Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Dominican Civil War[1] Communist Insurgency War The Troubles Operation Marajoara[2] Lebanese Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War[3] Salvadoran Civil War Falklands War Bougainville Civil War Afghan War Iraq War Cambodian–Thai border dispute 2010 Burma border clashes Syrian Civil War Battle of Marawi
Production history
Designer
Springfield Armory
Designed
1953–1960
Manufacturer
Springfield Armory, Action Manufacturing Company, Kanarr Corporation,[4] and Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge
Produced
1961–1971 (U.S.)
No. built
350,000 (U.S. only)
Specifications
Mass
2.93 kg (6.45 lb) loaded 2.7 kg (5.95 lb) empty
Length
73.1 cm (28.78 in)
Barrel length
36.83 cm (14.5 in)
Cartridge
40×46mm grenade
Action
Break-action
Rate of fire
Depends on the speed of the operator
Muzzle velocity
76 m/s (247 ft/s)
Effective firing range
350 m (383 yd)
Maximum firing range
400 m (437 yd)
Feed system
Breech-loaded
Sights
Blade and leaf type
The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40×46mm grenade, which uses what the US Army calls the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War. Its distinctive report has earned it colorful nicknames, such as "Thumper", "Thump-Gun", "Bloop Tube", "Big Ed", "Elephant Gun", and "Blooper" among American soldiers[5] as well as "Can Cannon" in reference to the grenade size; Australian units referred to it as the "Wombat Gun".[6] The M79 can fire a wide variety of 40 mm rounds, including explosive, anti-personnel, smoke, buckshot, flechette (pointed steel projectiles with a vaned tail for stable flight), and illumination. While largely replaced by the M203,[7] the M79 has remained in service in many units worldwide in niche roles.
^Yates, Lawrence A. (July 1988). Power Pack: U.S. Intervention in the Dominican Republic, 1965-1966(PDF). Leavenworth Papers, Number 15. United States Army Command and General Staff College. p. 123.
^"GUERRILHA E CONTRA-GUERRILHA NO ARAGUAIA". Archived from the original on 2021-06-19.
^"浴火重生——对越自卫反击战对我国轻武器发展的影响". 23 Sep 2014. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved 5 Aug 2022.
^"Kanarr Corporation v. the United States, 413 F.2d 1143 (Ct. Cl. 1969)". Justia.
^Variations:
"Blooper" and "Thumper", according to Rottman, Gordon L. (2005). US Army Infantryman in Vietnam 1965–73. Osprey. pp. 31. ISBN 1-84176-887-1.
"Thumper", "Blooper Gun", "Thump Gun" and "Bloop Tube" in Clark, Gregory R. (1990). Words of the Vietnam War. McFarland. p. 303. ISBN 0-89950-465-5.
Also "Elephant Gun", etc. Rottman, Gordon L. (21 September 2017). US Grenade Launchers: M79, M203, and M320. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472819536 – via Google Books.
^McKay, Gary (1998). Delta Four: Australian Riflemen in Vietnam. Allen & Unwin. p. 293. ISBN 1-86448-905-7.
^"M203 40mm Grenade Launcher". Archived from the original on January 7, 2008.
and 23 Related for: M79 grenade launcher information
The M79grenadelauncher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenadelauncher that fires a 40×46mm grenade, which uses what the US Army calls...
a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenadelauncher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil...
examples of a dedicated breech-loading launcher for unitary explosive grenade rounds was the M79grenadelauncher, a result of the American Special Purpose...
United States Navy SEALs. The M79 and XM148 grenadelaunchers were single-shot, and the repeating T148E1 grenadelauncher was unreliable, so a request...
An automatic grenadelauncher (AGL) or grenade machine gun is a grenadelauncher that is capable of fully automatic fire, and is typically loaded with...
ability to act as a stand-alone launcher, a feature included in response to troops re-acquiring Vietnam-era M79grenadelaunchers that supposedly gave better...
The Mk 19 grenadelauncher (pronounced Mark 19) is an American 40 mm belt-fed automatic grenadelauncher that was first developed during the Vietnam War...
A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade were thrown by hand...
experimental 40 mm grenadelauncher developed by Colt Firearms as the CGL-4 (Colt GrenadeLauncher). Colt manufactured the launcher for field testing during...
XM174 is a mounted automatic 40mm grenadelauncher heavily based on the M1919A4 machine gun and the M79grenadelauncher, but fed from an ammo can. It was...
in the constellation Lepus M79grenadelauncher, an American grenadelauncherM79 rocket launcher, a Yugoslav rocket launcher M-79 (Michigan highway), a...
shotgun shells. Single-shot large bore launchers, such as the Milkor 37/38mm and 40mm Stopper, M79grenadelauncher, ARWEN ACE, and RGS-50M, are generally...
as well as thick vegetation at 885 ft/s (269 m/s). When the 40mm M79grenadelauncher was first developed, the weapon was to be the primary weapon of the...
The M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States military. The M67 is a further development of the M33 grenade, itself a replacement...
imaging devices. Older cartridges designed specifically for the M79grenadelauncher or the AN/M8 pyrotechnic pistol also remain in inventory. The XM675/M675...
under-barrel 40 mm grenadelaunchers, such as the M203 and M320. Both use the same 40×46mm LV grenades as the older, stand-alone M79grenadelauncher. The M16 can...
armour are exploited. The launcher and projectile are manufactured prepacked and issued as one unit of ammunition, with the launcher discarded after one use...
Home-made grenades and IEDs F1 grenade (Chinese Type 1) M29 grenade – captured M79grenadelauncher – captured from US or ARVN forces RG-42 grenade (Chinese...
hand-grenade into a rifle grenade. It supplanted the M17 rifle grenade, and was eventually made obsolete by the 40 mm M79grenadelauncher. The M1 grenade...
Global Information