24/7 Wall St. Insights
- We used data from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, arms, and aircraft.
- One weapons system that would revolutionize the world of small arms is the BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2, which is an anti-tank-guided missile system.
- Also, 2 Dividend Legends To Hold Forever
During the 1970s, the United States was involved in two slow-burning conflicts, the Vietnam War and the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In 1973, after slogging through a decade of a costly, divisive, and ever-intensifying conflict in Vietnam, U.S. combat troops left the country. With the fall of Saigon in April 1975, the government made its exit from the Southeast Asian jungles. They would then turn their attention to the Soviet Union. Special task forces were set up to monitor countries like the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, and Iran for potential threats to democracy.
These changes ushered in a new era of the U.S. military. While this was true for all the higher-ups in a broad sense, the average American soldier would also see a new generation of weapons come to light. A new generation of weapons, including modern designs like the M14 and the M16, would go on to impact how U.S. soldiers were equipped for decades to come. These were the American-made guns of the 1970s.
To identify American guns introduced in the 1970s, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of small arms from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, arms, and aircraft. We ordered these guns alphabetically. Though these guns were developed in the 70s, it is important to note some of them were not used by the military until years later. We included supplemental information regarding the type of small arm, year introduced, manufacturer, firing action, caliber, and feed.
This post was updated to clarify military usage, BGM-71 TOW range, and the Vietnam/U.S. timeline.Â
Why Is This Important?
One weapons system that would revolutionize the world of small arms is the BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2, which is an anti-tank-guided missile system. Introduced in 1970, it would go on to be one of the most pervasive anti-tank weapons systems in the world. With 127mm or 152mm missiles, the original was capable of hitting targets up to 9,800 feet away, while the TOW 2 extended the range to roughly 14,800 feet. The TOW has been outfitted to a number of military vehicles as well as attack helicopters due to its operational effectiveness. It can also be fired by infantry units as well, but these require a tripod.
There are a number of other revolutionary weapons that came from this decade that would go on to influence small arms for years to come.
Here is a look at the American guns introduced in the 1970s:
AMT Hardballer
- Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Year introduced: 1977
- Manufacturer: Arcadia Machine & Tool / Galena Industries
- Firing action: Semi-automatic, short-recoil, locked breech
- Caliber and feed .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .400 Corbon; 7- or 8-round box magazine
BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2
- Type: Anti-tank guided missile system
- Year introduced: 1970
- Manufacturer: Hughes Aircraft / Raytheon
- Firing action: Tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided
- Caliber and feed 127mm, 152mm; Single-shot, reusable
Bushmaster Arm Pistol
- Type: Bullpup personal defense weapon
- Year introduced: 1977
- Manufacturer: Bushmaster Firearms
- Firing action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt, long-stroke gas piston
- Caliber and feed 5.56x45mm NATO; 20-round detachable box magazine
Colt IMP (Individual Multipurpose Weapon)
- Type: Aircrew survival weapon
- Year introduced: 1972
- Manufacturer: Colt Defense
- Firing action: Automatic fire
- Caliber and feed .221-17 IMP; 10- or 30-round detachable box magazine
Ingram MAC-10 (M10)
- Type: Submachine gun
- Year introduced: 1970
- Manufacturer: Military Armament Corporation
- Firing action: Blowback-operation, full-automatic fire
- Caliber and feed .45 ACP, 9x19mm Parabellum, .380 ACP; 30- or 32-round detachable box magazine
M202 FLASH (Flame Assault Shoulder Weapon)
- Type: Shoulder-fired incendiary rocket launcher
- Year introduced: 1978
- Manufacturer: Designed by Hughes Aircraft, produced by Chrysler’s Missile Division
- Firing action: Trigger-actuated
- Caliber and feed 66mm; Four-shot, reusable launcher
M240
- Type: Medium machine gun
- Year introduced: 1977
- Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale
- Firing action: Gas-operated, open bolt, belt-fed, full-automatic
- Caliber and feed 7.62x51mm NATO; Disintegrating metal link feed of various counts
M47 Dragon
- Type: Portable wire-guided anti-tank missile system
- Year introduced: 1975
- Manufacturer: Raytheon / McDonnell Douglas
- Firing action: Line-of-sight, hollow charge
- Caliber and feed 140mm; Single-shot, single use
Mini-14
- Type: Semi-automatic, self-loading rifle
- Year introduced: 1973
- Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger & Company
- Firing action: Gas-actuated, rotating bolt, semi-automatic
- Caliber and feed .223 Remington, 5.56x45mm NATO, 7.62x39mm, 6.8mm Remington SPC, .300 Blackout; 5-, 10-, 20-, or 30-round detachable box magazine
Mossberg Model 590
- Type: Pump-action shotgun
- Year introduced: 1975
- Manufacturer: Mossberg
- Firing action: Pump-action slide
- Caliber and feed 12-gauge; 6-, 8-, or 9-round tubular magazine
Winchester Model 1300
- Type: Slide-action shotgun
- Year introduced: 1978
- Manufacturer: Winchester Repeating Arms
- Firing action: Rotary bolt-action pump
- Caliber and feed 12-gauge, 20-gauge; 4-, 5-, 7- or 8-shot tubular magazine
The post This 1970s Era Missile Is Still Being Used Today to Deadly Effect appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Jenn Boozer
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://247wallst.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
