I got a question about the First Gulf War era of things, or even black hawk down era.  Does anybody know if there was an early SPR type set up?  Something that would've have been a sniper type rig that was not carbine?  Most of what we've seen for the most part has been about the different configs of carbines and I'm wondering if there was a DM type rifle or SPR type rifle in the rifle gas system employed.  And if so, what was it set up like?  For example, I've seen a few of those colt type scopes on many a photo from vietnam all the way to one photo I remember seeing in the latest Iraqi war.  I'm wondering if there was a designation or role (like DM) for allowing this use or if some ranking officers just had the option to do it.  Another example is I've seen pictures of those huge NV set ups attached to the carry handle in Vietnam.   So there was some useage as a sniper role (or maybe counter sniper) with the Rifle AR's back then and I was wondering what the metemorphasis would've been during the gulf war Era.  If any.  

As an aside, I believe it was this book I read called 'The Teams', or somewhere, about the useage of the Big Night vision scopes on the A1's.  And what I read was they'd fly around at night  in a helicopter with those C130 gunships accompanying them and when the NV M16 guy spotted the enemy he'd fire a tracer into the position.  Then Everyone one in the Gunships would open up into the area where the tracer was.  Wow.  It must've been something to see.

Capt Richardson?

Nobody??

In one of the recent retro threads there was a pic of a SEAL with an M16A1 with a Aimpoint 3000 mounted on the carry handle. I think that was about as close to an SPR as there was back then, with the exception of the M14 with scope maybe.

Quoted: In one of the recent retro threads there was a pic of a SEAL with an M16A1 with a Aimpoint 3000 mounted on the carry handle. I think that was about as close to an SPR as there was back then, with the exception of the M14 with scope maybe.

I remember seeing it.  I wonder what the deal is with the colt scopes.  Were those a military issue, or did they just sell them commercially.  Or NC star.  I know I've seen pictures of soldiers with them on there.  Or even better, when did the trijicons come out and did they form a rifle around it for a sniper role.  Maybe I'm barking  up a tree that's not there but to me, it seems there was tidbits of evidence to say people used them in a sniper role B4 this last war.  In the retro carbine thread someone just posted pics of A1's with scopes on them that were issued and a seal was pictured with one.  Could it be that it was never employed as a sniper role up until these last couple years?

There was some experiments with M16A1 based sniper rifles conducted in Vietnam in 1967.  One of the optics tried was the Colt Realist 3x20:



Never went anywhere, and don't know of any other "official" programs used in combat other then the current War on Terror stuff.

Quoted: There was some experiments with M16A1 based sniper rifles conducted in Vietnam in 1967.  One of the optics tried was the Colt Realist 3x20: img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/Ekie12091941/rmartinez19.jpg Never went anywhere, and don't know of any other "official" programs used in combat other then the current War on Terror stuff.

Yeah, I've seen that before.  Man it's just hard to believe there wasn't a program at all before the current war on terror.  I know this was touched on in the other thread but what did Chugart and Gordon use in BHD.  It seems as though one of them had an M14, but was the other considered the spotter with a carbine or what exactly did they use?  I don't know if that was ever confirmed.  And I'm not talking about what the movie showed.  I'm talking about what they actually used (in case any one else lurks in here and wants to be a wise guy)