SOG Gear...

[V40]

Here is some gear used by the typical, SOG recon Team member. Please feel free to ask ANY questions you wish to ask. Allot of the small pieces cannot be seen well in these pictures such as the NVA "Heroes Pin" and why the black hat with a red star doing on it?

Respectfully to you guys,

Mark

 

[V40]

More SOG gear.

 

[Jolly Green]

Sweeeeet!

Darn sweet collection Mark!
A rifle launched Willie Pete? That's awsome.
Is that a period can of Rustoleum?

 

[V40]

John,

Unfortunately not. WishI did have one though. What you are seeing is over $10,000 worth of my collection on SOG history.

Also, SOG experimented allot with the W/P's fired from the end of the M-16A1 and to have one of the Recon Team members carrying it with gas (CS) and W/P grenades. Also, thanks for looking!

John,

Do you know why I have included a can of Rust-o-leum in the picture?

 

[Jolly Green]

I know they painted grenades black amongst other items.

 

[ordnance]

Very nice collection of gear Mark. I see an XM58 pocket CS grenade in there. Is it a real one? Very scarce grenade.

And here's something that would be right at home in those photos. I've had it for a number of years and eventually found a copy of the test report on microfiche for a positive identification but had never seen a period photograph until recently. It is a length of XM-61 Linear Mine, also known as Fragmacord.

A couple years ago I finally bought a copy of John Plaster's photo history of MACV-SOG and was surprised to see this photograph inside. The caption says it's a length of det. cord with washers slipped over for fragmentation, which is not correct. It was actually factory produced that way with square wire fragmentation coils crimped over a heavy det. cord liner. It could be cut to various lengths and used as an anti-personnel mine or hasty booby trap. My piece is an inert training version and the simulated det. cord is blue rubber with a nylon cord thread down the center.

 

[alan.military]

Very nice collection Mark, love the early SOG/SF gear!

Thanks for sharing,

Alan

 

[V40]

Ordnance,

Yes I have read allot about it, but never new that it was a factory produced item. Thanks, I just learned something new because I thought they were individually made. Also, yes that would look great in my collection. Also the XM58 is not real. It is a replica. I had a chance to purchase one "Live" for $800+ from a fellow collector of SOG items. I couldn't touch that so I left it go. Seems he was trying to sell it for a few years now and it finally sold about 6 months ago

John,

You are absolutely correct. They also used it to spray paint there OD fatigues to make streak and or spots on there fatigues that they wore out over the fence. I should have a set in one of my pictures I posted. Best camo anywhere their is greenery around.

 

[V40]

Here are a few more shots of what they would carry. Now, when I say "THEY" I do not mean to address every single member of a Recon Team. Each individual and their Yards, Chinese Mercs (Nungs), NVA defectors, etc., etc., carried their own gear and indeed it did differ. For example, John and ordnance are with me on a Recon Team called RT New York. I would be in charge and probably would choose canteen pouches as a way to hold my 21 - 20 round magazines. John you may choose a BAR Belt to carry all of yours in and have a canteen pouch attatched to the bottom of the belt so that you could carry a dozen or V40's. Ordnance, you would carry the radio and would choose to use the straight issued "Universal" pouches and maybe two bandoliers around your neck and shoulders. The facts are that we carry as much ammunition as humanley possible. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 700+ rounds. Alot did over a 1000 (at least) when they would go into areas such as the A-shau Valley, Hotel-9 and Juliet-9 target areas.

In the photos of the maps they carried, in one you will see a bright area to the left of center. That is the A Shau Valley. In another one I have circled is the area of the "The Bra" region because of the way in which the river curls. This area was considered Juliet-9 and where most Recon Teams where deployed and never heard from them again.

Guys, I missed the maps and some other items. I'll post then tommorrow sometime.

 

[ordnance]

Ordnance, you would carry the radio and would choose to use the straight issued "Universal" pouches and maybe two bandoliers around your neck and shoulders.

Damn! Why do I always have to hump the radio?!

Actually, I'm better suited to carry the grenade launcher. I look pretty stealthy in my boonie hat and can provide my own 40mm ammo.

Wow, $800 for an XM58. CS grenade. Now that's an insane price. But an M56 frag grenade sold on eBay a couple years ago for $1600, so who knows what the market will bear?

Rick

 

[V40]

I see that we have a perfect SOG Warrier with that 1000 yard stare. He has the look like he just got back from Juliet-9.

Wow, I am impressed with your INERT 40mm grenade collection. How long did it take to get that far in your collection?

 

[Darren]

Damn! Why do I always have to hump the radio?!

Actually, I'm better suited to carry the grenade launcher. I look pretty stealthy in my boonie hat and can provide my own 40mm ammo.

Wow, $800 for an XM58. CS grenade. Now that's an insane price. But an M56 frag grenade sold on eBay a couple years ago for $1600, so who knows what the market will bear?

Rick

Great collection of 40mm grenades Rick! I see that you have some nice sectioned ones there too.

Darren

 

[Fragman]

Hi, I tried not to comment, but 'ell the M56 was mine (see photo). It's probably the nicest gren I've sold, but I needed to fund my No 74 (from a Spanish friend who will remain nameless:tinysmile_twink_t2. The person who bid $1600 backed out of the transaction, as he claimed there was an issue with Polish customs. I ended up selling it to a chap in the US for around $700, which I thought was still a good price. Cheers

Damn! Why do I always have to hump the radio?!

Actually, I'm better suited to carry the grenade launcher. I look pretty stealthy in my boonie hat and can provide my own 40mm ammo.

Wow, $800 for an XM58. CS grenade. Now that's an insane price. But an M56 frag grenade sold on eBay a couple years ago for $1600, so who knows what the market will bear?

Rick

 

[ordnance]

Colin,

Thanks for filling in some background information on your M56 grenade auction. I'd made a mental note about it just because it was such a beautiful example and fetched such a surprising price. Being primarily focused on American grenades, I don't think I could have parted with one that nice.

But I can understand the desire for a nice No.74 too, as there still isn't an example in my collection that's complete with the covers. Or a Mk II type either.

Thanks to Darren and Mark for the compliments on the 40mm collection. These have evolved into a specialty of mine after 40 years of gathering. In recent years they have become much harder to find and harder to trade away for other grenades too.

With apologies for the lack of organization when the photos were taken, here are a couple more drawers of 25mm, 30mm, and 40mm grenade items.

 

[Fragman]

Hi. You have some very nice 40mm's there. Any chance of a closeup of your HEDP M433 in section? I have one that I intend to cut up, once I get the internals for a PIBD M550. Cheers

 

[inertordnance]

Any chance of a closeup of your HEDP M433 in section? I have one that I intend to cut up, once I get the internals for a PIBD M550. Cheers

Here's one ....

 

[inertordnance]

Here is a carton of 40MM E24 CS Gas Rounds dated April 1968. Also a can that contained 2 Bandoleers of 40MM XM675 Red Smoke Dated January 1970. Not sure if these types would have been used by SOG as Fodder for the M79?

 

[inertordnance]

A US Antidisturbance Mine with 2 Sets of Instruction Sheets in both English and French Languages. The mine has no nomenclature markings or stampings and the instruction sheets contain no reference to the manufacturer or being US Issue Equipment.

 

[inertordnance]

Still my favorite (Inert) SOG Related Grenades.

 

[Johnno]

Wow Guys some nice Kit on this Thread ! :tinysmile_classes_t