Australian/New Zealand Use of M16 Rifle in Vietnam?

[Woodsy]

Good on ya, Mate!

[muffett.2008]

Just for what it's worth, we kinda preferred the 7.62 as it had better penetration through the scrub, better to kill in this instance than to just scare them to death.
The variation of firearms associated with the training teams was considerable as can be seen in these pic's.


These are not blokes from line Battalions.

[Peter Laidler]

Have to say that the Australian JG /OG shirts were harder wearing than the flimsy original UK issue and I brought a load back to wear back here. We also liked your raised suspension Aust assembled Land Rovers too...... once the dodgy UK LUCAS alternators had been replaced with AC Delco.

I accept the revised dates of course. That's just how my memory recall it, especially the 1967 time frame when we initially came across the initial limited issues. Did I like 'em? Yes but like most service kit, it's at its best when it's a personal issue. Best of all was the L1A1. I wonder where AD6104714 is now.

Rod, re yours above, the UE numbered GPMG's all had a year of imanufacture after the UE. That would be interesting to know. We burchased 1,000 approx FN made guns for the trials sarting (again from memory) BL63 - just a few, then BL64A 000? to slightly into the 1000's. Then another batch while we geared up for production.

We had all this info at Warminster and Steve Raw copied all of it down as he was going to publish it. There were hundreds of manufacturing conditions set out by FN. But that's another story

[CINDERS]

The NZ arty and the chopper pilots saved the day, there was a huge argument at HQ on the APC's being deployed.
The book on the subject the river they crossed to get to the battlefield was swollen and they had only a few inches of free board swimming over crossing it.

Here is a pic of Mervin (B/Inlaw Dec march 2022) riding shotgun in the back of a truck with the L2A1, they gave him an F1 after taking his Owen from him.
The F1 rusted in 24 hours so he cadged that off for the rifle for the rest of his tour.

[Gil Boyd]

Here you go Peter, this is what we got as an interest "pamphlet" on how to keep it clean very basic............Marvel comic based no doubt

[browningautorifle]

an interest "pamphlet"

Neat little pams, very scarce now to collectors. They did those for the guys that didn't do so well reading at the lowest end of the chain. I wonder how well they actually worked.

[Gil Boyd]

Well........................we were Paratroopers afterall, just brilliant soldiers, why do we want to read and complicate all that

[browningautorifle]

we were Paratroopers afterall

Didn't mean you guys...but in those days we had some less educated types too.

[Gil Boyd]

So did we Jim.......mostly officers

[Woodsy]

Peter, the gun was an L7A2, UE 81. Interestingly, the current NZ GPMG's are all FN manufacture.