Weren't there colt commandos in vietnam war

[Sgt.Fighterman]

I was wondering if there were colt commandos in the vietnam war cuz I see in bfv (battlefield vietnam) that the special forces guys use those or are those just car-15s? ORR!!! are car 15s and colt commandos the same????

[JohnnyTheIED]

Colt XM-177e2 , it was in EOD. Should be in PRV I think.

[Maxfragg]

Car-15 is a marketing name, the army had various desigantions for short M16 versions, before the Army standardised the M4, and Commando usually should mark some spezial forces version
the first version was the M605B
and there followed some to the M608 CAR15 "Survival Rifle"

the M609 - XM177E1 finally was the first Version to be used on browader field, why EoD used it

the M733 and followings are the Commando Rifles


all images form the most complete AR15 guide i know (German)

[Deathangel_321boom]

I believe IIRC the M733/ carbine versions later in the war did find their way more and more into the hands of veteran line soldiers/NCOs? Could be an officer kit maybe

[Maxfragg]

the M733 was only given to seals and other SF AFAIK

[Eddie Baker]

the M733 was only given to seals and other SF AFAIK

Commando and CAR-15 are/were both marketing names that ended up becoming synonymous with any short barreled/carbine M16 variant until the M4 was type-classified. The 733 Commando was not made until well after Vietnam (it's based on the M16A2), but it does have the same 11.5 inch barrel length as the XM177E2 (Colt 629 and 649, the latter having a forward assist), which did see service in Vietnam from Fall 1967 onwards. The XM177/XM177E1 (again, forward assist is the second one) had a 10 inch barrel and, initially, no chrome lining in the barrel and came into service almost exactly a year earlier. The 10 inch barrel was deemed not successful but for some reason the Navy decided to bring it back 40 years later with the Mk-18 receiver; go figure.

The Special Forces and SEALs did get them, as well as LRRPs/Rangers and Marine Recon, but the weapon was in high demand all over. Helicopter pilots wanted them, dog handlers wanted them and REMFs wanted them in order to look high speed or just avoid carrying an extra couple of pounds. What they wanted even more, though, were 30 round magazines which, from what I understand, the units most often had to purchase themselves stateside on the civilian market to get any sufficient quantity of them because the contractor couldn't live up to its original deal. How times change.

[FireCrafter]

. The 10 inch barrel was deemed not successful but for some reason the Navy decided to bring it back 40 years later with the Mk-18 receiver; go figure.

The Mk. 18 has been designed to deal with the problems that plagued short m-16 rifles, includes improvements to gas tube/ports and bolt and buffer improvements, It's not just a M4 with the barrel sliced off.

About the OP subject. During the entire conflict the "CAR-15/commando" variants where extremely rare.

The CAR-15 barrel was too short to mount a bayonet, and so the SMG had no bayonet lug. Some 50 CAR-15 SMGs were made. Most were issued to Navy SEALs (about 1962) and Army Special Forces, though some were also given to Army K-9 units. The Model 607 never went into full production and these CAR-15 SMGs were assembled from available spare parts.

The Army purchased 2,815 Model 609 Commandos on June 28, 1966, and designated them the Submachine Gun, 5.56 mm, XM177E1. Most XM177E1’s were shipped with 20-round magazines because Colt was unable to build a reliable 30-round curved magazine that would fit in the M16 magazine well. The exception was 5th Special Forces Group that received a total of four early 30-round magazines. Colt completed delivery of the purchased XM177E1’s in March 1967.

1967 field tests led to Colt’s lengthening the Commando barrel from 10 inches to 11.5 inches. Muzzle blast and noise were reduced. The longer barrel also allowed fitting of the Colt XM148 grenade launcher. A metal bushing was added behind the sound and flash moderator to allow mounting of the XM148. The bushing also allowed firing of rifle grenades from those XM177E2 units without the XM148 launcher. Chambers of these XM177E2 rifles were chrome-plated. Commandos with the longer barrels were called the Model 629 or XM177E2 (with forward assist) and Model 649 or GAU-5A/A (without forward assist). In April 1967, the Army purchased 510 Colt 629 (XM177E2) Commandos for use by Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG). Delivery was completed by the end of September 1967.

Problems with range, accuracy, barrel fouling, and usage of tracer bullets plagued the XM177-series. Colt estimated that it would take a six-month $400,000 program to do a complete ballistic and kinematic study. Colt also recommended a 29-month $635,000 research and development program. Both recommendations were declined by the U.S. military as American ground force’s involvement in the Vietnam War was winding down. Production of all versions of the CAR-15 Commando ended in 1970. by Bob Stoner GMCM (SW) Ret

A Navy SEAL shows off his XM177E2 with attached M203 grenade launcher.