Early Viet Nam photo

[RCS]

very early M16 photo, note the waffle magazine and the chrome carreier

[Pitbulz21]

He looks like he has a death grip on it!

[GBA]

He's probably hoping like hell that he won't have an extraction problem.

[RCS]

another Viet Nam photo

[Gastrapsforme]

That last picture is really interesting. I'd love to know the unit it shows. Most likely a special forces unit. The use of tiger stripe pattern uniform in the field, on top of using a bar mag belt as a ammo belt really points to this. Also a xm177e2 was mainly a special forces weapon. The earlier e1 version seems to have been issued to a lot more groups of people, well the e2 went mainly to sog, or lrrp teams. But a really neat picture.

[RCS]

Kevin, right after this photo was taken, the man with the XM177 was hit in the hand from small arms fire. Looks like a Browning BAR belt loaded with 20 round magazines too.

It took me many years to restore an early Colt CAR-15 stock that was found in the Rock Island salvage yard by a friend who gave it to me. After restoration of small internal
parts, I was able to install it in a five digit Colt SP1 semi auto sporter. I consider the CAR-15 stock as being quite rare. Later I also bought a repro XM607 stock from a guy
who ran a short production of them in late 2008 from Texas

Photos show the CAR-15 stock on the Colt SP1

[m14brian]

That 2nd pic is AWESOME!
m14brian

[Gastrapsforme]

Robert, I've been wanting to do a early 607 clone for awhile now. I managed to pick up a total silence stock, I'm guessing that's the repro one you managed to pick up. But have yet to really start it, to many projects . Between the new early gas trap restoration and I just started a 601 clone, I'm doing a 99% original clone. Only repro part will be a nds601 lower. But from the prices I've seen recently it'll be a slow project. Not as slow as the gas trap. But hopefully as much fun.

[RCS]

Kevin, I have a project too, just have not got around to working on it. Many years ago I found a short heavy barrel chambered for the 5,56mm with a 1 in 14 twist.

Also have some early original parts like the early front sight base and steel gas tube etc.

[Gastrapsforme]

Robert, I just had time to look at your photos again. You have a great start to your project. The early bend gas tube is a hard one, I got lucky and manged to pick one up last week. But the cast front sight, and duck bill are very hard to get. I keep asking about the early duck bills and I keep getting told to by a repro. Well I'm not a repro guy if I can help it, so the quest continues. Not excited about the rear sight wheel. One just sold for over $600, my numbered caps didn't even cost close to that. Now finding that early barrel might get interesting. But I really think this project will be fun.