting a certain location. After a few times being a target, he arrived early, crept into the bush and ambushed the ambusher. He was using one of the first Smith & Wesson model 29's in 44 Magnum. He shot and killed the sniper and assumed this was the first person ever killed with a 44 Magnum. He didn't think the 44Magnum was much of a self defense round. Who am I to argue with someone who has ACTUAL experience.

 

[Drm50]

HS/HD .22
This pistol has no Govt. markings. I don't know how it got there. Traded
Chi-Com pistol for it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[luangtom]

I was a Tail-end Charlie, as far as Vietnam goes. I was there for the wind-down and change-over to ARVN and company. I went to locations in Thailand and did our monitoring of the Trail from there. Saw a number of non-issue weapons and accessories used by Company people, SOG personnel, contract-soldiers and Air America crews. This thread seems to have covered the gamut from start to finish. I truly thank all that contributed input, information and photos. It has educated, filled in gaps and brought a flood of emotions. Thank you all. And......welcome home.

 

[one eye joe]

WELCOME HOME TO YOU ALSO, BROTHER…….