Unusal guns of Vietnam

[model70hunter]

I am no archery expert, but does something look wrong about where the arrow is resting? Or is there something I am unaware of?

I have shot the bow. Sometimes one uses the index finger to hold the arrow as you are mounting the bow to keep it from falling off the rest. Just a thought.

 

[daleatkins]

Thanks for such a fantastic and interesting thread. Thanks especially to all you men for your service. You are the great unsung heros of our history and sadly only in the last few years began to be appreciated, admired and respected as you deserve. I graduated the year the war was over but knew a lot of guys that went. My Dad was an active gunsmith during that time and helped get a lot of guns for soldiers and their families. Lots of model 10 and chiefs. Some used hi powers and p-38s but usually it was small pistols like 25 autos and 38sp. derringers.

 

[Voyager28]

Ontos - correct?


Regards,

Dave

Ontos is correct. weren't many used. Awesome fire power with 6 105 Recoilless Rifles but you had to get out of the darn thing to reload it. Not a good thing to have to do in a fire fight.

Bob

 

[fyimo]

Thank you for the education -






Some more unconventional weapons - Chopped seems to be quite popular -









SKS with grenade launcher -




Looks to be brand new M44s or Type 53s -




A few more Chieu Hoi flyers -

The last 6 months of my tour I carried a Case Bowie Knife like the one in the picture above with the chrome blade. My Dad sent it to me and I carried it although I wasn't happy about the shiny finish on it.

 

[daleatkins]

The three coolest and unique guns I can remember seeing in my gunnut career were weapons from Viet Nam. An Ithaca model m6, 22 hornet and 410 with about 14" bbls. An FN/Fal with a three digit serial number and dutch crest. A "tunnel-rat" High Standard hd military with a Ft. Benning marked silencer. Disclaimer..none were ever mine though I lusted after each one.

 

[Saigon1965]

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours Gentlemen -


That route was not the safest!

I came along after Vietnam ended but I remember listening to some of the stories my uncle would tell. He was in the Marines and was in country from '68-69 and spent a great deal of time driving a M62 wrecker from Da Nang to Dong Ha and back again with quite a few incidents in between. He never mentioned carrying anything other than an M-16 but when he told me of when they captured a huge weapons stash and he snagged a brand new SKS that was still wrapped. He got it to Okinawa but it got swiped from him there. He had a great respect for the 1911 .45 though and is carrying one here.

Yes they are Montagnard - Known to us as "Highlanders" -

Like all that fought against the North - We all paid for it dearly after -

I think this may be Montagyard training. They liked us and paid for it after Siagon fell.

Oh you must of looked like a pimp!

The last 6 months of my tour I carried a Case Bowie Knife like the one in the picture above with the chrome blade. My Dad sent it to me and I carried it although I wasn't happy about the shiny finish on it.

 

[ron farmer]

I once saw and handled a Kar 98K that a Vietnam vet brought back. It was missing its floorplate.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

Not to change wars, but to stay on the general topic, but I have heard about a lot of soldiers coming home from Afghanistan with P1853 Enfield rifles. I believe they are left over from when the British fought in the region over 160 years ago.

 

[Old TexMex]

Luong, thank you for the contributions to the thread!
I had a bring back that was a single shot bolt action Russian made rifle. I don't know what calibre it was, centerfire- (slightly larger bore than a .22, but maybe about the length of a .22 magnum)It had good adjustable sight, a rather long barrel and the butt stock was shortened, and the girth behind the action was whittled down to accommodate a small size rifleman. Unfortunately it was stolen while I was last o/ seas and wasn't among the things I recovered.

 

[daleatkins]

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.

 

[kwill1911]

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.

Tell us more about that HS!

 

[daleatkins]

I wasn't able to really capture much in the pictures but I did do some smoke rubbings but now I'm trying to make heads from tales with them. The pistol was marked HS OSS Military. It had the bale on the back and was altered with a lever so you could lock the slide thus stopping any action noise. The bbl. was drilled with holes for the gas. All the machine work was good quality work. The silencer was about 5" long and 1" diameter, alumnium seemless tubing with knurled and threaded endcaps. The guts were very unique. It was a perfect round "rock" looked like a black charcoal briquet with a bore and the only other componet was a rubber washer at the end.
I have a registered maxium 22 and this thing put mine to shame, unbelievable quite.

 

[kwill1911]

What are the markings on the suppressor? The pistol seems to have been scrubbed of all markings. The OSS connection would be curious, given that it was disbanded in 1945, long before this pistol was made.

 

[daleatkins]

I think the bottom scan is of the frame just above the triggerguard. I can't remember if it was marked on both sides but the rubbingdoesn't make sense to me now.

 

[daleatkins]

This shows one side but the rubbings are different

 

[daleatkins]

I have often wondered about it. The fellow passed and I tried to run it down but the gun disappeared, no one knew anything about it. He was a character but i never found any reason not to believe him.

 

[kwill1911]

Pretty interesting, and the markings are mystifying. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Drm50]

Unusual weapons of RVn

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

 

[Saigon1965]

Here is my Vietnam bring back -

Perhaps one of you Gent might know Major William Hill or SSG Jimenez -

I once saw and handled a Kar 98K that a Vietnam vet brought back. It was missing its floorplate.

A lot of stuff coming out of Afghanistan are done at the Khyber pass gun bazaar -

Not to change wars, but to stay on the general topic, but I have heard about a lot of soldiers coming home from Afghanistan with P1853 Enfield rifles. I believe they are left over from when the British fought in the region over 160 years ago.

 

[Saigon1965]

You are very welcome Sir - I am enjoying it!

I have to dig around for the rifle you brought back -

You're sure that it was Russian and not a VC jungle made one -

Luong, thank you for the contributions to the thread!
I had a bring back that was a single shot bolt action Russian made rifle. I don't know what calibre it was, centerfire- (slightly larger bore than a .22, but maybe about the length of a .22 magnum)It had good adjustable sight, a rather long barrel and the butt stock was shortened, and the girth behind the action was whittled down to accommodate a small size rifleman. Unfortunately it was stolen while I was last o/ seas and wasn't among the things I recovered.