Hardtack Posted January 23, 2014 Share #1 Posted January 23, 2014 I've been looking around online for documentation of M1 Garand use by US troops in Vietnam (the standard model, not the sniper version.) So I was watching this interesting documentary on youtube about Hill 937 (Hamburger Hill) and saw what I believe is a stock M1 Garand in the hands of a US soldier or Marine. Watch at 9:45, the third guy in line definitely has a Garand with en bloc clips on his web gear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtPnQr3eHQo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
439th Signal Battalion Posted January 23, 2014 Share #2 Posted January 23, 2014 Good eye; I would concur that this Marine is also carrying an M1 based up the clip, although I don't think that particular shot has anything to do with Hill 937. As for the use of the M1 Garand in American hands at that time, I would wager to say that it was sporadic, depending on the unit and CO, although I think that the M14 would have been more of a logical choice. With that being said, however, it is possible that some GI's could have carried an M1 from time to time as many units did work closely with some ARVN groups who carried mainly WWII/Korean surplus weapons up until late 1969. I have several friends in the 199th LIB that traded and carried Thompson's, M1 Carbines, and Grease Guns on operations up until 1970. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hink441 Posted January 23, 2014 Share #3 Posted January 23, 2014 Looks like a Garand to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted January 23, 2014 Share #4 Posted January 23, 2014 Something from wikipedia: " Some Garands were still being used in the Vietnam War in 1963; despite the M14's official adoption in 1957, it was not until 1965 the changeover from the M1 Garand was completed in the active-duty component of the Army (with the exception of the sniper variants, which were introduced in World War II and saw action in Korea and Vietnam)." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_the_hun84 Posted January 23, 2014 Share #5 Posted January 23, 2014 How about the Navy during this time? What were the shipboard small arms carried? Didn't the Navy use a bunch of .308 Grands then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted January 23, 2014 Share #6 Posted January 23, 2014 How about the Navy during this time? What were the shipboard small arms carried? Didn't the Navy use a bunch of .308 Grands then? The Navy still had large quantities of .30-06 Garands in use aboard ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted January 25, 2014 Share #7 Posted January 25, 2014 According to Frederick Downs, his platoon would assign a weapon with a heavier bullet to the point man. The idea was the bullet was less likely to be dflected greatly by foliage, and the point might be firing the first shot. He does state however that in his platoon the weapon was an M14. This was circa 1967-68 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cea1274 Posted January 25, 2014 Share #8 Posted January 25, 2014 there were garands use by many of the arvn troops early in the war they had almost all ww2 era guns in the early years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellcat Posted January 25, 2014 Share #9 Posted January 25, 2014 That is a very interesting pic of the GI carrying a Garand. My question would be is what cartridge is it chambered for---30'06 or 308. My first thought would be for 308, because of ease in resupply of ammo. I realize that the ARVN were still being issued 30'06 weaponry early in the war, but for a regular US unit to have large quantities of '06 ammo immediately available...hmmm. Just wondering!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted January 25, 2014 Share #10 Posted January 25, 2014 I have seen .30-'06 with an LC-69 head stamp,which indicates Lake City 1969, so it was still in production at least by the middle of the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted January 26, 2014 Share #11 Posted January 26, 2014 I have seen .30-'06 with an LC-69 head stamp,which indicates Lake City 1969, so it was still in production at least by the middle of the war. I think the Air Force kept the .30-06 in inventory for a long time. RC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog34 Posted January 26, 2014 Share #12 Posted January 26, 2014 I know that when my dad was in ITR at camp Pendelton in the summer of 1967 his panoramic ITR photo they have Garands. They may be dummy's but they are definately Garands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1ashooter Posted January 26, 2014 Share #13 Posted January 26, 2014 Yes that is a M1. Great picture. I've seen a picture of a SF sgt early in the war with a M1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collector Posted September 17, 2014 Share #14 Posted September 17, 2014 I have seen .30-'06 with an LC-69 head stamp,which indicates Lake City 1969, so it was still in production at least by the middle of the war. I have a bunch of that LC 69, it's de-linked from the CMP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linedoggie Posted September 20, 2014 Share #15 Posted September 20, 2014 M1D among M14's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted September 20, 2014 Share #16 Posted September 20, 2014 I could still request, and receive 30-06'(M2 Ball)at least until 1988(last time I ordered it), for a trip to Honduras. We brought our own enbloc clips, and signed out Honduran M1 rifles. Their army had M16A1s, but plenty of Garands in the arms rooms. Taught my Jr. Wpns Sgt how accurate an M1 could be. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NU88 Posted October 3, 2014 Share #17 Posted October 3, 2014 I have seen .30-'06 with an LC-69 head stamp,which indicates Lake City 1969, so it was still in production at least by the middle of the war. Army National Guard units still had M1 Garands in inventory at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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