AR 10 in the Dominican.

[browningautorifle]

Here's a neat pic in passing. A couple weapons you hardly see and the equipment on the "Italian Merc" is interesting.

Title is "Italian merc Elio Capozzi (U.S. HBT camo and AR-10) speaks with a Dominican rebel with a Cristobol Carbine, 1965"

Information

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[RCS]

Photo shows a later Portuguese AR-10 with an aluminum butt stock for firing rifle grenades

[CINDERS]

Looks to have a F/S knife in his belt or one of similar dimension.

[HHollow]

The merc has a Cuban style AR10, which was sold to castro and a few other tin horn central and south american dick-taters.
The rifle was made in 1958 and was essentially the first generation Dutch AR10.

[Flying10uk]

It's surprising that the AR10 rifle wasn't used more widely, by more armed forces, when one considers that the FAL series of rifles was once commonly in use.

[browningautorifle]

It's surprising that the AR10 rifle wasn't used more widely,

You can see how it was dropped from considerations when the original sales pitch came and the two rifles, one .223 and one 7.62 travelled the world. After a while they gave the 7.62 ammo away as no one wanted to shoot it. Just the little one.

It's all in the book. Too, the FN and AR10 aren't even close to the same.

[Flying10uk]

Too, the FN and AR10 aren't even close to the same.

I wasn't, in any way, suggesting that they are. The point that I was implying is that they both fire 7.62 Nato. Or to put it another way 7.62 Nato was a popular caliber for military rifles at the time.

[browningautorifle]

they both fire 7.62 Nato

Yes, they do that. But we can't just roll them together in caliber, military rifles aren't like that. The handling is important, the feel. That platform proved the light caliber was widely accepted and the heavy caliber not much.

[mrclark303]

It's an interesting one Jim, I would say the AR10 was a failing of the advertising men, a wrong time to the market really, Fn had pretty much cornered the 7.62mm market with the Fal in the late 1950's.

By the 1960's, Vietnam ensured the AR15 a launch pad and a market dominance it still effectively has 50 years later.

[CINDERS]

Jim was the doctrine of the day like the .30 cal M1 carbine that the services placed emphasis on the soldier being more accurate with a lighter kicking rifle rather than say using a Garand with the 30/06 round with a heavier rifle and recoil.
For that era in say WWII the Carbine round would have no where near the hitting power of the 30/06 round, but with the advent of better ballistically efficient projectiles as in the case of the 5.56 it became a viable option despite all the stuff saying if it hit your hand it would take your arm off!

I would have thought the Armed services yours and ours would have stayed with a 7.62mm platform given the knock down and penetration power that round has, now days there are so many calibers being used that I think standardisation rule is out the window.
What would a load out be for a squad now with 5.56's, 7.62's and now a 6.8 especially the latter as no one else in the squad will be able to toss you a mag or ammo when you run dry!