M79 (grenade launcher)
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The M79 grenade launcher , also known colloquially as Thumper , Thump-Gun , Bloop Tube or Blooper because of its special muzzle sound , was introduced to the US Army in 1961 . It is a shoulder-supported system for firing 40mm grenades and should cover the gap between 50m (the maximum throwing range of hand grenades ) and 300m (the minimum distance from mortar fire ). The M79 has a rifled barrel which causes the grenades to rotate when they are fired, thus stabilizing their trajectory. The piston has a rubber pad to dampen the recoil.
development
Development of the M79 began in 1951 when the US military recognized the need for a weapon to bridge the gap between the maximum throwing range of a hand grenade and the minimum firing range of a mortar . In 1953 the 40mm grenade was developed at the Picatinny Arsenal . These grenades were launched from modified rifle grenade launchers . In 1960 the first prototype of the M79 grenade launcher was presented, a single-shot launcher that was loaded from behind by folding down the barrel, similar to a break-barrel shotgun . This weapon entered service with the US Army in 1961 and was particularly popular during the Vietnam War . The disadvantage of the weapon was that the shooter still had to carry a second firearm (usually a pistol ) with him. The result was the development of the M203 grenade launcher .
Technical data M79 grenade launcher
- Caliber : 40 mm
- Function: einzelschüssige, shoulder-weapon Kipplaufverschluss to fire small shells
- Length: 73.7 cm
- Barrel length: 35.5 cm
- Weight: 2720 g (unloaded), 2950 g (loaded)
- Muzzle velocity : 76 m / s
- Range: 150 m (point fire), 350 m (area fire)
Types of ammunition
- Tear gas
- Smoke / fog
- Explosive grenades (HE)
- Fragmentation grenades
- armor piercing shells (AP)
- Flares for battlefield lighting
- Signal flares
- Training grenades
literature
Günter Wollert, Reiner Lidschun, Wilfried Copenhagen : Rifles today (1945–1985) . In: Illustrated encyclopedia of rifles from around the world . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-89488-059-7 , p. 469 f .
