Combat Veterans - magazine capacity and unissued items?

[American123]

Combat veterans -

A few questions, answer if you have time:

1) In your experience did magazine capacity of 20-40, or larger ever make a significant difference for you, or could have it made one if you carried a different capacity.

2) What gear did you use far more than you predicted you would, or/also what items did you find extremely helpful that you were not issued, but significantly contributed toward your effectiveness, additionally, were there items that you were issued that you rarely if ever used and found effectively worthless?

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[1371JarHead]

As a 1371 I was only issued 30 round mags for my M16-A1, and single stack for the 1911, I think my M -60 was only 200 round M13 linked ammo. Best piece of gear was the poncho liner, hardly ever used the mess kit, just heated the C`s right in their can and just used the plastic fork.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Speaking for myself ....

The 30 round magazines worked fine , and made for a good "balance" on the M16A1 / A2 / CAR-15 / M203 that I used....
The 20 round magazine also worked well with the M21 I used.

Another vote for the poncho liner as one of , if not the most used / useful piece of gear.
550 cord...100 MPH tape as runner ups.
Batteries for the PRC-77 were important to call for evac / extraction or air support , SITREP , etc....those were very useful
Map and compass ....very useful as well as the often overlooked and under-rated skill in using them.

As for unissued gear....my BlackJack Model 5 knife came in very handy for field / deployment use.

Useless or next to useless items ...
The angle head flashlight...while a great flashlight....when in a LRRP /LRSD Unit..light on the battle field could mean death....so I hardly ever used it...expect under very specific circumstances.

Edit to add :
Most useful attributes for a Solider :
Adaptability and dependability.
Andy

 

[Old Dog]

Mess kits? Wow. I thought I was old. Poncho liners? I vaguely recollect them from time in the Philippines and Panama in the '80s.

1) In your experience did magazine capacity of 20-40, or larger ever make a significant difference for you, or could have it made one if you carried a different capacity.

2) What gear did you use far more than you predicted you would, or/also what items did you find extremely helpful that you were not issued, but significantly contributed toward your effectiveness, additionally, were there items that you were issued that you rarely if ever used and found effectively worthless?

1. Well, since most of my war was spent at Camp Cupcake, it didn't make a difference to me as I was never in a really protracted engagement, but I also don't recall anyone ever wished for having to reload more frequently. Knew guys who took out lotsa mags, but these were guys who went on actual missions rather than simply riding convoy when IEDs were the main concern. The goggles I was issued in '03-'04 I think I put on once and were replaced by Oakleys. But I used the CamelBack I was issued when bottled water wasn't always there. I'd have to say that since I enlisted in '79 and retired in '05, we mostly got issued useful gear, and a lot of quality stuff. Uniforms, footwear, helmets, glasses and all the personal kit just improved drastically during my time.

Not issued: Gold Bond powder. Gerber tool. Baby wipes. I lived on Clif bars, Red Vines and Rip-its for ten months (I needed lots of caffeine to help me poop with my diet). And I used AA batteries like they were going out of style.

Gloves, honestly rarely put 'em on, usually had 'em hanging from a carabiner.

 

[RicInOR]

Best piece of gear was the poncho liner

Another vote for the poncho liner as one of , if not the most used / useful piece of gear.

Mat Best agrees with you:

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Mat Best agrees with you:

Funny...but never heard of a "Woobie" before...must be a newer term...or one not used in any of the Units / Divisions I was in....
Andy

 

[Ura-Ki]

Mag capacity was plenty for me, never had any issues with ether 20 or 30 rounders we were issued, I actually preferred the 20s for the weight in the carbine as it was mostly slung, and usually carried 8 mags total of either capasity. The 20 rounders for the M-21 or the 10 rounders for the M-40X were more then plenty, though a few times total capacity was lacking as I usually only carried 70 rounds including the mag in the rifle for the M-40, while I usually carried 140 rounds for the M-21, there were a few times that wasn't enough!

Best gear we were issued was (for me) a pair of enhanced IFAK and a stripped down/tuned M-5 kit.
Most worthless kit was was the weapon mounted laser designator/I.R. light module, and pretty much anything they slapped on the M-4s as We All much preferred them slick and light weight!

Best non issued gear was a pair of belt looped drop leg bags one of the guys came up with, those were super handy to have and I was always using them to keep stuff organized!