M-1956 Load-Carrying Equipment - Modifications

Modifications

New weapons and field experience led to a few minor changes in the basic M1956 equipment during the 1960s. In 1961 an experimental quick release pistol belt (known also as the Davis belt) identical to the previous but with a stamped metal buckle in which a bent tab fit through a slot, and remained closed through friction, was brought into limited service, but never replaced the previous belt by any means. In 1961 some minor changes were made to the Field Pack to make it more practical for field use. The resulting M1961 Field Pack was essentially similar to the M1956 model, but made use of a skirted flap instead of a square one, and incorporated eyelets along the skirt for equipment attachment. It also added a long internal rubber-coated collar to the pack's opening in an attempt to better keep the contents dry. In 1965, slightly modified Small Arms Ammunition Cases came into service to coincide with the adoption of M16 rifle. Four of the 20-round 5.56 mm magazines fit snugly into the M1956-pattern cases, but their shorter size meant a void space at the top of the case which was too small to be useful for anything else. As a result, cases were produced in 1965 and 66, identical to the M1956 patterns but slightly shorter. By this point the M16 had been accepted for general issue, replacing the M14s as well as M1 Garands, M1/2 Carbines, M1918 BARs, and SMGs still in service, so the general purpose nature of these cases was no longer essential. These cases did not necessarily fully replace the M1956 pattern but were issued alongside them.