Shoulder Fired Recoilless Rifle
I have met very few people who ever heard of the XM148. I remember that It was cumbersome to load and shoot. The cocking mechanism was broken on mine and I had a piece of shoestring tied through it. As I remember, you had to almost turn it over to load an HE, push the barrel forward put the round in, close it, cock it, pull the trigger back, (it was on some sort of separate rod as I remember it) aim and fire. I guess I had mine for about 3 or 4 months.
I fired the 3.5 ” rocket launcher in AIT also. I think that means we are old. I used the M14 throughout my training and fired the m14E1 (?) automatic rifle also. I have not fired any sort of weapon except a pellet gun since 1989.
Bill Hall
I forgot to comment on the “getting old” bit, Bill. Could be worse… we could have fired the 2.5 if you know what that was. Wanted to just check to see if memory served me. It’s getting harder and harder to check things military without finding yourself on some frickin game site. All the little bastards have the fantasy, few have the balls.
Mike Clancy
We fired the 2.5 while I was at Gordon. Pretty sure you probably did as well.
Dewey Smith
You fired the 2.5 Bazooka, Dewey? We fired the 3.5 rocket launcher and heard stories about the 2.5 Bazooka from old timers, actually 2.36:
Mike
http://www.olive-drab.com/od_infweapons_bazooka.php
Really can’t remember what it was we fired. Two different over the shoulder weapons. Both looked like pieces of pipe, loaded from the rear and one fired a larger rocket? than the other. We only got to fire each weapon one time. Assumed one was a 2.5. Never saw a LAW until after I got to Tuy Hoa.
Dewey
I remember, on one of the hills surrounding FSB Bastogne, being handed a shoulder fired recoilless rifle. The LT that handed it to me stated that there was some intelligence that we might get hit that night and that I might need it. I had never handled one before and told him I wasn’t sure I knew how to operate it. He told me that if we got hit, he was sure I would figure it out. Fortunately we didn’t get hit because the OJT learning curve might have been interesting. Anyone have the opportunity to use one?
Hawk
When I first hooked up with 2nd PLT A-No Slack 9/69 we had a 90 humped by a Line Backer sized Soul Brother. He had carried it in the Ashau. I was on ambushes with him a few times; he set up with me as I was 2nd squad’s gunner at the time. I don’t remember his name, he DEROSed a few weeks after I got there. Some one out there might know him; he was of impressive stature…
YJ
http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/antiarmor/M67.html
Mike
Are you talking about the 90 mm RR?
Jeff Paige
We fired the recoilless rifle in NCO school at Ft. Benning. It was 90MM and was a nasty weapon to hump and shoot. We had one in the field with for a short time in Vietnam, but the LT thought it wasn’t practical in the jungle so he had it sent back to the rear.
Honor & Country,
Mouse
the reason this puppy is recoilless is that it has one hell of a back blast! we were at a firebase for a few days and had some suspect infiltration coming up the side of the mountain. i was popping my M79 and somebody lays down next to me with this bad boy. he fires it off without checking behind him and nearly fried a troop running behind him.
the blast threw me x feet with my 79 flying x more. my entire body felt like it got fragmented into small pieces (like coming together in the starship enterprize). it took a minute to get back into action, but we managed to blow away a fuel blivit and one of those cute little riding carts with many wheels ( i’ll leave it to those with connecting nuerons to fill us in on the actual nomenclature). no, not a practical weapon.
abu aries
I was thinking it sure was interesting that I couldn’t find a decent actual photograph when I did that google search. Guess nobody liked them, at least not enough to take a decent picture. We sure were aware at one time the little guys on the other side had one or two.
Mike
We had the 3.5 in the weapons squad of our platoons when we landed in July of 65. One gunner and one ammo bearer. When we pulled back thru the 1st. CAV. after we secured their base camp at An Khe we saw the 90MM for the first time. They gave us a ration of S**T for humping antiques, while they had the latest. At least our gunners had ammo.
John2
Yep, its the M-67 air cooled, percussion fired, 35 pound, recoilless shoulder fired rifle. “UP”
Don’t forget the vibration ring for the barrel.
In my platoon we had the 3.5 rocket launcher, but from about 100 yards away from the Groupe Mobile 100 monument, in AnKhe Pass, Sep 65 I and others watched the 1st Cav hump up the pass with these weapons. When I asked one trooper in 1st Bde, 1 Cav about it, all he said was “shit, all I need is the ammo for it” Cest la Guerre.
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER, BE SAFE, BE TACTICAL:
HENRY B. MORTON
Interesting illustration, I’m not sure if the recoilless rifle handed me was a 90mm…..seems like it was somewhat smaller than that. I also don’t remember the tube having a monopod in the front and a bipod in the rear like this illustration. It wasn’t super heavy but I sure wouldn’t have wanted to hump it in the Ashau. On the hill, screening Bastogne, I doubt it would have been very effective anyway….the LT only gave me three rounds for it and they were beehive type.
Hawk
Here is something from Nick who does the miniatures in the PX. This is a photo of his uncle in Korea who also carried the BAR. I know it is a little out dated for this thread, but maybe someone has had experience with it or has seen one.
Also enclosed is another photo of Nick’s uncle with the BAR.
Mike Davis
HHC1/327
I also found this photo in my files that may be on the site somewhere, but I thought it should be added here as well.
David J.
