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M56, M67 & ALICE Universal Ammo Pouches


Justin
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New Romantic

These aren't being reproduced, at least not that I know of. So just keep an eye out on eBay and shows. On an older forum, now defunct, these were discussed and if I recall correctly these cases saw limited issue to US forces. Carter Rila was the source for this info and he said most made their way to the Korean Army. I can think of one photo from 1970 showing US soldiers with the M16 cases.

 

Maybe this topic should be moved to the Field Gear section? It would be nice to revive discussion on the M16A1 Ammunition Cases.

 

By the way, those look like my pouches! Yes that's my photo. I'm updating my site within the next few months, totally changing most of it.

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New Romantic
If there not being faked Movies use real short m16 ammo pouchs?! :blink:

 

Thanks for the info

 

What movie was that? I'm curious.

 

So many of the pouches were made it would be easier to use surplus pouches rather than make new ones.

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New Romantic
We Were Soldiers used Short ammo pouchs so did platton

 

Really? I didn't notice. Well that would be a huge inaccuracy for both movies as the M16A1 pouches were made in 1968.

We were Soldiers- 1965

Platoon- Late 1967-early 1968- Actually looks more like 1970-1971 with the way the soldiers were dressed and their attitudes.

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Yeah i new that from watching We Were Soldiers, But there are deff used in both those movies, So they must be making fakes....?

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craig_pickrall

The following group of pics is those that Frankie refers to. These originally appeared on Gunboards Military Forum which is long dead. The Webcat that is referred in one pic is Carter Rila that Frankie also mentioned. Carter is no longer active on these forums due to poor health. I wish we could have his original comments restored but I think they are lost. There may have been some pics or comments added by others as well but I only have my original pics. Hopefully this will be restored somewhat like it was before.

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craig_pickrall

I'm not sure you can tell the difference in the size of these pouches when used in a movie. The larger pouch is the more common and usually what I have seen in movies or pics.

 

post-5-1211208599.jpg

post-5-1211208606.jpg

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The pouch on the left of post 13 isn't really part of the M-67 set. It is dated 1973 if you look closely. I understand them to be the earliest version of the ALICE pouch.

 

You are missing the 1969 dated nylon 30rd magazine pouch. It has the body of the later ALICE pouch, but with grenade loops instead of wings and has the strap that goes to the suspenders instead of the eyelet hole of the ALICE pouch.

M6730rdpch.jpg

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craig_pickrall

Mr X thanks for the update. The pics I posted are about 10 years old now and lots has been learned since they were done. That is true of many of the pics I post.

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Craig, both types are fairly hard to come by.

But I would say that the 1973 dated ALICE pouches with the flaps are rarer.

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Craig, both types are fairly hard to come by.

But I would say that the 1973 dated ALICE pouches with the flaps are rarer.

Mines are also dated 1973. I picked them up in DC some 15 years ago. The surplus store had a large bin full of, all were unissued and dated 1973.

Anyone with some with another date ?

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New Romantic

Great photos Craigs, thanks for reposting these.

 

I mentioned this years ago on the Gunboards- Has anyone ever come across an early 1st pattern pouch that has the quick release tab reinforced with a tack? The first time I've seen one of these was in a painting by H. Charles McBarron showing Army Soldiers in Vietnam, 1965

http://www.history.army.mil/html/artphoto/...msoldier3b.html

 

Then about 6-7 years ago I swear I saw one of those pouches in a photo in a 1980's-90's Vietnam Magazine. I need to look through the magazines and see if I can find the photo.

post-599-1211215874.jpg

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craig_pickrall

Frankie, I'm not sure what you are asking. Is it a rivet to reinforce the stitching or do you mean a sewn bar tack?

 

I wouldn't use a painting as a reference as there are to many artist's liberties taken.

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New Romantic
Frankie, I'm not sure what you are asking. Is it a rivet to reinforce the stitching or do you mean a sewn bar tack?

 

I wouldn't use a painting as a reference as there are to many artist's liberties taken.

 

Craig, I was referring to a rivet to reinforce the stitching.

 

Yes I'm aware of the artist's liberties. The first time I viewed the original painting was painting was at the Quartermaster Museum at Ft. Lee. I viewed the rivets as an inaccuracy b/c I noted that McBarron has the soldiers in his painting wearing 3rd pattern Jungle Fatiques when they should be wearing the 1st pattern during 1965. Then I saw the same type pouch in an actual photo in a Vietnam Magazine.

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craig_pickrall

Frankie, I looked at my pics in posts 9 & 10 and there is additional stitching where the tab attaches to the pouch flap. Blow the pic up to about 200% and you can see it. Is that what you meant?

 

I remembered too that GI's used to cut the stitching at the back of the flap on the pouch so they could just flip it forward to access their magazines. I think I have atleast one pouch done this way.

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New Romantic

Craig, I'll look through the old magazines and see if I can find the photo. Of course I may have been halucinating. I think I was looking at the magazines one night during a graveyard shift when I was doing security for the Dominion Va Power highrise in downtown Richmond in May 2001.

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New Romantic

View of a 1962 dated pouch illustrating how grenades were carried. This includes fragmentation, smoke, etc.

post-599-1211218214.jpg

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New Romantic

Here are some additional photos of pouches when they were redesignated "Case Small Arms Ammunition". Note that the word "Universal" was dropped and "Pouch" replaced by "Case"

 

These pouches are from 1965, no date in the DSA marking.

post-599-1211218603.jpg

post-599-1211218667.jpg

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