40mm shotgun
- Thread starter trol79
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Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
Nope, never fired an M79. Here's some pictures of the round though- http://cartridgecollectors.org/cmo/cmo09sep.htm .
And the Wikipedia article on the round- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M576_40mm_grenade . Note the low muzzle velocity reported in the article- even low recoil conventional buckshot loads have a MV of around 1100fps. The M79 round has a high pressure chamber that vents propellant gasses via blow-out type vents into a low pressure cartridge case, thus the lack of velocity. Note the pictures in the first link.
The lack of velocity resulted in decreased effective range and penetration ability- the 40mm buckshot rounds reportedly did not work as well as conventional 12 gauge buckshot rounds. See http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090095187 for more info.
The original attempt to get some close-range defensive use out of the M79 involved an experimental 12 gauge subcaliber adaptor from Frankford Arsenal. This experimental adapter extended the full length of the M79 barrel- it worked well but was awkward in combat, as it was a single shot and also required removal of the subcaliber device to fire the 40mm grenades the launcher was designed for. There's a modern subcaliber adapter available, pictured at http://www.mr40mm.com/index_files/Page712.htm that's just chamber length.
hth,
lpl
And the Wikipedia article on the round- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M576_40mm_grenade . Note the low muzzle velocity reported in the article- even low recoil conventional buckshot loads have a MV of around 1100fps. The M79 round has a high pressure chamber that vents propellant gasses via blow-out type vents into a low pressure cartridge case, thus the lack of velocity. Note the pictures in the first link.
The lack of velocity resulted in decreased effective range and penetration ability- the 40mm buckshot rounds reportedly did not work as well as conventional 12 gauge buckshot rounds. See http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090095187 for more info.
The original attempt to get some close-range defensive use out of the M79 involved an experimental 12 gauge subcaliber adaptor from Frankford Arsenal. This experimental adapter extended the full length of the M79 barrel- it worked well but was awkward in combat, as it was a single shot and also required removal of the subcaliber device to fire the 40mm grenades the launcher was designed for. There's a modern subcaliber adapter available, pictured at http://www.mr40mm.com/index_files/Page712.htm that's just chamber length.
hth,
lpl
ReloaderFred
Member
I've fired both the solid projectile grenades and bee hive rounds through the M79 Grenade Launcher. It's a fully rifled barrel and the bee hive rounds spread like bees chased out of the hive. It was more of a cloud than a pattern.
The grenade on the other hand was very accurate. With practice, you could lob one through a B-27 silhouette target at 300 yards with regularity.
Great grenade launcher, but poor "shotgun".
Hope this helps.
Fred
The grenade on the other hand was very accurate. With practice, you could lob one through a B-27 silhouette target at 300 yards with regularity.
Great grenade launcher, but poor "shotgun".
Hope this helps.
Fred
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