What Was Your Introductory Rifle In the Military? When & Where?

[Coyote Blue]

What Was Your Introductory Rifle In the Military? When & Where?
We have many,many current and ex military members here on the forum. I'm curious as to what rifle you were first introduced to in BT and when and where it occurred.

After World War II ,there was a fairly fast progression of changes.
We are still evolving to an extent it appears.

Mine was the M14 (7.62x51 NATO) at Fort Polk,Louisiana in April,1964. By June of 1965 the switch was made to the M16 (5.56X45 NATO) and that was the rifle to my 1972 ETS.

The M16 was certainly an oddity at the beginning. After centuries of wood, the plastic was bit difficult getting used to, and was sneered at by old timers and newbies alike.

Times have changed! And it shows you how old I am! But I still love my M14.

If you have stories,please tell us.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

M14.

1966 - Fort Leonard Wood, MO

You're off on the switch to the M16. It may have begun to show up by when you said, but I never even laid eyes on an M16 until I arrived in South Vietnam in 1968. After Basic and AIT and before Vietnam, my stateside duty station issue weapon was the M1 Carbine.

 

[Rob228]

M16A2. Parris Island, January 2001.

 

[glh17]

M16
Fort Polk, La 1971

 

[Theohazard]

M16A2, Parris Island, March 1997. It was the first semi-auto I ever shot. I qualified Expert in boot camp and every time after that over my four year enlistment.

 

[Powderman]

M16A1, made by the Hydra-Matic division of GM; Ft. Leonard Wood, 1977.

 

[GM2]

M1 Carbine , Great lakes Naval training center 1955.

 

[foxytwo]

M1, 30.06, usmc 1957

 

[TomL]

What was your Introductory Rifle

Mine was the M14, Ft. Knox Ky., 1968. Was 1969 when I stopped over at Ft. Lewis Washington before I handled an M-16.

 

[MattShlock]

Pic's of a post-ban M1A.
How many forums have you posted this in anyway!?

 

[2ndsojourn]

1st rifle, M16.
1st weapon, M79 and 45 auto sidearm.
Navy Seabees, 1972-1976

 

[4V50 Gary]

M-16A1 at Fort Ord (I was a guest).

 

[wogpotter]

Lee Enfield #8 in .22rf. 25 Yd indoor TA range in Bristol U.K.

 

[Rifleman1776]

M1 .30 cal. carbine. U.S.A.F. 1959
Shot a total of 60 rounds in four years. One year the sergeant 'shot' our qualification targets with a pencil. Otherwise I would have shot 80 rounds in the four year stint.

 

[lcpiper]

M16A1 Ft. Dix, NJ. September-1981

 

[Coyote Blue]

You're off on the switch to the M16. It may have begun to show up by when you said, but I never even laid eyes on an M16 until I arrived in South Vietnam in 1968. After Basic and AIT and before Vietnam, my stateside duty station issue weapon was the M1 Carbine.

I checked my records this AM. At Fort Bragg,June 1965, we were issued M16's and began drilling at pop up targets for the first time.I was in the 4thBN,68th Armor,which at the time was attached to the 82nd Airborne. The only time a tank outfit had been attached after WWII,TMK.

Pic's of a post-ban M1A.
How many forums have you posted this in anyway!?

Too many to count! Is there a limit,Matt?

Do you like this pic better?

 

[Gary L. Griffiths]

M-16, 1971, Ft. Leonard Wood, MO.

 

[Toney]

M16 1980 Fort Benning Georgia.

 

[lcpiper]

I was in the 4thBN,68th Armor,which at the time was attached to the 82nd Airborne. The only time a tank outfit had been attached after WWII,TMK.

Coyote Blue, wasn't it a little while later that the 4th of the 68th recieved M551 Sheridans?

I was in 2/69 Armor, Ft. Benning GA. from 1985-1988. We were transitioning from M60A3s to M1 Abrams during that time.

2/69 Armor was part of the 197th INF BDE, (Mechanized Separate), which was the Heavy component of the Rapid Deployment Force. The light units of the RDF, like the 82nd and 101st, deployed several times but they never took us Heavy guys along. I bet they wish they had for Somalia.

 

[Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret]

M16A2
MCRD San Diego
Oct. 2000