In 1968 we were instructed to put a can on the M60's to stay in the fight. With out the can it took 2 guys to run an M60 to keep the belt from breaking, one to feed and the other to fire, With the can it was a one-man job.
@@buitlbybear1580 No way, you were in the Vietnam war? respect to you for serving, but the cause for which is about as justified as the war in Iraq after 9/11 - it's not.. corrupt politicians have sent FAR too many of our boys to die in pointless wars, when does the Top brass step in and make arrests? this country is clearly going to hell in a hand basket with this current administration.
I crewed a UH 1H for 15 months in Vietnam. It was a skill to hold the belt in the left hand and feed the gun in the slip stream. Mini cans held 1,500 rounds from the factory. We would take the packing out and put in 2,000. The can he showed held 750 rounds. You can make someone rethink their life choices with 2,000 rounds at 600 rounds per minute also with 80 knots of wind over the barrel you could shoot the whole can in one burst if necessary. I REALLY LOVED THAT GUN!
Was born in '65, but loved the music from the era, and the movies about the war. Like Apocalypse Now. The M60 on the back of the PBR had a can on its side. Didn't pay attention during Platoon, or FMJ, but I'd bet Dale Dye and R. Lee Ermey made sure they had things just right. Not sure about Tour of Duty, but I'd bet Ruiz's "Pig" had one too... will have to look at the series again.
The can also decreased the radius of the belt hanging over the feed rollers. So the can lessened the stress on the feed system when handled by a sole gunner and helped prevent stoppages. I never used a full C-Rat can. They were emptied, the end left on, and then used on the gun. My Avatar is myself at Danang in '71 with my M60 [Cover #17] I did have an ammo bag using that bracket. There was 200 rounds to a ammo can, 100 rounds in each cloth [M4?] ammo 'bandolier' , two to a can, and there was a cardboard box inside each bandolier bag I imagine for stiffness. These 'bandolier' bags had a web reinforcement band round the bag near the top, and that bracket slipped in through that webbing holding it to the gun. The bandolier also had a strap for slinging the bags over a shoulder, rather than carry the belts looped in the open like many did. The bag, for my purposes, was 100 ready rounds in the gun; and I had several more with me. But I had a 1500 round can on the floor of that M715 Weapons Carrier, two belts of 750 rounds. Foot units, everyone carried ammo to feed "The Pig."
We had basically the same in the 90s, but the bags were made of nylon. With practice, it wasn’t too hard to use them, and a good reminder to change barrels if we had the luxury.
I was #1 on gun crew for all my infantry career. My best #2 was a Samoan named Derek Slade. We used to rag each other constantly but I'd do anything for that bastard to this day and I'm near on 50, not seen nor heard from him in 30 years
I am a child of the 80s and I remember my dad showing me films and docs on the Vietnam war and both of us never figured out why they did that so thank you. I would tell him but he passed in 2020
I've known about this field expediency for many years. But I have to say, whoever thought of this was a brilliant genius. This unknown genius saved many lives.
I was in post Vietnam, '73-'77. We had a smaller 100 round cloth pouch that hooked onto the extra piece you showed. A 100 round cardboard box of ammo fit in the pouch and it had a shoulder strap to carry it, too.
That is what I remember from '71 - '74, tho we mostly fired them from a pintle mount straight of the ammo can slotted in next to the gun. We had one M60 for every three man crew, odd that I don't remember any of the Nam vets mentioning the can trick, the war was still going on at that time.
I was a Huey Crew Chief on a UH-1H for 10 years. 1976 to 1986, we never used the chutes, they always jammed with the 250rd cans attached to the mount. We put the 500rd can between our legs and a C rat can of spaghetti with meat sauce on the 60D. Fit perfectly. No jams, no feeding problems,. 2nd Inf Div Korea, and Central America late 80s.
I always thought the cans were attached with wire or something, but that can fit just like that? I’d love to see the first guy that figured that out, had to be a holy crap moment. … click … “Holy sh*t it fits… Hey Joe, come check this sh*t out!”
I thought about this, probably a lot of free time in between missions bored as fuck and fiddling with the most interesting thing in your possesion, your gun. You would be very familiar with the dimensions and shape of what your carrying, and since your also eating C rations with your m60 in sight... it just a matter of time before someone put two and two together. They probably knew they needed a smooth, round surface to funnel their ammo through to prevent a belt break, and the C cans were readily available, cheap, durable, and not to heavy.
Incredible how a weapon can get through design, testing and adoption and then need to be modified with a damn can of beans in the field to work right. I guess that’s the same as “mechanics hate engineers” when referring to cars
Exactly. I was a mechanic for years and vowed to punch the first car design engineer I came across. I worked for a brand that made a car where you had to drop the bumper/fender to replace a headlamp bulb! You should not ever have to go to a garage to change a bulb EVER. If you can't access a bulb and replace it in under a minute, you've failed as a designer. And that's just one of hundreds of complaints mechanics have.
I hear my section leader in recruit training. " This is the gear issued you will use, there are aftermarket items, that later in your career others will tell you are better, and depending on your unit you maybe allowed to use it. Here you will use NOTHING but issue kit. You can have absolute faith in it, it has been extensively tested. Have faith in this kit, after all the lowest bid won the contract"
Lol, that's exactly the M60 in a nutshell. A well loved weapon despite a lot of fundamental design issues. NATO had no other widely used weapon that could provide so much firepower in such a "light" package. Meanwhile the Soviets have the PKM that's unfortunately almost perfect 😢
As someone who’s fortunate to have several mechanic friends teach them a lot before going into engineering; I GET IT NOW holy shit some of the things (like fasteners with fuck all clearance to actually tighten them) shit me to tears at times I’ll trip a few mech engineers for the mechanic boys
In the 70s. A hundred rd belt came in a box inside a bag. Not like these bags at all. I do not know how. But they hooked the bag on. Instead of draping belts on their body. They just slinged the boxes cross shoulder. Ammo bearers did too but more of them.they worked quite well. These gunners were 173 nam vets who had re upped after a few years out. And they taught me a lot about counter ambush.
In addition to the two pouches you demonstrated, when I was in the military (79-83), later 100-round ammo boxes of M-60 ammo came in canvas (?) cloth pouches that would mount on the feed tray. Worked very well, and never had any problems with them. Never used the other two pouches. If we were in a position, we would connect a bunch of belts together and the A-gunner would hold/feed the belt manually while the gunner (me) would fire the gun. Never saw anyone use a c-rat can in that fashion but it makes sense; I think the feed trays had been modified to the ammo hangar by the time I was in so there was no latch for a c-rat can.
My father was in the Army in the 50s and they would Chuck a couple cans down the exhaust of a deuce and a half or a tank and have them idle for 10 minutes! Then Rev their motors and the cans came rite out nice and hot!
Wow.......does this bring back memories! We had some of those canvas and nylon 100 round mag pouches in the 82nd back in 1971......we didn't like them either.
I was an M48 crewman. My favorite co ax was the M60's 240! Then finally!!! They gave us a .50 co ax and put it on the gunners side. Not sure if i miss serving, or being 19. Ours used the door mount as our loaders MG. Thanks for the video and we all hated that right angle drag across the feed shoot and for the record, my tank never used FRH to soak our weapons in.
Funny how no one mentions the common flaw in all belt feds, and the reason that the can was used at all...weak feed pawls! The front pawl would wear much faster than the rear one and as a result would try and drag the belt sideways, which would cause a stoppage. In the left door configuration you needed to become adept at hand feeding the gun with your left hand, while stepping on the ammo box to block the airstream from pulling the belt out and hanging behind the aircraft until it broke, leaving you with nada to shoot! Don't ask... The feed pawl problem was super common on MG34's and 42's as well. Never was resolved as far as I know, and around mid 1967, they were almost impossible to find as spares. We used to keep complete feed covers in case the pawls broke or wore down to the point that they wouldn't pull the belt over the tray anymore. The can relieved the pressure caused by the weight of the belt, but you still needed to hand feed the gun. This was resolved on the flex guns by the use of feed motors, keeping the chute under pressure. Can't count the number of these guns I had to fix, and we didn't even use them unless a team went out heavy. Light Weapons guy...
Was a civilian contractor working on hueys and in 1968 there was a infield mwo that came out that elongated the extraction port. Did all of the M-60s for the 25th division aviation assets. All the door gunners and crew chiefs were using the c rat cans. Huey gunships (c model) gunners were using the grunt model of M-60 with a buttstock and hanging the gun with a bundgee cord. OH-6 observers also used this same setup.
Army solution with taxpayer dollars in use : " Let's spend 3 Million to figure out why the M-60 has a problem breaking belts" .... Grunts inna' field:" Hey man, could you spare a can of beans? "
I remember my dad talking about this from his time in Vietnam. He had 2 M60s on his LCM-8 landing craft, and I always thought he had thoes triangular ammo box brackets and you jammed a can in there to facilitate feeding from a box on deck (he mentioned "aqurieing" thousand round minigun boxes and in general kept a healthy, non-regulation, supply of ammo aboard). This however makes what he was talking about make so much more sense, so thanks for that history lesson.
The M60's I used in the 70's had the new ammo hanger. The belts also came in a canvas bag for use with the new hanger. I never used it that way but it was there.
I was a squadie in the Brit Army and never cease to be amazed by the 'make do' ingenuity of soldiers in the field, no matter their nationality.... I just love it!! Huzzah!! 😅
That picture at 1:15 with the coca cola can was beautiful… Is there anywhere i can find a high quality version of that picture? Id love that as a wallpaper 😂
In British service, the L7A2 GPMG (FN MAG variant) came with a 50 round metal belt box magazine that clipped on. The next belt should be able to run cleanly over the top of the empty box but in general, the boxes were rarely used and a belt of (typically 20-30) rounds was just hung off the side of the weapon. The design had no snags for the belt when used like this. Sometimes longer belts were carried on the weapon but on the move it was generally easier to just fire off the first (short) belt completely and then put another fifty or so on from a pouch to continue the engagement.
My high school friend did two tours in Vietnam. He was an armor. We were watching the movie Apocalypse Now. As the sampan is getting raked with gunfire, he rattles off some military number about the modification of adding the can to the M60. You can't believe how many of these I did, he said. He made it home only to get killed by a tree years later, RIP Ron Dale.
Pretty cool! I was an 11C back in the day (1975-1978), and was not trained on the M60. In fact, I never so much as touched one. Though from reputation I knew about the little problems that the M60 was known for, I hadn't heard about this one! Thanks for posting this!
Glenn's Surplus on Mill St in Colo Spgs had a box of those vinyl belt holders some time ago, same shelf where the GI 1qt canteens. Cups and covers were/are.
Studied Vietnam war a lot, knew of the c rat cans for feeding, but did not know detailed reasons why it was used or that it just snapped in places! Thank you! Learned something new or old! Okay question was C-rats can full or empty?
I remember seeing a photo many years ago of a 40 round belt holder developed in Australia made of metal. It may have been in the Jane's infantry weapons book.
Its funny, we were still doing this in the late 90's at my reserve unit. We used juice cans from the chow hall. The M60s finally got replaced with 240s sometime around 99-00. I was gone when they did the change over but got to use the 240s later from 02-07.
I thought the canvas magazine pouch being too bulky meant they were turning the cans into mini magazines. Thank you for sharing this. I can only imagine 5-10 rounds in a can. So I realize how impractical that would be.
Used to attach a 58 pattern water bottle pouch (with the lid cut off) on the side of the feed tray on the GPMG. All you had to do was turn the metal clips side ways and it fitted perfectly, you could get a belt of about 120 round in it. Ideal for patrolling in the light-role without trailing link, and better than carrying a short belt. This practice was pretty much a non official SOP ……
Something you forgot to mention or might know about is the 2nd pattern of the m60 ammo bags/bandolier with the cardboard insert featured a loop that allowed it to hang from the magazine bracket. A lot lighter than the actual m60 magazines, and fed much better
In the movie Sniper during Billy Zane's character being flown in when the Helicopter is attacked, they show the door gunner using a ration can as a belt/feed guide. Very awesome video showing the small details of field modifications.
Only shot the Pig in machine gun shoots and in training in an old Huey in the reserves in the early 80’s, a fussy weapon to maintain from what I experienced. Personally worked with Ma Deuce and it’s baby 1919. An understatement for heavy machine guns. Interesting snap on mod for the feed point with that snap in adapter. Have something similar for the 1919 that is made of stainless steel that both protects the finish as well as making it a smoother surface to run the belt over. Nice info about what our forefathers had to deal with in Nam.
A good use for Ham and Lima beans. The m60 used in the field was a crew served weapon for the most part with an assistant gunner. The brass, bag, was never used, if you were smart, because after 50 or so rounds the brass piles up in the bag and jams the gun.
I don't know about bean cans, but I was an M60 Gunner in both 3rd Ranger Bn and 82D Abn Div in the 1980s. The guys I felt sorry for were the M60 Asst Gunner (had to carry the gigantic tripod and extra ammo and didn't get to shoot it), and the Asst Mortarman (had to carry that huge mortar base plate). I was 6'4" and 250 pounds (which is why I was "offered" the M60 LOL).
i know a elderly man who collects war time thing. he fills old empty ration cans with wax to make them look an feel full, for the prepose of mounting them to M60s so he doesn't need to risk damaging an un opened can. just thought some people may want to know its possible
No goose bumps, but I thought to myself, that a gifted Mechanical Engineer couldn't have come up with a better - or cost-effective - solution. Hell, the cans were even already camo'd!
Holy Shit!! The fact that the can is the perfect size is like a commandment, or something! One thing to remember is that, back then, the gauge of metal used in can manufacture was much thicker than the nearly translucent "aluminum" used today.
I sure wish that I had an old timer when I was out in the field with the 60 he could have showed me that can trick. In training I lost the belt when we were attacking another unit. We took the hill but they said that it did not count because they said we went through a minefield. It doesn't matter I didn't have my belt and they didn't need the 60 gun much anyway on that attack couldn't see nothing anyway it was dark. The story originated from fort Carson Colorado in 1983. 4th combat engineer unit attached to the fourth ID. Had lots of fun
1964 C rat cans? How absolutely modern! In 1966-67, the C rats we had dated from the Korean War, the early 50's. Even though over 10 years old, they were still better than the dreaded "field mess".
Yep, I was still eating surplus 1950's C rats into the mid '70s and they were all still palatable - although some of the recipes weren't. Viva Pork Slices w/ Gravy & Fruit Cake!
This is the 1st video I’ve ever seen talking about this. I was the 2nd generation after Vietnam but grew up living with my dad and his buddies talking about stupid stuff like this. Of course the movies and all too. We still had M-60E3’s when I got to the fleet. I always wondered “why don’t these have cans on them?” I mean I know we didn’t still have C-rats but we had the master Chef Boyaredee in the field
Excellent! If anyone, amywhere doubts how it is that American forces can be so dominant and resilient, this alone demonstrates our ingenuity & resourcefulness. If there's an engineering or design problem, it will be ID'd in the field, and chances are good that some GI(s) will come up w/ some Gerry-rigged solution. Unfortunately, some 60 yrs ago, the DoD was too slow to get "approved" mods.
On my first tour I used the PIG that was for us DG's and Crew chiefs. My second tour was basically sort of custom that our armory section made for us who HAD to use the 60 on a bungee cord. I flew my second tour as a Cav scout flying in a LOH. You grunts out here know what I'm talking about. Welcome home brothers. Scouts out... PS; most of used used the cans containing the ham and mutha fuckers...not many could eat them without blowing lunch,especially the ones from post Korean war, just nasty shit man, real nasty.
So was I and guess what, even though we called them C-Ration's they actually weren't, they quit using C-Ration's in mid 1968, what we had was actually called MCI's, it stood for Meal, Combat Individual. I only learned this a couple months ago when I was watching a video on the history of field ration's in the US military, I even thought all these years that it said C-Ration's on the lid of the box, I guess that's what's called the Mandela effect, that's where you remember something that's incorrect for so long you actually develop memories of it, but as soon as they showed a box of MCI's that had Meal, Combat Individual on the lid my mind snapped to remembering that that's what they actually said on them.
Reading the comments? I'm pretty sure using the can was along the lines of "omgomgomg, the belt broke, they comin!" one time and "I got ma can motherf**kers, try me now!" because every time I've seen these field mods? Its about like that. Efficiency? Its survival.
I read a book later in life "Fire in The Streets" about Tet of '68 and the Marines in Hue. The author said we'd put the cans on the guns to "catch the spent rounds." I think it took me a good 15 minutes to stop laughing. Other than that a good read.
In 1968 we were instructed to put a can on the M60's to stay in the fight. With out the can it took 2 guys to run an M60 to keep the belt from breaking, one to feed and the other to fire, With the can it was a one-man job.
would an empty can work as well? Might get hungry you know?
@@Negan-lo7yr yep it would, that was what we used most of time.
@@buitlbybear1580 No way, you were in the Vietnam war? respect to you for serving, but the cause for which is about as justified as the war in Iraq after 9/11 - it's not.. corrupt politicians have sent FAR too many of our boys to die in pointless wars, when does the Top brass step in and make arrests? this country is clearly going to hell in a hand basket with this current administration.
Thanks for serving!
i was just thinking but why in the fuck and i read your comment haha!
I crewed a UH 1H for 15 months in Vietnam. It was a skill to hold the belt in the left hand and feed the gun in the slip stream. Mini cans held 1,500 rounds from the factory. We would take the packing out and put in 2,000. The can he showed held 750 rounds. You can make someone rethink their life choices with 2,000 rounds at 600 rounds per minute also with 80 knots of wind over the barrel you could shoot the whole can in one burst if necessary. I REALLY LOVED THAT GUN!
God Bless you Door Gunner☦️🙏🏽 my belated dad(USMC) was a door gunner in Nam as well.
I did the same thing , Nam vet 1968-1969 and 1070- 1971
Thank you all for your service.
Was born in '65, but loved the music from the era, and the movies about the war. Like Apocalypse Now. The M60 on the back of the PBR had a can on its side. Didn't pay attention during Platoon, or FMJ, but I'd bet Dale Dye and R. Lee Ermey made sure they had things just right. Not sure about Tour of Duty, but I'd bet Ruiz's "Pig" had one too... will have to look at the series again.
Shame you never got to run a M240B. Those things just purr and can be manually set between 650 to 950 rpm.
Glad you made it home Brother.
The can also decreased the radius of the belt hanging over the feed rollers. So the can lessened the stress on the feed system when handled by a sole gunner and helped prevent stoppages. I never used a full C-Rat can. They were emptied, the end left on, and then used on the gun. My Avatar is myself at Danang in '71 with my M60 [Cover #17] I did have an ammo bag using that bracket. There was 200 rounds to a ammo can, 100 rounds in each cloth [M4?] ammo 'bandolier' , two to a can, and there was a cardboard box inside each bandolier bag I imagine for stiffness. These 'bandolier' bags had a web reinforcement band round the bag near the top, and that bracket slipped in through that webbing holding it to the gun. The bandolier also had a strap for slinging the bags over a shoulder, rather than carry the belts looped in the open like many did. The bag, for my purposes, was 100 ready rounds in the gun; and I had several more with me. But I had a 1500 round can on the floor of that M715 Weapons Carrier, two belts of 750 rounds. Foot units, everyone carried ammo to feed "The Pig."
We had basically the same in the 90s, but the bags were made of nylon. With practice, it wasn’t too hard to use them, and a good reminder to change barrels if we had the luxury.
My best gun team were Guidera and Martinez. They swore at each other mercilessly. On in Texican and the other in Puerto Rican. Good times.
I was #1 on gun crew for all my infantry career. My best #2 was a Samoan named Derek Slade. We used to rag each other constantly but I'd do anything for that bastard to this day and I'm near on 50, not seen nor heard from him in 30 years
I bet! This was hilarious to read. That must have been something. I can hear them now.
That is some crazy cosmic coincidence that B-3 Unit snaps right into it, you'd almost imagine someone intentionally designed that.
I think you have to much faith in the government.
Proof of intelligent design
Ya dont say buddy?
Probably just a round number was used as a measurement for both. I think the C-ration cans are 3.5 inches tall.
@@joshuagunderson6593 yeah no shit someone designed these things
I am a child of the 80s and I remember my dad showing me films and docs on the Vietnam war and both of us never figured out why they did that so thank you. I would tell him but he passed in 2020
I've known about this field expediency for many years. But I have to say, whoever thought of this was a brilliant genius. This unknown genius saved many lives.
I was in post Vietnam, '73-'77. We had a smaller 100 round cloth pouch that hooked onto the extra piece you showed. A 100 round cardboard box of ammo fit in the pouch and it had a shoulder strap to carry it, too.
They still issue them, nearly the exact same today. You might get cardboard in cloth, or you might get plastic in cloth. Rarely, just plastic.
That is what I remember from '71 - '74, tho we mostly fired them from a pintle mount straight of the ammo can slotted in next to the gun. We had one M60 for every three man crew, odd that I don't remember any of the Nam vets mentioning the can trick, the war was still going on at that time.
We were getting those 100 round bags in country in the 7.62 cans in '71-72. Never saw those heavy bags like in the video.
@@mcpig3240 Pretty certain they didn't come around till around 70 and was probably 71 till they were common
I was a Huey Crew Chief on a UH-1H for 10 years. 1976 to 1986, we never used the chutes, they always jammed with the 250rd cans attached to the mount. We put the 500rd can between our legs and a C rat can of spaghetti with meat sauce on the 60D. Fit perfectly. No jams, no feeding problems,. 2nd Inf Div Korea, and Central America late 80s.
Finally, a real use for Ham and Lima beans!! I toted an M60 in the mid 80's and we had the newer attachment for the 100-rnd boxes.
I just posted pretty much the same thing and then saw yours. Another C-rat gourmet.😂
ah yeh, ham and mother fuckers as we called the ham and beans,
I always thought the cans were attached with wire or something, but that can fit just like that? I’d love to see the first guy that figured that out, had to be a holy crap moment.
… click …
“Holy sh*t it fits… Hey Joe, come check this sh*t out!”
I thought about this, probably a lot of free time in between missions bored as fuck and fiddling with the most interesting thing in your possesion, your gun. You would be very familiar with the dimensions and shape of what your carrying, and since your also eating C rations with your m60 in sight... it just a matter of time before someone put two and two together. They probably knew they needed a smooth, round surface to funnel their ammo through to prevent a belt break, and the C cans were readily available, cheap, durable, and not to heavy.
A pack of kool menthols fits perfectly in the ar15 mag well. Lol
The same way people found out that baby carrots slot perfectly into AR magazines.
Better than those two French soldiers with bayonets.
@@gohsk1512 And if nothing else, you're always carrying around a can of food or drink that you can imbibe when the fighting is done. :3
Incredible how a weapon can get through design, testing and adoption and then need to be modified with a damn can of beans in the field to work right. I guess that’s the same as “mechanics hate engineers” when referring to cars
Exactly. I was a mechanic for years and vowed to punch the first car design engineer I came across. I worked for a brand that made a car where you had to drop the bumper/fender to replace a headlamp bulb! You should not ever have to go to a garage to change a bulb EVER. If you can't access a bulb and replace it in under a minute, you've failed as a designer. And that's just one of hundreds of complaints mechanics have.
@@Healthhazard43 I think I know exactly what brand you’re talking about
I hear my section leader in recruit training. " This is the gear issued you will use, there are aftermarket items, that later in your career others will tell you are better, and depending on your unit you maybe allowed to use it. Here you will use NOTHING but issue kit. You can have absolute faith in it, it has been extensively tested. Have faith in this kit, after all the lowest bid won the contract"
Lol, that's exactly the M60 in a nutshell. A well loved weapon despite a lot of fundamental design issues. NATO had no other widely used weapon that could provide so much firepower in such a "light" package. Meanwhile the Soviets have the PKM that's unfortunately almost perfect 😢
As someone who’s fortunate to have several mechanic friends teach them a lot before going into engineering; I GET IT NOW
holy shit some of the things (like fasteners with fuck all clearance to actually tighten them) shit me to tears at times
I’ll trip a few mech engineers for the mechanic boys
Idk how those GIs coped with hauling that heavy piece of metal through the hot jungle and during combat. Vietnam Vets were legends
In the 70s. A hundred rd belt came in a box inside a bag. Not like these bags at all. I do not know how. But they hooked the bag on. Instead of draping belts on their body. They just slinged the boxes cross shoulder. Ammo bearers did too but more of them.they worked quite well. These gunners were 173 nam vets who had re upped after a few years out. And they taught me a lot about counter ambush.
That was the best use of the B-3 C-Rat can!
In addition to the two pouches you demonstrated, when I was in the military (79-83), later 100-round ammo boxes of M-60 ammo came in canvas (?) cloth pouches that would mount on the feed tray. Worked very well, and never had any problems with them. Never used the other two pouches. If we were in a position, we would connect a bunch of belts together and the A-gunner would hold/feed the belt manually while the gunner (me) would fire the gun. Never saw anyone use a c-rat can in that fashion but it makes sense; I think the feed trays had been modified to the ammo hangar by the time I was in so there was no latch for a c-rat can.
My father was in the Army in the 50s and they would Chuck a couple cans down the exhaust of a deuce and a half or a tank and have them idle for 10 minutes! Then Rev their motors and the cans came rite out nice and hot!
I did this in Desert Storm too. Water bottles wrapped in duct with either water os modified to hold a mre meal pocket inside.
Imagine dropping it and your turkey loaf oozes out.
The turkey loaf can was too small. Had to be a fruit can, beans and franks, etc. The larger ones.
@@Snuffy03LT Dan I lost my frank and beans XD
@@Snuffy03 Beef chunks w/ Potato and gravy.
@@Snuffy03 well no one was gonna eat the beans and franks anyway may as well put it to some use
@@mcpig3240 Oh man I hated those things. So greasy and if it was cold, even worse.
Wow.......does this bring back memories! We had some of those canvas and nylon 100 round mag pouches in the 82nd back in 1971......we didn't like them either.
Another amazing grunts and crafts project from our special little guys...
I was an M48 crewman. My favorite co ax was the M60's 240! Then finally!!!
They gave us a .50 co ax and put it on the gunners side.
Not sure if i miss serving, or being 19.
Ours used the door mount as our loaders MG.
Thanks for the video and we all hated that right angle drag across the feed shoot and for the record, my tank never used FRH to soak our weapons in.
Funny how no one mentions the common flaw in all belt feds, and the reason that the can was used at all...weak feed pawls! The front pawl would wear much faster than the rear one and as a result would try and drag the belt sideways, which would cause a stoppage. In the left door configuration you needed to become adept at hand feeding the gun with your left hand, while stepping on the ammo box to block the airstream from pulling the belt out and hanging behind the aircraft until it broke, leaving you with nada to shoot! Don't ask... The feed pawl problem was super common on MG34's and 42's as well. Never was resolved as far as I know, and around mid 1967, they were almost impossible to find as spares. We used to keep complete feed covers in case the pawls broke or wore down to the point that they wouldn't pull the belt over the tray anymore. The can relieved the pressure caused by the weight of the belt, but you still needed to hand feed the gun. This was resolved on the flex guns by the use of feed motors, keeping the chute under pressure. Can't count the number of these guns I had to fix, and we didn't even use them unless a team went out heavy. Light Weapons guy...
Brilliant. Helps the ammo get fed onto the tray much easier.
Was a civilian contractor working on hueys and in 1968 there was a infield mwo that came out that elongated the extraction port. Did all of the M-60s for the 25th division aviation assets. All the door gunners and crew chiefs were using the c rat cans. Huey gunships (c model) gunners were using the grunt model of M-60 with a buttstock and hanging the gun with a bundgee cord. OH-6 observers also used this same setup.
Army solution with taxpayer dollars in use : " Let's spend 3 Million to figure out why the M-60 has a problem breaking belts" .... Grunts inna' field:" Hey man, could you spare a can of beans? "
Grunts and crafts project.
Thanks for this. Brings back memories.
I remember my dad talking about this from his time in Vietnam. He had 2 M60s on his LCM-8 landing craft, and I always thought he had thoes triangular ammo box brackets and you jammed a can in there to facilitate feeding from a box on deck (he mentioned "aqurieing" thousand round minigun boxes and in general kept a healthy, non-regulation, supply of ammo aboard). This however makes what he was talking about make so much more sense, so thanks for that history lesson.
Super interesting video! It's neat seeing the little work arounds and by passes that soldiers will find to make use of their equipment much better
I never saw an ammo bag. We used a 50 cal ammo can filled with 7.62 belt. Always used a C rat can for a guide. Great video.
A very cool and informative video! I've only used the M60 once but I always wondered how the cans were attached. Thank you.
The M60's I used in the 70's had the new ammo hanger. The belts also came in a canvas bag for use with the new hanger. I never used it that way but it was there.
Thanks for sharing this with us!!!!! 👍👍🤝✌️🫡👊
I was a squadie in the Brit Army and never cease to be amazed by the 'make do' ingenuity of soldiers in the field, no matter their nationality.... I just love it!! Huzzah!! 😅
Awesome. Thanks for the info.
Happy to support you.
I seen this done in 68 when I first arrived in Saigon.
Great video. I do remember seeing these round objects on the m60, NO IDEA it was a song c ration can. Wild!
That picture at 1:15 with the coca cola can was beautiful…
Is there anywhere i can find a high quality version of that picture? Id love that as a wallpaper 😂
Saw this once and thought I was seeing things. Thnx for the great vid.
In British service, the L7A2 GPMG (FN MAG variant) came with a 50 round metal belt box magazine that clipped on. The next belt should be able to run cleanly over the top of the empty box but in general, the boxes were rarely used and a belt of (typically 20-30) rounds was just hung off the side of the weapon. The design had no snags for the belt when used like this. Sometimes longer belts were carried on the weapon but on the move it was generally easier to just fire off the first (short) belt completely and then put another fifty or so on from a pouch to continue the engagement.
My high school friend did two tours in Vietnam. He was an armor. We were watching the movie Apocalypse Now. As the sampan is getting raked with gunfire, he rattles off some military number about the modification of adding the can to the M60. You can't believe how many of these I did, he said. He made it home only to get killed by a tree years later, RIP Ron Dale.
Pretty cool! I was an 11C back in the day (1975-1978), and was not trained on the M60. In fact, I never so much as touched one. Though from reputation I knew about the little problems that the M60 was known for, I hadn't heard about this one! Thanks for posting this!
What a great video, thanks
Glenn's Surplus on Mill St in Colo Spgs had a box of those vinyl belt holders some time ago, same shelf where the GI 1qt canteens. Cups and covers were/are.
B-3 can, straightens the belt feed and makes the gun run all day, 1969 experience.
Studied Vietnam war a lot, knew of the c rat cans for feeding, but did not know detailed reasons why it was used or that it just snapped in places! Thank you! Learned something new or old! Okay question was C-rats can full or empty?
Can had to be intact for structural integrity. B3 shown was cookies and cocoa, probably the lightest can available.
"Let's get this onto a feed tray. Nice!"
I remember seeing a photo many years ago of a 40 round belt holder developed in Australia made of metal. It may have been in the Jane's infantry weapons book.
Beautiful History
Great Vibe
Thank You for the Public Work
Nice Vibe
I learned something,thanks !
Its funny, we were still doing this in the late 90's at my reserve unit. We used juice cans from the chow hall. The M60s finally got replaced with 240s sometime around 99-00. I was gone when they did the change over but got to use the 240s later from 02-07.
I thought the canvas magazine pouch being too bulky meant they were turning the cans into mini magazines. Thank you for sharing this. I can only imagine 5-10 rounds in a can. So I realize how impractical that would be.
Used to attach a 58 pattern water bottle pouch (with the lid cut off) on the side of the feed tray on the GPMG. All you had to do was turn the metal clips side ways and it fitted perfectly, you could get a belt of about 120 round in it. Ideal for patrolling in the light-role without trailing link, and better than carrying a short belt.
This practice was pretty much a non official SOP ……
Something you forgot to mention or might know about is the 2nd pattern of the m60 ammo bags/bandolier with the cardboard insert featured a loop that allowed it to hang from the magazine bracket. A lot lighter than the actual m60 magazines, and fed much better
Those were not used with M60 magazine brackets …. They were used with M60 ammo hangers. Which we mention in the video
In the movie Sniper during Billy Zane's character being flown in when the Helicopter is attacked, they show the door gunner using a ration can as a belt/feed guide. Very awesome video showing the small details of field modifications.
Only shot the Pig in machine gun shoots and in training in an old Huey in the reserves in the early 80’s, a fussy weapon to maintain from what I experienced. Personally worked with Ma Deuce and it’s baby 1919. An understatement for heavy machine guns. Interesting snap on mod for the feed point with that snap in adapter. Have something similar for the 1919 that is made of stainless steel that both protects the finish as well as making it a smoother surface to run the belt over. Nice info about what our forefathers had to deal with in Nam.
It is absolutely unbelievable that an issue like this was allowed to get to WAR before it getting found/fixed.
kewl an informative vid thanks.
How the hell did i not know about this channel??? NEW SUB!!!!
Beautiful.
Wow - Very Interesting! THANKS!
😎👍
I wish steve had mentioned this lol
"Nice hiss"
Necessity is the mother of invention.
...and Desperation is its daddy.
A good use for Ham and Lima beans. The m60 used in the field was a crew served weapon for the most part with an assistant gunner.
The brass, bag, was never used, if you were smart, because after 50 or so rounds the brass piles up in the bag and jams the gun.
Awsome video topic.
Get some!
I don't know about bean cans, but I was an M60 Gunner in both 3rd Ranger Bn and 82D Abn Div in the 1980s. The guys I felt sorry for were the M60 Asst Gunner (had to carry the gigantic tripod and extra ammo and didn't get to shoot it), and the Asst Mortarman (had to carry that huge mortar base plate). I was 6'4" and 250 pounds (which is why I was "offered" the M60 LOL).
i know a elderly man who collects war time thing. he fills old empty ration cans with wax to make them look an feel full, for the prepose of mounting them to M60s so he doesn't need to risk damaging an un opened can. just thought some people may want to know its possible
cool, always wondered about that
Very interesting….thanks.
3:05 when you're trying to figure out how to get ALL THREE of your M-60's in one video flex...
Who else got goosebumps listening to it snap in😂
No goose bumps, but I thought to myself, that a gifted Mechanical Engineer couldn't have come up with a better - or cost-effective - solution. Hell, the cans were even already camo'd!
Holy Shit!! The fact that the can is the perfect size is like a commandment, or something! One thing to remember is that, back then, the gauge of metal used in can manufacture was much thicker than the nearly translucent "aluminum" used today.
Beautiful
Who ever came up with that probably got a medal and promotion !!
I sure wish that I had an old timer when I was out in the field with the 60 he could have showed me that can trick. In training I lost the belt when we were attacking another unit. We took the hill but they said that it did not count because they said we went through a minefield. It doesn't matter I didn't have my belt and they didn't need the 60 gun much anyway on that attack couldn't see nothing anyway it was dark. The story originated from fort Carson Colorado in 1983. 4th combat engineer unit attached to the fourth ID. Had lots of fun
1964 C rat cans? How absolutely modern! In 1966-67, the C rats we had dated from the Korean War, the early 50's. Even though over 10 years old, they were still better than the dreaded "field mess".
Yep, I was still eating surplus 1950's C rats into the mid '70s and they were all still palatable - although some of the recipes weren't. Viva Pork Slices w/ Gravy & Fruit Cake!
Right on ✊🏻
M60 was a great gun ! Really nice at night with tracers !❤
This is the 1st video I’ve ever seen talking about this. I was the 2nd generation after Vietnam but grew up living with my dad and his buddies talking about stupid stuff like this. Of course the movies and all too. We still had M-60E3’s when I got to the fleet. I always wondered “why don’t these have cans on them?” I mean I know we didn’t still have C-rats but we had the master Chef Boyaredee in the field
Coulda hooked up some MRE bag.....
@@bobbys4327 or “A rock or something” haha
@@echo5deltaLOL... ROK's were attached to M1 Carbines
Excellent! If anyone, amywhere doubts how it is that American forces can be so dominant and resilient, this alone demonstrates our ingenuity & resourcefulness. If there's an engineering or design problem, it will be ID'd in the field, and chances are good that some GI(s) will come up w/ some Gerry-rigged solution. Unfortunately, some 60 yrs ago, the DoD was too slow to get "approved" mods.
On my first tour I used the PIG that was for us DG's and Crew chiefs. My second tour was basically sort of custom that our armory section made for us who HAD to use the 60 on a bungee cord. I flew my second tour as a Cav scout flying in a LOH. You grunts out here know what I'm talking about. Welcome home brothers. Scouts out...
PS; most of used used the cans containing the ham and mutha fuckers...not many could eat them without blowing lunch,especially the ones from post Korean war, just nasty shit man, real nasty.
Great Video. Can anybody help. What was in the plastic bottles attached to the GIs helmets.
Insect Repellent.
Cool vid! Thanks! Dad powers trivia upgrade!
I was in when we went from C rations to MREs we really missed those cans.
Those first MREs left a lot to be desired. Gimme ham & eggs, beans & baby dicks, beef & rocks.
So was I and guess what, even though we called them C-Ration's they actually weren't, they quit using C-Ration's in mid 1968, what we had was actually called MCI's, it stood for Meal, Combat Individual.
I only learned this a couple months ago when I was watching a video on the history of field ration's in the US military, I even thought all these years that it said C-Ration's on the lid of the box, I guess that's what's called the Mandela effect, that's where you remember something that's incorrect for so long you actually develop memories of it, but as soon as they showed a box of MCI's that had Meal, Combat Individual on the lid my mind snapped to remembering that that's what they actually said on them.
7:00 * can clicks *
Michael Rosen: "Noice!"
It is not a coincidence but the masterminds of logistics calculated the optimal size for both - magazines and cans.
lol, I thought my grandpa was lying, damn I’m have to apologize, as a kid I thought he was just pulling my leg.
Amazing how inventive one can get when one's butt depends on the outcome.
how tall are those cans, is this simply a case of "lets make it a round number"
Light up the Cong and cook dinner at the same time. Grunt genius.
Quick question, Was the Bracket able to hold an Ammo Box ?
Nope. Just the bandolier bag of 100 rounds.
the original tactical bean holder?
Reading the comments? I'm pretty sure using the can was along the lines of "omgomgomg, the belt broke, they comin!" one time and "I got ma can motherf**kers, try me now!" because every time I've seen these field mods? Its about like that. Efficiency? Its survival.
Cool!
I read a book later in life "Fire in The Streets" about Tet of '68 and the Marines in Hue. The author said we'd put the cans on the guns to "catch the spent rounds." I think it took me a good 15 minutes to stop laughing. Other than that a good read.
The original tactical bean holder
I seriously pissed that I didn’t know about this channel already
By 1980 the smooth plate was very much common in USAEUR. I wonder if the ones with the plate went to Europe first. I can see that.
I feel like I've seen WWII footage of MG42's with a similar setup...
You sure it was the round "drum" mag for the belted ammo?
@@metallicarchaea1820As issued on the MG 42 AND the M60.
The MG42 had a 50 round assault drum that looked like a ribbed metal can
We safety wired pint cans of 23699 oil to the M60D door guns...
⚡🖖🤟🤘⚡☕🗿 Valeu irmão.... good Vibe Guns and Vietnam....