Canned M1 Rifles

[Calif-Steve]

Web gear doesn't last long in the hands of troops. Almost certainly the Koreans have been making thier own web gear for decades. US -made equipment is certainly gone by now.

[enbloc8]

Web gear doesn't last long in the hands of troops. Almost certainly the Koreans have been making thier own web gear for decades. US -made equipment is certainly gone by now.

No no, I was referring to the report of canned rifles stored in American bomb shelters. I know that slings and cleaning kits were packed with the rifles upon "canning"...I just wonder if cartridge belts and the like went with them as well. I mean, they gotta have some way to carry ammo, and when loaded those bandoliers suck!

[Dave Waits]

Can't remember, I do remember the picture was obviously taken in a shelter or bunker and the cans of M1s(one was opened to show contents) had the Civil-Defense Emblem painted on two sides. the author stated in the story that they were in a Shelter in Philadelphia.

[enbloc8]

Wow, that's amazing. I wonder who they would have had in mind to carry Garands post-disaster...regular military, area reservists/Guard, law enforcement/CD personnel, or civilian volunteers?

[MJ1]

While unpacking CONEX containers of M1's, BAR's, 1919's in '67 at MACV/SOG Kontum we found one barrel of M1 carbines. All the rest, carbines and M1's, were sealed and stacked in the containers stablized with blocks of hard foam. The rifles, M3's, 1911's were just in vacume packed foil/paper packages. The quality of the packing went down as the project went on and I remember that the last deliveries had just nasty rifles stacked without padding and heavey with grease and dirt. The most work went into the last containers with a diesel filled bath tubs all very nasty and a lot of the last M1's were inop from broken springs and damaged stocks. When I moved on to Dak To in Oct. they had started sorting the left overs into piles to make others run. I think I still could smell that mess for the next two months in my skin and BDU's. LOL

[Calif-Steve]

I was in the arms room at Kiem Long District in 1971. They had M1A1 Thompsons stacked chin-high on pallets just off the ground. No range with at slow .45 cal. bullet, so the Viet Namese would not use them. We shipped piles of equipment to them and much was never used. Our RF-PF's had Garands and all were IHC's. We did not have any clips! The rifles were never used!

[enbloc8]

Is it known if the Vietnamese still have any of those US arms?

[Calif-Steve]

The Viet Namese have piles of rusted rifles. They have not taken care of their capture weapons.

[WW1 Fan]

Thompsons....guess they didn't realize what just the parts kits would bring on the collector market.......

[browningautorifle]

We've seen these pics before. It's still too bad however. I'd still like to have a few of them and I'll bet a bead blast and park would do wonders. Maybe some new springs. Most of the Thompsons we got here in Canada had rough bores and shot just fine.