Exact Specs of Vietnam Era ('68-'69) MACV-SOG CAR-15?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Exact Specs of Vietnam Era ('68-'69) MACV-SOG CAR-15?

Posted: 2/29/2012 8:11:02 PM EDT

I've been reading a lot of Vietnam books of late and I am feeling rather fond of the CAR-15 based upon the admiration it seems to have garnered from those who used it. From the pictures in the books it had the metal collapsible buttstock and there is some sort of flash device on the front. Was it a rifle length action? It looks like rifle length round handguard on a 15-16" barrel?

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:16:41 PM EDT

[#1]

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:18:18 PM EDT

[#2]

There is an awesome tacked thread on these over
<––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––there.

Huh, you'll just have to dig a little, I thought it was tacked.

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:19:03 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:

Well that was helpful!

Stega, you will probably find what you seek in the Retro forum.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_3/123_AR_15___M_16_Retro_Forum.html

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:20:44 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

Well that was helpful!

Stega, you will probably find what you seek in the Retro forum.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_3/123_AR_15___M_16_Retro_Forum.html

Ah, thanks! This site is so big one sometimes forgets what fora there are here. The retro section totally slipped my mind.

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:21:15 PM EDT

[#5]

Colt XM177 CAR-15.

I had one in Vietnam. Awesome weapon.

It had a 11.5" barrel with long flash suppressor.

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:24:29 PM EDT

[#6]

In 1967 the Army purchased 510 Colt 629 Commandos (XM177E2) for MACV-SOG troops.

A lot of info on it here:

http://pullig.dyndns.org/retroblackrifle/ModGde/CrbGde/629.html

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:26:16 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:

Colt XM177 CAR-15.

I had one in Vietnam. Awesome weapon.

It had a 11.5" barrel with long flash suppressor.

If I recall correctly, 11.5" uppers with correct flash suppressors, pinned and welded, are available from Model 1 Sales.

And also just the suppressors alone, if you don't want the whole upper from them.

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:28:49 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
I've been reading a lot of Vietnam books of late and I am feeling rather fond of the CAR-15 based upon the admiration it seems to have garnered from those who used it. From the pictures in the books it had the metal collapsible buttstock and there is some sort of flash device on the front. Was it a rifle length action? It looks like rifle length round handguard on a 15-16" barrel?

Imagine an A1 upper, with one of these wierd short carbine stocks, 2 holes (open and closed) and a 10 inch barrel with a 4 inch flash hider.

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:30:53 PM EDT

[#9]

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:42:26 PM EDT

[#10]

When set on "sprinkle" it had a very fast rate of fire. It would empty a 20-rnd mag. almost before you could get your finger off the trigger. I was in Vietnam after 30-rnd mag's were widely available, so that helped with extra firepower. Because of the short length, it would fit perfectly behind the seat of a Cobra. I kept it with a bandolier of loaded mag's.

ETA: I think the early ones had a 10" barrel, but later models came out with the 11.5" length.

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:45:11 PM EDT

[#11]

+1 on the retro forum. Probably the nicest and most knowledgeable folks on the board. Retro Rifles are a disease!

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:53:56 PM EDT

[#12]

Posted: 2/29/2012 3:57:57 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/DSCF0033.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/DSCF0034.jpg

Wrong...

More like:

Colt Model 629 XM177E2

Posted: 2/29/2012 4:00:24 PM EDT

[#14]

Thread Reported By Stegadeth:
Could I get a mod to move this to the Retro forum, please?

One move to the History forum, coming up!

Posted: 2/29/2012 4:00:42 PM EDT

[#15]

Topic Moved

Posted: 2/29/2012 4:01:05 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/DSCF0033.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/mossie500/DSCF0034.jpg

Wrong...
More like:

Colt Model 629 XM177E2

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/39240/2480768510104377215S600x600Q85.jpg

http://img305.imageshack.us/img305/7769/46092820ouelvvph3bs.jpg

I'm reading Across the Fence right now and in part, that is what inspired this thread. Fascinating read about the secret war in Laos and Cambodia.

Posted: 2/29/2012 4:08:51 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Colt XM177 CAR-15.

I had one in Vietnam. Awesome weapon.

It had a 11.5" barrel with long flash suppressor.

Snake Driver knows this one........

Here is my dad with one.....he was not MAC SOG....just regular old 5th SF in II corps......bottom pic guy on left

CAR-15

edit here is a better pic......Sam Wheeler ....

Posted: 2/29/2012 8:06:18 PM EDT

[#18]

Let me see if I can't get this over to the Retro forum as requested.

Posted: 2/29/2012 8:30:54 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
If I recall correctly, 11.5" uppers with correct flash suppressors, pinned and welded, are available from Model 1 Sales.

And also just the suppressors alone, if you don't want the whole upper from them.

The Model 1 Sales "XM177" is a far cry from correct.

The XM177E2 had an 11.5" lightweight barrel with a 4.5" moderator/flash suppressor. Commercial "XM177" type carbines have an 11.5" barrel with a 5.5" pinned and welded "flash suppressor." The 5.5" flash suppressor is basically a long, hollow tube.

We retro-heads make XM177E2 clones by having barrels cut to 12.75" and pinning and welding a 4.5" reproduction moderator to bring the barrel OAL to 16.1".

ETA:

Two clone XM177E2s. Top: 12.75" barrel with 4.5" "moderator." Bottom: 11.5" barrel with 5.5" "moderator."

Original Colt 629/XM177E2.

Posted: 2/29/2012 10:03:27 PM EDT

[#20]

We also get stupid and pay the extra $200 to have our XM177E2 clones have the 11.5" barrel.

RBRD is a harsh mistress.

I am actually in trouble with the wife over that sort of thing. She had the lightest AR in the house until I made my Izzy clone. They are almost identical except for 1.5" of barrel... I sense another tax stamp coming.

The XM177E2 clone:

Posted: 3/1/2012 8:58:15 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
I've been reading a lot of Vietnam books of late and I am feeling rather fond of the CAR-15 based upon the admiration it seems to have garnered from those who used it. From the pictures in the books it had the metal collapsible buttstock and there is some sort of flash device on the front. Was it a rifle length action? It looks like rifle length round handguard on a 15-16" barrel?

Stega, the most popular "CAR-15" builds around here are probably the XM177E2 and USAF GAU-5A. Reason for this is because with a permanently attached replica moderator, the overall length of the barrel plus moderator is 16 inches, very close to what the originals were.
Some examples: