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SEAL Team 1, Circa 1971, Rifleman impression


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Hey all, I just thought I'd share some of newset pics. I have recently begun to branch off from collecting and reenacting MACV-SOG items to start with SEAL's and UDT's in Vietnam. This has always been an interest of mine and until recently I have been unable to afford many of the items for this particular impression. This is my first attempt at a typical rifleman attached in a SEAL team. Please, feel free to give me any pointers you may have. Thanks in advance! -Tanner

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vintageproductions

I'm thinking someone is going to be mad when they see you in their koi pond....

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Outstanding job, right down to the blue jeans.

Two things that smack of the FNG look, the para cord around the front A~frame and the mags taped end to end.

The paracord would melt from the heat generated from sustained fire which is usually the only kind those guys had. You could put your sling swivel back on, tape it down to soundproof it and attach the paracord there. I opted for the side mounted sling swivel which replaced the regular swivel that had to be removed when the grenade launcher was attached.

In my experience, 30 rd mags taped end~to~end could cause a misfeed. The stamped magazine is a looser fit than the steel 40 rounder made by Armalite. As a result, the extra weight of another mag could cause the top, forward part of the mag in the well to dip ever so slightly and jam the top round against the well. Also, it would take far too long to remove the tape from the 2nd mag before inserting the mag which may cause you friends in more than one way.

The first time I worked with a SEAL team the very next piece of "rigger made" gear I had done was a ChiCom style magazine vest. If you can't find a real one then having one made out of light canvas and 1 1/2" nylon webbing is a cinch. Any local upholstery or skydiving rigger shed could put one of these together.

I know you mentioned money being an issue so what you have already put together is very good, right down to being all wet.

Oh, yeah. Get a period 5 qt canteen. You could half fill it with water and the remainder air so you could have immediate flotation, even for a short swim to the beach.

Good luck and keep up the impression.

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One more thing......

The jungle used to grow commo wire everywhere, that is until we went completely wireless. I say that because if you could get a few yards of that stuff you could use it in place of the para cord. More durable and used to be so easily obtainable with almost as many uses as duct tape and baling wire.

Had to edit this becasue, well one more thing......

By '71 the face cammo had changed for the SEALs to a cream which was often carried in the small, round plastic chewing tobacco tins and sealed with OD speed tape. A more durable container but it has to be plastic. You should be able to get a similar paste through a hunting store or catalog and then transfer it to a plastic tin. It is this paste that goes on thicker and looks different in the Vietnam pictures than the ones you provided.

Please understand, you have a good portrayal that I'm not being critical of.

Keep up the good work.

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A question, no negativity implied: Was that forward handguard in use in SEA during 1971?

 

I (MACV, I CTZ) had dealings with SEALs on and off, late 1970-1971. I left in Jul 71, but cannot recall the squids having anything but true CAR-15s/XM-177s with the round handguards. For that matter, M-16-family weapons were somewhat disfavored. M-14s, M-60s, Stoners, AKs and even SW 76s each were competitors. Out of ten SEALs, three or four would have M-16-family. a couple would have AKs, then at least one M-14 (often with Starlite scope) and one M-60. In ICTZ they also mostly wore black over-dyed jungle fatigues, as they weren't much in lush green foliage or operating in daylight...

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A question, no negativity implied: Was that forward handguard in use in SEA during 1971?

 

I (MACV, I CTZ) had dealings with SEALs on and off, late 1970-1971. I left in Jul 71, but cannot recall the squids having anything but true CAR-15s/XM-177s with the round handguards. For that matter, M-16-family weapons were somewhat disfavored. M-14s, M-60s, Stoners, AKs and even SW 76s each were competitors. Out of ten SEALs, three or four would have M-16-family. a couple would have AKs, then at least one M-14 (often with Starlite scope) and one M-60. In ICTZ they also mostly wore black over-dyed jungle fatigues, as they weren't much in lush green foliage or operating in daylight...

This looks like a pretty good rendering of the original CAR~15 except it has a forward assist but in his defense those older upper receivers are probably as available as chicken lips.

The same would hold true for an accurate version of the cutdown SEAL M~60.

My suggestion at this point is to contact the SEAL association and try to take this whole outfit to one of their reunions as a display with these photos as part of that display. I think you would be welcomed for trying to keep alive this legacy and they may even be willing to help you make it truly accurate.

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This looks like a pretty good rendering of the original CAR~15 except it has a forward assist but in his defense those older upper receivers are probably as available as chicken lips.

The same would hold true for an accurate version of the cutdown SEAL M~60.

My suggestion at this point is to contact the SEAL association and try to take this whole outfit to one of their reunions as a display with these photos as part of that display. I think you would be welcomed for trying to keep alive this legacy and they may even be willing to help you make it truly accurate.

 

I'm posting this picture to show you our version of the M60 Shorty... :-)

tell me if you like it

 

post-64352-1344086442.jpg

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Very nice Greg :thumbsup: I'm in the process of deciding which weapon to buy for my SEAL team, either an M60 chopped,or a Stoner.

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Yeah Greg, damn near every picture of a Team, I see a Stoner or two. But I'm thinking that'll come next as I'm already in the process of getting an M-60 and chopping it.

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Don't neglect "pirate pistols": cut down M-79 GLs carried on a snaplink at the chest, or maybe at the side. Recall ONE SEAL who had a chopped M-2 carbine "pirate pistol", IIRC he was a medic!

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Thank you all for the comments and input! Greg, if you dont stop witht these pics and the ones on Facebook, I'm gonna have no choice but to move and join up with you guys :thumbsup: Jack, to my knowledge the suppressed K's were used heavily during the early years of the SEALs involvement in Vietnam, but not so much later. If anyone has any proof that the K (in any form) was used post 1969, I wil GLADLY put together an impression based around my Swedish K!

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  • 1 month later...
Tanner just one question... I saw the pockets on your Jeans... i know that Seals did that...but do you have any pictures of that.. :-)

Hey Greg, sorry it's taken so long to get back to you on this! Didnt see your post.....are you asking if I have any REAL photos of the pocket mod on the jeans, or if I have photos of my copies? I do in fact have both...

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Hey Greg, sorry it's taken so long to get back to you on this! Didnt see your post.....are you asking if I have any REAL photos of the pocket mod on the jeans, or if I have photos of my copies? I do in fact have both...

 

 

Well I would like to see both of them...please ;-)

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