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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Standard Battle Load (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 4/8/2006 11:03:16 AM EDT
| What is the standard battle load of a soldier now? How many magazines? |
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Traditionally, 270 rounds for an M4/M16. If the soldier carries a pistol, 1 15 round magazine in the M9, and an additional two magazines. Now, infantry soldiers are supposed to carry at least 270 rounds, but many carry closer to 400. However, a battle load depends on missions and availability. EDIT: This is the battle load in my company during OIF. I would tend to agree with the others regarding the 210-round carry plan, especially with regard to carrying extra in vehicles. Of course, designated marksmen carry additional M14 ammo, and weapons squad/team members will carry additional loads. |
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In Iraq I Carried 10 30's in my RACK + 1 in the rifle. + 6 extra 30's in my assault pack. In 12 months I only had to use my spares once. and after it was over I had 6 rounds left. Mission dictates what we carried. Can't give you anything more every situation is different |
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210 is about all you can carry and have readily available since each ammo pouch can hold 3 each. You can carry more but it would be in your alice pack. this is how my squad looked like in the first gulf war: Saw gunner only has 200 (on the weapon) the other 600 is in his alice pack. I was the Saw Gunner. m60 gunner also has a m16 for personal weapon missions. i am unsure of the number of rounds he carries. the m60 assitant gunner gets screwed when it comes to load. this guy usually has an m16 with a 203. not only does he have to carry all his shit but he also has to carry extra m60 rounds, spare barrel, and the m60 tripod which is not light! everyone else has m16 with 203's ... and everyone has to carry other stuff too. As 12B 's we had to carry C4, TNT, anti personal mines, bangalores, etc... but we had 113's so most of the time we left the demo and majority of the ammo in there.  |
I will add a joke-Ranger vs Green Beret Two Rangers boarded a quick shuttle flight out of Dallas, headed for Houston. One sat in the window seat, the other sat in the middle seat. Just before take-off, A Green Beret got on and took the aisle seat next to the two Rangers. The Green Beret kicked off his boots, wiggled his toes and was settling in when the Ranger in the window seat said,"I think I'll get up and get a coke." "No problem," said the Green Beret, "I'll get it for you." While he was gone, the Ranger picked up the Green Beret's boot and spit in it. When the Green Beret returned with the coke, the other Ranger said, "That looks good, I think I'll have one too." Again, the Green Beret obligingly went to fetch it and while he was gone, the Ranger picked up the other boot and spit in it. The Green Beret returned and they all sat back and enjoyed the short flight to Houston. As the plane was landing, the Green Beret slipped his feet into his boots and knew immediately what had happened. "How long must this go on?" the Green Beret asked. "This fighting between our groups? This hatred? This animosity? This spitting in boots and pissing in cokes?"  Rangers Lead The Way!  |
Good to see you aboard. I'm sure you recognize the crest. D Co. here. |
Good grief  |
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^ LOL, looks like it came back to bite him in the ass. |
Wow a guy really has to watch his step around here. One little mess up and BAM.  I called him a dumb ass because he made retarded statement a bought one of the US best fighting men.
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Technically, he made a joke (you know, the kind that is common in good-natured interservice rivalries). The overly sensitive, rambling and slightly retarded statement seems to be yours.  (Just giving you a hard time now)
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Think maybe the poster in question might have an MOS in his screen name? Might that lend a little perspective to his comment? |
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Well its not like I am really mad or hate the guy and want to rip out his guts with a chainsaw. Just that he was being a dumb ass and that his joke was dumb ass. Then I gave some facts on Rangers for those who know little to nothing a bought them. ETA: No I am not a expert on Rangers. |
I bet that one time you had the spares you were damn glad you did. Did you get resupplied soon after, having only 6 rds? Or what did you do til you were? 17 mags worth of ammo. Whew. Bit of a load. |
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Someone should not be calling another person a dumbass when the paragraph they do it in is the worst piece of writing I have seen in years. I won't even touch on the MOS being including in the name of the "dumbass." Wow. I plan to carry as many mags as I can when my time comes. Glad people made it through to talk about having to dig into the extras. |
Based on your indignant and angry response, I kind of assumed you WERE a Ranger yourself. There are enough current and former Rangers on this site who have the right to get touchy about a joke at their expense - and they are eminently capable of speaking for themselves. If you are not one of them, then you are just weird to have reacted the way you did.  Either way - you are right. It's silly to keep arguing about this. It is the internet after all. 
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SOMEONE needs to get the sand out of their mangina  ETA: To stay on topic, unlike SOME people, does anyone know the maximum number of mags soldiers (Army Infantry) are allowed to carry? |
| Differes between the different services, and the different types of troop within those services. However, I wouldn't feel comfortable with less than 12 mags, and one in the gun if I knew I was going to be seeing action. You would be amazed how quickly 30 rounds will depart. |
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I carried 8 on me (6 on my vest, 2 in/on my rifle) and had usually 6 more in my assault pack. Then again, I was a gunner, if I was on the ground I probably would have carried more. And in response to thanegrooms, no clue, we never got anything other than green tip. |
Soldiers rarely get to pick and choose their ammunition. You are issued what the ammunition supply point has. Even Special Forces Soldiers use the ammunition they are issued (though it might be Mk 262 Mod 0 or 1). M193 is becoming very rare in the system as the number of M16A1's dwindles to zero. |
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As a Marine stationed on Guam, guarding the U.S. Naval Magazine at Agana, we carried 2 magazines of 28 rounds in our 16's. I always thought this was very pathetic. But it was 1986-87. No 203, 14 rounds of .45 ACP, and 400 rounds for the M-60's. Nothing was ever loaded, everything stayed in the pouches. My Air Force experience was much better in terms of ammo. Stateside load on the flightline was 4 mags, one in the well, three on your person. 800rds for the M-60, and 30 for the 9mm. 203 gunners had 10 or 12 rounds, I cant remember which. 60's were kept at half load, 9mm's were one up the pipe and on safe, 40mm rounds were kept in the can, and the 16's were bolt forward on an empty chamber with mag inserted. In Bahrain and Kuwait, it was the same, but the 203 round count went up, as did the mag count for the 16's, at 7. 60's were still carrying 800 rounds, and I think the SAW guys had 600, but it may have been 800 like those of us carrying the pigs. 9mm was still 30 rounds. |
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My friend's dad was first 82nd Airborne, then Ranger, and Delta Force. He is the biggest geak I have ever known, stands about 5'8", talks really fast and blinks a lot for some reason. I would never fuck with him despite he looks like someone to kid around with. I have seen him personally drop two Marine's at a bar one night that each outweighed him by over forty pounds. He is now his late forties but tougher than most guys in there twenty's. He told me that in Panama he carried a chopped down belt fed RPD with two 150 round belts for mission's non specific or black ops type stuff. He also liked to carry an SKS for some reason which I never understood but he said he liked that because he could carry more ammo on stripper clips over carrying heavier magazines. He absolutely hates the M16 and think's it's the worse design for a weapon for combat use by an military. |
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What unit in the 82nd Airborne Division? Which Ranger Battalion? What is at the corner of McKellar's Road and Lamont? Panama (OPERATION JUST CAUSE) was in 1989 (17 years ago). He was at the most 32 if he is "now his late forties". Was he a Ranger then? And carried a "chopped down belt fed RPD with two 150 round belts"? In a Ranger battalion? Or the 82nd? Or was he in 1st SFOD-D then? And carried an SKS... amazing! Because "he could carry more ammo on stripper clips over carrying heavier magazines". Wow. Carrying a 1950s second-line weapon that was obsolete before it was fielded and having to load 10 round stripper clips into its integral magazine because detachable box magazines on "the worse design for a weapon for combat use by an military" M16 are two heavy. Such a unique individual. I'm sure some of the SMU guys I know will immediately recognize him from this description. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Standard Battle Load (Page 1 of 2)
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