M203 Dates? - AR15.COM

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Posted: 6/22/2011 7:00:08 AM EDT

When was the XM203 first introduced to Vietnam, when was the M203 officially adopted, and when was the side sling adapter introduced?

This is a modern Bushmaster 203 side sling adapter, for both .625 and .750 barrels. But it's the same idea.

Posted: 6/22/2011 11:17:40 AM EDT

[#1]

Side sling adapter is post-VN AFAIK - mid seventies, early eighties. The M203 was introduced in '67-68 IIRC, I believe the exact date is on DeWatter's 5.56 timeline. I wish they made an airsoft XM148 clone - that would be an airsoft toy worth having.

Posted: 6/22/2011 3:41:56 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
Side sling adapter is post-VN AFAIK - mid seventies, early eighties. The M203 was introduced in '67-68 IIRC, I believe the exact date is on DeWatter's 5.56 timeline. I wish they made an airsoft XM148 clone - that would be an airsoft toy worth having.

I'm actually working on making an XM148/CGL-4 replica. And an 870 mk i bayonet adapter.

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Posted: 6/22/2011 4:26:06 PM EDT

[#3]

i think the side adapter is pretty new

i think that thing that let you loop the sling on the FSB was aroound a lot longer

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:04:06 PM EDT

[#4]

page 235 of TBR shows one on a xm177e2

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:25:35 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Side sling adapter is post-VN AFAIK - mid seventies, early eighties. The M203 was introduced in '67-68 IIRC, I believe the exact date is on DeWatter's 5.56 timeline. I wish they made an airsoft XM148 clone - that would be an airsoft toy worth having.

I'm actually working on making an XM148/CGL-4 replica.

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If you make one in 37mm I'd love to see it/buy one!

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:42:03 PM EDT

[#6]

Mine has a serial number stamped on the side if that helps.

Posted: 6/22/2011 5:51:22 PM EDT

[#7]

this is the pic from TBR

the title of the chapter is "Project Rifles (week of) 8-12 July 1968"

Posted: 6/22/2011 7:14:09 PM EDT

[#8]

Unless my mind is totally out to lunch, I want to say I remember seeing them in '74.

Posted: 6/22/2011 8:05:59 PM EDT

[#9]

When I was in Army basic in 1974, I fired a round or two from an M79. In Air Force ABGD school in 1979-80, we fired a bunch of M203s,

Posted: 6/22/2011 8:23:39 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
this is the pic from TBR
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s147/crackedcornish/0978a772.jpg
the title of the chapter is "Project Rifles (week of) 8-12 July 1968"

I never noticed that before. Thanks.

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Posted: 6/22/2011 9:38:42 PM EDT

[#11]

I believe there were three different sling approaches on the M16/M203. (By the way, fielding was circa 1969-70).

- The first made no change to the original swivels and provided no new swivel.

- The second, which I distinctly remember but couldn't quickly google up a pic, had a sling swivel on a rotating mount that was on the left side of the M203 plastic upper handguard. This may have been some oddball thing we got in my unit at the time, but I doubt that; our regular operational weapons at this time were standard US weapons.

- This third dispenses with the fancy swivel, and is used with an M4 style side sling adapter.

Posted: 6/23/2011 5:18:47 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:

Quoted:
this is the pic from TBR
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s147/crackedcornish/0978a772.jpg
the title of the chapter is "Project Rifles (week of) 8-12 July 1968"

I never noticed that before. Thanks.

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you're welcome

remember if your looking for an early side sling adapter to use on a replica, the very first ones were set up for the early (commonly referred to as the A1 profiled) barrel only

Posted: 6/23/2011 7:14:56 AM EDT

[#13]

Good info - I never realized the side sling swivel was used so early. Never saw one with just the A1 barrel band either - I always thought they were always double sided A1/A2. I figured '74 or so, but it's good to be wrong! BTW, I really, really want to make a set of HGs like that Aussie XM177E2. That's a cheap project I can maybe play around with while unemployed...

Posted: 6/23/2011 7:57:12 AM EDT

[#14]

I have an early Pencil barrel only one in my parts bin. I stole the swivel off it it for a build a long time ago.

Posted: 6/23/2011 9:43:22 AM EDT

[#15]

I have one, i got it off a RRA carbine. It only has a radius for the A2 profile, but the flat side fits on my A1 barrel.

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Posted: 6/23/2011 10:04:29 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
this is the pic from TBR
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s147/crackedcornish/0978a772.jpg
the title of the chapter is "Project Rifles (week of) 8-12 July 1968"

Photos do not necessarily match up chronologically with the text. In July 1968, Aberdeen was still evaluating the GLAD candidates. AAI was not given a letter contract for their still undesignated grenade launcher until August of that year. A limited number of XM203 were sent to Vietnam for testing in April 1969.

Posted: 6/23/2011 11:37:04 AM EDT

[#17]

Off topic:
How much would m203 would cost right now? The one you could mount on the rifle.

Posted: 6/23/2011 12:07:19 PM EDT

[#18]

I need to take a new pic of mine since it's completed....

Posted: 6/24/2011 11:28:28 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
and when was the side sling adapter introduced?

The side swivel adapter was introduced when the first XM203s went to Vietnam for field testing. The first examples had an extented rail protruding forward to act as a bayonet lug, necessary because the normal mounting wasn't usable with the launcher attached.

Posted: 6/25/2011 2:02:58 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

Quoted:
and when was the side sling adapter introduced?

The side swivel adapter was introduced when the first XM203s went to Vietnam for field testing. The first examples had an extented rail protruding forward to act as a bayonet lug, necessary because the normal mounting wasn't usable with the launcher attached.

http://photos.imageevent.com/ricklarson/40mmphotos/large/Pict0292.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/ricklarson/40mmphotos/large/Pict0294.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/ricklarson/40mmphotos/large/Pict0296.jpg

No shit! Wow - I've never seen one of those - thanks for the pics!

Not to doubt, but are you sure that wasn't a later innovation? Very cool no matter what. Technically though what you show would be a bottom sling adapter wouldn't it? Do you have a pic of it on a weapon? I really need to get a copy of TBR 1 & 2...

Posted: 6/25/2011 5:58:29 AM EDT

[#21]

http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=123&t=329776

http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=123&t=415386

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Posted: 6/25/2011 6:32:12 AM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
I need to take a new pic of mine since it's completed....

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff36/jeremy2171/Launcher/guns005.jpg

Please do!

Posted: 6/25/2011 7:10:28 AM EDT

[#23]

So looking at that pic, did the bayo lug end up on top ala AR10?

Posted: 6/25/2011 7:16:41 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
So looking at that pic, did the bayo lug end up on top ala AR10?

I would think on the side just like a normal side sling swivel.

Posted: 6/25/2011 8:13:04 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=123&t=329776quote]

Getting old. I'd forgotten I posted those photos earlier so thanks for the Archive link. Here's a photo from the ACTIV test report showing the side swivel mounted with the XM203. Apparently they felt the side swivel interferred with the normal operations of the grenade launcher right from the start. They equipped the rifles with the wire loop top swivel sling kits as shown and noted in the text this was the preferred sling configuration. I haven't noticed them lately, but these top swivel kits used to be around the gun shows by the boxload, still sealed in the plastic wrappers, for a few bucks each.

I thought there was a photo in the report showing a rifle with the bayonet mounted but that wasn't the case. That means the photo is from some other official Govt. publication in my files. Just can't find it at the moment.