The effectiveness of shotguns in jungle was not lost on the American troops in Vietnam. At first, leftover World War II models were used, but eventually new weapons were acquired. Leftover ammunition was used as well, although much of it had been rendered useless due to corrosion.
In the Vietnam War, the shotgun was used as an individual weapon in the American army during jungle patrol and urban warfare like the Tet Offensive.
M16. The M16 would become the standard service rifle for U.S. troops during the 1960s, seeing widespread use in Vietnam and largely replacing the M14. The weapon was in many ways revolutionary, though not without problems.
Remington Model 870 – pump-action shotgun, main shotgun used by Marines, Army, and Navy after 1966. Savage Model 69E – pump-action shotgun used by the US Army. Savage Model 720 – semi-automatic shotgun.
Shotguns are extremely effective at close-range combat when they are loaded with buckshot (Several small pellets expelled with each shot). Buckshot has the disadvantage of stray pellets hitting things you weren't aiming at. That's why the police mostly don't use it anymore.
Asked: Are shotguns or snipers more deadly? The answer will depend on the range to the target. A sniper has longer range than the user of a shotgun. But at the extreme edge of the cartridge's range, even a hit may not be effective enough to put the target out of action.
The Benelli M4 is the proven king of combat shotguns. This gas-operated, semi-auto shotgun was evaluated by the Marine Corps in 1999 and joined the ranks shortly after. The fast-firing design makes follow-up shots quick and effective, making it a terrifyingly effective close-quarter's weapon.
A 7.62 mm L1A1 self-loading rifle (SLR) which was the standard infantry weapon used by the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. It is gas operated with an internal piston and has a 20 round staggered box magazine. It was replaced by the 5.56 mm Steyr F88 assault rifle in the 1980s.
The harsh jungle climate corroded the rifle's chamber, exacerbated by the manufacturer's decision against chrome-plating the chamber. The ammunition that accompanied the rifles sent to Vietnam was incompatible with the M16 and was the principal cause of the failure to extract malfunctions.
In Vietnam the standard loadout was seven 20-round magazines contained in a bandoleer, but soldiers would often carry 2-3 bandoleers full of magazines to survive the intense jungle firefights. To quote John Johnston of Ballistic Radio: “the only time you have too much ammo is if you're drowning or on fire.”
Because the often soggy Vietnamese terrain limited their range, tanks did not play a major role in Vietnam. They did, however, provide valuable support to American forces in the south, securing contested roadways and engaging enemy troops. The most common U.S. tank was the M48.
THIS WAS THE STANDARD WEAPON USED BY THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY ... 1966. A KALASHNIKOV AK47 RIFLE. THIS WAS THE STANDARD WEAPON USED BY THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY (NVA), THE VIET CONG (VC) AND OTHER IRREGULARS ARMED BY NORTH VIETNAM.
By the end of 1966, the United States had dropped more bombs on North Vietnam than it had dropped on Japan during World War II and more than it had dropped during the entire Korean War. Yet the bombing seemed to have little impact on the communists' ability to carry on the war.
Why are shotguns banned in war? They aren't banned. Shotguns are still used in the military but their role has been limited because they have such short range uses. In WW1 shotguns primarily could only be used at very close range to clear out trenches of enemy soldiers.
The German protest cited Article 23(e) of the Hague Conventions, which outlined the rules of warfare, claiming the trench shotgun caused “unnecessary suffering.”
Shotguns are not commonly used in the US military for the following reasons: Heavy ammunition - Shotgun shells are far heavier than standard ammunition, meaning that far more limited amounts can be carried. Rate of fire - Shotguns have a much lower rate of fire than standard battlefield rifles.
Vietnam War troops hated the M16 and dubbed it the “Mattel 16” because it felt more like a toy than a battle rifle. “We called it the Mattel 16 because it was made of plastic,” said Marine veteran Jim Wodecki in the video below. “At that time it was a piece of garbage.”
The standard U.S. military rifle (M-16) is substantially more destructive than its Russian counterpart (AK-47) when fired at short range into clay blocks, despite the fact that the AK-47 is of larger caliber and fires a much heavier bullet with a kinetic energy (muzzle) 25% greater when compared to the M-16.
The M16 often failed to eject spent cartridges, often jammed, making the rifle "about as effective as a muzzleloader, " in the words of one officer. Men began to be killed in combat because they couldn't return fire or because they had paused to fix their rifles.
In Australia, 15,300 men were conscripted into the Australian Army during the Vietnam conflict. More than 200 died and at least 1,200 were wounded on active duty. Most 20-year-old Australian men had to register for national service between 1965 and 1972.
The M16A1 assault rifle was introduced into Australian Army service in 1967 as a section weapon for use by scouts and section commanders. It was used during the Vietnam War by Australian and American forces.
The Vietcong were a South Vietnamese communist faction that fought against the U.S. and South Vietnamese armies during the Vietnam War. Their use of civilians in combat and guerrilla style fighting, such as spider holes and tiger traps, made them a difficult enemy for the United States military.
Remington 870
It is much the same in the classic shotgun world, especially with pump guns. John M. Browning designed the Remington Model 17, which influenced the Ithaca 37 and the Remington 31. Both of these shotguns swam in the gene pool of one of the best shotguns ever made: the Remington 870.
Best Overall – Mossberg 590A1
The 590A1 is also the only shotgun to pass the military's reliability test. If you keep the shotgun well-maintained, you should never need to worry about it jamming. On the odd chance that the gun malfunctions, you can cycle to the next round and fire as normal.
A Semi-automatic shotgun can be even more reliable than a pump shotgun. Shooting data has shown that a 12 gauge shotgun has the most stopping power.