mobilestrikeforce Posted July 31, 2008 Share #1 Posted July 31, 2008 Does anyone know whether the S&W M76 was being used during Vietnam war? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB K. RKSS Posted July 31, 2008 Share #2 Posted July 31, 2008 Don't know about S&W (You should check their production dates), but some Special Forces did have Swedish-K (s) in 1968; the ones I saw had walnut wood pistol grip, & were finished in polished blue/black (not parkerized). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austringer Posted July 31, 2008 Share #3 Posted July 31, 2008 Don't know about S&W (You should check their production dates), but some Special Forces did have Swedish-K (s) in 1968; the ones I saw had walnut wood pistol grip, & were finished in polished blue/black (not parkerized). A good friend of mine has a Vietnam vet bring back Swedish K that is finished in light green paint (brushed on). It's also fitted to take the 72 round drum. That is my favorite Vietnam ear subgun, many hundred rounds fired down range though that gun now. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilestrikeforce Posted August 1, 2008 Author Share #4 Posted August 1, 2008 This S&W M76 is a cap gun. The problem is there is no toy gun for Swedish-K. I can only see actor using S&W M76 during TV show "Tour of duty". But I am sure M76 was really been used duing Vietnam war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twhigham Posted August 1, 2008 Share #5 Posted August 1, 2008 This S&W M76 is a cap gun. The problem is there is no toy gun for Swedish-K. I can only see actor using S&W M76 during TV show "Tour of duty". But I am sure M76 was really been used duing Vietnam war. If I'm not mistaken, the "76" in M76 means it was accepted for service use in 1976, which would put it about a year after the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted August 1, 2008 Share #6 Posted August 1, 2008 IIRC the S&W M76 was developed at the behest of the USN, for SEAL use, and was fielded at least on a test basis with SEALs in VN -- but not until 1972 or maybe 1971. Because the navy did not order thousands of them, S&W then shifted marketing to law enforcement, but there were not lots of orders there either and the program fizzled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austringer Posted August 1, 2008 Share #7 Posted August 1, 2008 IIRC the S&W M76 was developed at the behest of the USN, for SEAL use, and was fielded at least on a test basis with SEALs in VN -- but not until 1972 or maybe 1971. Because the navy did not order thousands of them, S&W then shifted marketing to law enforcement, but there were not lots of orders there either and the program fizzled. M76 was basically a S&W built copy of the Swedish K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted August 1, 2008 Share #8 Posted August 1, 2008 I was told by a SEAL (in 1988) minding and equipment display that included two M76's that after the Swedes had sold thousands of K's used in SEA -- either directly to CIA or the RVN govt or to middlemen -- Olso refused to allow export of any more after Tet 1968. So the USN got together with S&W and, due to no time for extended R&D, specified that the new gun be as close to the K as ?patents? would allow. Sounds feasible, as when I found a Beretta M12 in use with CIDG I was told a similar story: after Tet, supplying weapons became a political hot potato and Italy cut off further orders. I had three Ks in VN in 1971. A brand-new semi-gloss sage green paint-finished one with no marks other than an electric-pencil four-digit serial number. A somewhat beat gray parkerized one with integral suppressor with absolutely no marks. A chipped-up black painted (Brit-style finish) one -- also suppressed with a can almost identical to the gray one but a bit more crudely made -- made in Egypt with Arabic serial number. All three had CIA/SF/CIDG provenance. I fired the first two. The nifty clean one worked very well and was accurate in aimed shoulder fire out to 100-150 yds. The gray one ONLY fired on run-away, one mag at a time, uncontrollable, AND (therefore?) the suppressor didn't have much effect. I had been warned about the run-away "feature" so had loaded only 10 rds into each mag, after having stripped it down, cleaned it (had caked sand and what may have been blood crud inside) and tightened it up a bit. I had gotten it for nothing (off the wall of an SF camp team house) and it went away the same way.......good riddance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nguoi tien su Posted August 1, 2008 Share #9 Posted August 1, 2008 Yes it was used in VN, by SEAL and SOGs as well. That was a copy of the Swedish-K as the firm did not want to provide that gun for use in VN. Sweden was against that war. The production was very limited in time (and quantity) from circa 66 to 70 something if my memory is still good. NTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Posted August 1, 2008 Share #10 Posted August 1, 2008 J_Andrews This top one must be the SMG in question or?? Henrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilestrikeforce Posted August 1, 2008 Author Share #11 Posted August 1, 2008 Does anyone has photo of soldiers using S&W M76 during Vietnam War? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted August 1, 2008 Share #12 Posted August 1, 2008 SFC: This fits the gray parkerized one, with fixed mag well for 36-rd mags only. Very long tube with vents at front. The as-new green one was in M45A configuration with clip-on mag well. I got it with a "purse" that had two 50-rd "fat" mags and IIRc three 36-rd ones -- and even that blank adapter (or is it for the fangible plastic-bullet "gallery" ammo?) that looks like a funnel with a ball stuck in it. The Egyptian "Port Said" had no mag well -- probably made in M45A config but "lost" the well. The 9x19 ammo I got from the same source was Canadian 1945-date in 64-rd boxes (six or eight boxes), some Fiocchi (two boxes) and an ammo can filled with loose French early 1950s dates, Finnish and Czech (200 or so). There were a fair number of duds with the French stuff and the Czech was "hot", so not for use with the suppressors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEAL76 Posted February 23, 2011 Share #13 Posted February 23, 2011 The S&W M76 submachine gun was used by Navy SEALs in Vietnam on a limited basis. When the CAR 15 came along there was no need for a submachine gun. M3A1 Submachine guns were also used early on. Submachine guns are very limited in their usefulness in combat. In CQB they might be used but there are far better weapons available now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjoshman Posted February 24, 2011 Share #14 Posted February 24, 2011 If I'm not mistaken, the "76" in M76 means it was accepted for service use in 1976, which would put it about a year after the war. It CEASED production in 1974... And It started in 1967... So yeah... -Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atb Posted February 25, 2011 Share #15 Posted February 25, 2011 If I'm not mistaken, the "76" in M76 means it was accepted for service use in 1976, which would put it about a year after the war. That is an outdated nomenclature system. Were the M1 rifle and M1 Carbine in 1901? Was the M16 rifle adopted in 1916? Was the M14 Rifle adopted in 1914? Of course not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaA257 Posted February 25, 2011 Share #16 Posted February 25, 2011 I've liked those ever since I saw Heston with one in the Omega Man! True story, we have one of those in the evidence room at HQ. some lady was out walking her dog and found it thrown under a bush! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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