[Hybrid Moments Pass]

So this question is to the military/former mil guys on here
-When you actually go out on a mission/patrol/whatever, how much ammo do you take/carry on you?
I dont know why I got to thinking about it, but I was curious.

 

[112]

It depends, things like how far out or how long it could take to get resupplied, or what kind of activity is in the AO your going out in, but typically no less than 7 mags for your m4/m16.

 

[J.Boyette]

During the invasion of Iraq I carried the following:

10 mags of 5.56mm (7-30rnd mags 6 ball, 1 tracer / 3-20rnd with MK262)
4 M48 frag's
3 smoke
1 clamore
200rnds of 7.62mm belt
1 saw drum

That's no franking lie on ammo in my 3 day ammo bag and my IBA. I was a Weapons Squad leader so I had a lot of (extra) stuff to play with. This is just ammo list.

 

[Hybrid Moments Pass]

John - why one mag of just tracer? I would have figured that tracer rounds would be mixed in, but what do I know (NOTHING!)?
Also, why 20rnd mags of the mk262 (which I need to look up what that is now) instead of more 30 round mags?
And that all sounds REALLY heavy, especially assuming you had food, water, and other items with you as well.

Derek and John - thanks for the answer, I was curious and appreciate the answers

 

[J.Boyette]

The Tracer mag was for directing fire of my guns (240B) like I posted I was a weapons squad leader so my group had the 240B's and the Javelins.

This is also why I had the Claymore for dead area coverage at the SBF location we would set up.

Now the MK262 was for longer range shooting (past 300m) at the SBF we would have a standoff of about 500m or so. This would allow my guns to have cover fire and the like. Granted this was when we where in full combat mode and once moved in the city it got close real quick.

But the start of it all that's how I rolled.

John

 

[DevilDog1988]

The Tracer mag was for directing fire of my guns (240B) like I posted I was a weapons squad leader so my group had the 240B's and the Javelins.

This is also why I had the Claymore for dead area coverage at the SBF location we would set up.

Now the MK262 was for longer range shooting (past 300m) at the SBF we would have a standoff of about 500m or so. This would allow my guns to have cover fire and the like. Granted this was when we where in full combat mode and once moved in the city it got close real quick.

But the start of it all that's how I rolled.

John

Youre a badass, that is all.

 

[John Connor]

210 rounds of 5.56 and one frag grenade is what I carried on patrols. That's about the norm for the vast majority also.

 

[J.Boyette]

Youre a badass, that is all.

Nope, never have been, never will be. As a matter of fact I was dumb and pay for it now. I would hump all that crap and later in life AKA today I pay for it with a medical discharge and a jacked up back that hurts as I type.

But for some of you guys that think I am full of it, the lighter, faster mindset only took place after 2005. Thats when the big wigs had to wear all the B.S. and stuff started to change.

I have loads we use to hump in JRTC and NTC that would place that to shame in training and still jump the crap in.

 

[Jeremy2171]

Now fast forward three-four years..the situation has changed...we are no longer in "offensive" combat ops. I carried an M4 and a .45

I had 80 rounds of 5.56 (2x30 and 1x20) The 20 was loaded first round was a tracer and the rest was M955 AP ...thiswas what stayed in my rifle as now we have EOF (Escalation of Force) rules. Meaning if a vehicle came toward our and it looked hostile we had to:
1. first "wave" them off with a flag (maybe after threes years they just didnt "know" you can't drive up fast on a US convoy..)
2. flash a laser dazzler at them (maybe they didn't see the bright orange flag being waved)
3. fire a penflare or popup flare across the front of them to make them stop
4. THEN you can fire a TRACER round at the dirt in front of them
5. NOW you can fire a shot to disable the vehicle...
6. if that didn't work then you could fire on the whole vehicle itself....

I had 5 spare mags for the .45
2xfrags


Now in our truck we had plenty of ammo ready to go and if we were going on an op I just had a bandoleer of 6 mags I through over my shoulder.

 

[Jeremy2171]

Nope, never have been, never will be. As a matter of fact I was dumb and pay for it now. I would hump all that crap and later in life AKA today I pay for it with a medical discharge and a jacked up back that hurts as I type.

But for some of you guys that think I am full of it, the lighter, faster mindset only took place after 2005. Thats when the big wigs had to wear all the B.S. and stuff started to change.

I have loads we use to hump in JRTC and NTC that would place that to shame in training and still jump the crap in.

Agreed... I finished my 20 but I do hurt something fierce some days.

I retired in 2010 and got to see the mentality of we are riding everywhere so it's not a big deal...troops now can't "hump" like we used to..we carried everything everywhere... now it's just pack what you want as long as you have SAPI plates and helmet..then throw it in the truck...

My favorite time was back in Mogadishu...no SAPI plates just kevlar...and knowing I could walk wherever I needed with what I brought with me..

 

[billyh]

I was a mechanic and I had 180 5.56 rounds on me on a regular convoy for my M16A2. When we went into Falujah I carried a SAW with 360 in magazines and another 400 in belts. But I was mostly in a vehicle or recovering/fixing trucks.

 

[chuckman]

12 mags 556, 3 mags 9mm. Plus my med bag. Plus radio batteries. Plus whatever else I needed to carry. I was a corpsman. I could do it all.

 

[WNC Seabee]

A crescent wrench, BFH, a ball of bailing wire, some 100mph tape, 1/5th Jack, some loose prophylactics. Seabees Can Do.

 

[Hammer21B]

10 mags 5.56, 6 mags 9mm, 2 frags, 1 smoke. When I got to Afghanistan, I was issued 15 rds of 9mm and was told to get my ass up to Zabal.I went to draw more and was told I couldn't get any more and I had better have those to turn in when I left! Shit! I could get cases of C4, but zero 9mm! What a way to run a war! Being the ingenious bastard I am, I had heard that the Kanucks (who had brought their own hockey rink with them) had 9mm. So I hop in the NTV and scoot over to the Canadian compound and talk to the supply guy. For 12 dozen Tim Horten donuts, I got a truck load of 9mm! We used it the rest of thedeployment and turned some of it over to the unit that replaced us. When we were on the FOB in Kandahar, we had to carry the 9mm, 1 mag in our pocket and nothing in the chamber! Hell, just open the gates and let them in!

 

[chuckman]

A crescent wrench, BFH, a ball of bailing wire, some 100mph tape, 1/5th Jack, some loose prophylactics. Seabees Can Do.

My uncle, my mom's only living sibling, retired Senior Chief from the SeaBees. He's as hard as woodpecker lips, as are most all of the SeaBees I have met.

 

[11B CIB]

I carried as much as possible. Depending on the mission and weapons:

Mounted patrols:
M2: 300 round belt of API/T in a Mk19 ammo can; the first thirty were tungsten. Extra 1500 rds API/T the truck
M4: 7 mags (one in rifle) with about twenty more in the truck...M4 was stowed up in the turret for easy access
M9: 6 mags (one in pistol)
And a shitload of frags, Willie Pete, and smoke

Dismounted when humping M240B:
100rd belt in the gun and a couple hundred body wrapped
AG carried 300 more
M9: 6 mags
Couple frags and a smoke

Dismounted when rifle squad leader:
M4: 10 mags, one with tracers only, the rest staggered 4:1 M855:Tracer
3 frags, 1 smoke
M9: 6 mags

I adhered to I'd rather have it and not need it mentality. My knees hurt a lot but it was a burden I gladly carried. I always thought of some Blackhawk down type of separation from resupply and tried to avoid it.

My time over there was great, all things considered. They could be some mean streets but I loved it. Kind of weird how alive you can feel waiting to turn a corner and achieve lift off due to some 155s in the road

Whoa, stand by, Iraqi mounted patrol passing through the AO

 

[B00GER]

Added question...what's the most ammunition you ever expended on a mission/patrol/whatever?

 

[Armorpl8chikn]

At this point if John says"all of it" then he can no longer deny he is a bad MFr

 

[11B CIB]

Added question...what's the most ammunition you ever expended on a mission/patrol/whatever?

I was in Baghdad in both phases of the Battle of Haifa street in January '07. I can answer your question easily: a metric fuckload.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Haifa_Street

This is when the M2 was my main gun. When they opened up from the Holland high rises I could take a knee behind the gun and just take the upper stories. Me, plus about a hundred other dudes and Strykers plus CAS...it was something else man. Those upper levels...it was inescapable.

I was a stickler for headspace and timing. I can remember seeing a Terry repeatedly trying to chamber, and misfire, a DShk. Well his shit didn't work. Ours did, fortunately. Those 12.7s are no joke compared to shitty Humvee armor

I don't know how many rounds I fired but I used a lot of ammo. The truck was covered in links and brass inside and out. I had burns on my elbows from it...poor me.

After that, the Navy kept doing B1 runs over the area. Loud as crap

I patrolled out of Loyalty near Sadr City also. Used a lot of ammo there but not as much as that four day long period in '07

 

[Hybrid Moments Pass]

Added question...what's the most ammunition you ever expended on a mission/patrol/whatever?

good one

curious if any here have run out in a firefight or came close to running out