What shotguns were used in Vietnam?

[DudleySmith]

Don't see the usual gun nut forum on this board, and it's not anything to do with the 2nd A, but I found this article interesting:

What shotguns were used in Vietnam?

Answer (1 of 4): Lots of makes and models. When the Vietnam War picked up, shotguns from WWII were refurbished. The refurbished World War II shotguns that saw the most use in Vietnam were the Winchester Model 12 and Stevens M520-30 trench guns. Some Winchester Model 97s also saw use in Vietnam b...

www.quora.com

[/b]The refurbished World War II shotguns that saw the most use in Vietnam were the Winchester Model 12 and Stevens M520-30 trench guns. Some Winchester Model 97s also saw use in Vietnam by American forces.

.....

It is said that units that carried shotguns had the higher body counts.[/b]

Is that last claim verified anywhere in a history?


Mostly found the trench guns being used interesting, and didn't know the military was still using them by the VN era.

 

[Failzero]

Ithaca model 37

 

[okfine]

Don't see the usual gun nut forum on this board, and it's not anything to do with the 2nd A, but I found this article interesting:

What shotguns were used in Vietnam?

Answer (1 of 4): Lots of makes and models. When the Vietnam War picked up, shotguns from WWII were refurbished. The refurbished World War II shotguns that saw the most use in Vietnam were the Winchester Model 12 and Stevens M520-30 trench guns. Some Winchester Model 97s also saw use in Vietnam b...

www.quora.com

[/b]The refurbished World War II shotguns that saw the most use in Vietnam were the Winchester Model 12 and Stevens M520-30 trench guns. Some Winchester Model 97s also saw use in Vietnam by American forces.

.....

It is said that units that carried shotguns had the higher body counts.[/b]

Is that last claim verified anywhere in a history?


Mostly found the trench guns being used interesting, and didn't know the military was still using them by the VN era.

My brother in law carried a Rem 870 in 1968.

 

[Ringel05]

The two most used shotguns used during the Vietnam War were the Ithaca Model 37 and Stevens Model 77E, the others mentioned in the Quora link were late 1960s additions. The Model 77E had some reliability issues but the Model 37 always worked flawlessly.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Cant remember which model it was but you could pump the shotgun and hold the trigger back and it would fire when you racked the slide.

 

[1srelluc]

Looks like a Stevens.

Not sure, possibly a stevens but I can't see the TG or forend very well.

 

[okfine]

The two most used shotguns used during the Vietnam War were the Ithaca Model 37 and Stevens Model 77E, the others mentioned in the Quora link were late 1960s additions. The Model 77E had some reliability issues but the Model 37 always worked flawlessly.

Looks like a Stevens.

Not sure, possibly a stevens but I can't see the TG or forend very well.

No surprise. It is what you searched for.

shotgun used in vietnam - Bing

Find high-quality images, photos, and animated GIFS with Bing Images

www.bing.com

 

[DudleySmith]

When I was in Thailand I saw their troops carrying a lot of Remingtons they said they got from the U.S. military. I personally only ever saw MP's and guard units actually carrying them, though of course I didn't know the military issued such a variety of them 'officially' to troops. These were early 1100 versions, I believe. The VC used double barreled SG's made in some Warsaw Pact country,, and I think the 'Tunnel Rat' crazies had their own preferences for a large hand held hand cannon they used to sweep tunnels with, don't know who made those, probably Australian or Brit made .

 

[okfine]

When I was in Thailand I saw their troops carrying a lot of Remingtons they said they got from the U.S. military. I personally only ever saw MP's and guard units actually carrying them, though of course I didn't know the military issued such a variety of them 'officially' to troops. These were early 1100 versions, I believe. The VC used double barreled SG's made in some Warsaw Pact country,, and I think the 'Tunnel Rat' crazies had their own preferences for a large hand held hand cannon they used to sweep tunnels with, don't know who made those, probably Australian or Brit made .

Like other countries in the region they had shotguns from France, Germany, USA, Austria, etc. Surplus supply. My BiL said the Cambodians carried the Ithaca 37 and a Browning High Power. The Laotians carried whatever they could get.

 

[whitehall]

You can use a slug in a 12 ga shotgun and it is a killing round but you might as well use a rifle or a .45 automatic pistol. The second most potent load from a 12 ga shotgun would be the 00 buck which throws out 9 round balls of about .32 caliber. If they all hit the target it's a killing shot but a single .32 caliber ball at a relative low velocity isn't really effective. The reason we don't arm troops with shotguns is that their tactical effectiveness is exaggerated.

 

[Mushroom]

Looks like a Stevens.

Nope, that's a Remington 870. And the difference is obvious when you compare the two. Look where the shooters right hand grips the weapon and compare the two.

This is the Stevens M520. Look how the action is significantly raised, and drops sharply before it meets the stock.

Now below is an 870, notice how the action meets the stock.

I used the 870 from 1985-1987, so am very familiar with them. In fact, I know that many f them were actually used in Vietnam because some of them even had engravings from the war carved into the stock that had been filled in with wood putty. And our S-4 when we were getting ready to close out unit had gotten a full history of most of the weapons in our armory. And a hell of a lot of them were actually from Vietnam. Our armory was pretty evenly stocked with the 870, and the Remington 1100. They are almost the same shotgun, but the 1100 is semi-automatic instead of pump action.

I think we were one of the last active Marine units to still use the M79 40mm grenade launcher.

 

[Mushroom]

The reason we don't arm troops with shotguns is that their tactical effectiveness is exaggerated.

We do arm our military with shotguns, but only for very select actions. And not for what most people think.

Their primary purpose is inside of urban areas, to breech doors. Instead of lugging around a battering ram on patrol, it is much easier to just use a shotgun. Then either blast the locking mechanism, or a blast to the hinges is an excellent "master key". We were specifically trained to use that technique in MOUT training.

A typical "military battering ram" is about 25 pounds, and that is a lot of weight for somebody to lug around on patrol. Especially as one has to stand in front of the door to use it, making them an easy target to fire from within. A shotgun on the other hand with ammunition is less than 10 pounds, and can be used to shoot out the lock or hinges from behind the wall so it is much harder to shoot the wielder.

Ask any mortarman what lugging around the baseplate of an 81mm mortar is like. That is about the weight of a battering ram.

 

[Failzero]

I believe there were Smith & Wesson & Colt USGI Model 1917 Revolvers that saw action in WW2 and Korea that were issued in Nam also ...Kinda like how M3 (Grease Gun) was still Used by Tankers in Nam & after

 

[1srelluc]

Nope, that's a Remington 870. And the difference is obvious when you compare the two. Look where the shooters right hand grips the weapon and compare the two.

This is the Stevens M520. Look how the action is significantly raised, and drops sharply before it meets the stock.

Now below is an 870, notice how the action meets the stock.

I used the 870 from 1985-1987, so am very familiar with them. In fact, I know that many f them were actually used in Vietnam because some of them even had engravings from the war carved into the stock that had been filled in with wood putty. And our S-4 when we were getting ready to close out unit had gotten a full history of most of the weapons in our armory. And a hell of a lot of them were actually from Vietnam. Our armory was pretty evenly stocked with the 870, and the Remington 1100. They are almost the same shotgun, but the 1100 is semi-automatic instead of pump action.

I think we were one of the last active Marine units to still use the M79 40mm grenade launcher.

Not a 870....look at the action pins in the first pic.....It a Stevens 77E.

 

[DudleySmith]

Looks like a Stevens.

Not sure, possibly a stevens but I can't see the TG or forend very well.

Could be the Stevens 77E model riot gun, yes, but not entirely sure, since the action looks a little narrower and the gun seems longer to me, but I wouldn't bet money on my limited perceptions. the trigger guard looks similar, but the rivets don't look to be in the same location as the model in my linkThey made a military contract version, but it was unpopular because the wooden stocks were crap on their version. I also saw a few of those in Thailand and Myanmar.

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/79/478/us-contract-vietnam-war-stevens-model-77e-riot-shotgun

It doesn't look like a REmington 870 pump action I've ever seen except the similar where the stock meets he action. It looks more like a Stevens than a Remington 870, in any case.



The Steven trench gun is the one with the square block design.

 

[DudleySmith]

Not a 870....look at the action pins in the first pic.....It a Stevens 77E.

lol beat me by a couple of minutes.

 

[1srelluc]

lol beat me by a couple of minutes.

The TG and capped (fore and aft) forend are the dead give aways.

 

[whitehall]

Wiki says John Browning's venerable Model 97 Winchester shotgun was used in Vietnam but I doubt it. The '97 hammer pump shotgun was so effective in WW1 trench warfare that the Germans protested it's use. You can keep your finger on the trigger and work the action and the shotgun will continue to fire.

 

[Billo_Really]

Don't see the usual gun nut forum on this board, and it's not anything to do with the 2nd A, but I found this article interesting:

What shotguns were used in Vietnam?

Answer (1 of 4): Lots of makes and models. When the Vietnam War picked up, shotguns from WWII were refurbished. The refurbished World War II shotguns that saw the most use in Vietnam were the Winchester Model 12 and Stevens M520-30 trench guns. Some Winchester Model 97s also saw use in Vietnam b...

www.quora.com

[/b]The refurbished World War II shotguns that saw the most use in Vietnam were the Winchester Model 12 and Stevens M520-30 trench guns. Some Winchester Model 97s also saw use in Vietnam by American forces.

.....

It is said that units that carried shotguns had the higher body counts.[/b]

Is that last claim verified anywhere in a history?


Mostly found the trench guns being used interesting, and didn't know the military was still using them by the VN era.

Did you say shotgun or shogun?

 

[DudleySmith]

Did you say shotgun or shogun?

Yes.