M79: The Iconic "Bloop Tube" 40mm Grenade Launcher
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Published 2020-12-04
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Combat experience with the bazooka rocket launcher in World War Two and its larger versions in the Korean War convinced the US military that a better weapon was needed to give front-line troops a direct-fire way to attack enemy strong points. The bazooka was bulky, not particularly accurate, and created a lot of backlist signature when fired. This led to a multi-part development effort involving design of a small grenade body, reliable but cheap fusing system, and a cartridge design that could launch it.
The result was the 40x46mm grenade. It uses a "high-low" system (originally developed by Rheinmetall during World War Two) in which a powder charge is fired in a small compartment within the cartridge case. The initial pressure in this compartment is some 35,000 psi, which is plenty high to ensure complete and repeatable powder burn. At peak pressure, the internal compartment ruptures, allowing the propellant gasses to expand into the full case volume, which lowers the pressure to about 3,000 psi. This lower pressure is safe to use with an aluminum barrel, and propels the grenade at about 250 fps, giving it a range of about 400 yards without generating excessive recoil.
The M79 proved to be very accurate and reliable. It's downside was the need for a grenadier to carry a backup sidearm, as the M79 could not be used at close range. Almost as soon as it was introduced, work began on developing a launcher which could be attached to the M16 service rifle. This would first be the XM-148, and then ultimately the M203 that would replace the M79 in service. M79 launchers can still be found all over the world, however, as they are robust and reliable.
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All Comments (21)
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The US Military just love their shotguns. Even when they make a grenade launcher they still make it a shotgun.
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I really wish I had Ian's dark and mysterious ability to summon rare and exotic weapons from his crotch.
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Only Ian would do a video about the M79 whilst hiding a china lake on his lap the entire video.
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"There's two parts to the gun: the bloop, and the tube"
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I first read this as "The Iconic Noob Tube" and couldn't believe the crossover reference, before I realized I was just dumb instead.
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WHAT MAKES ME A GOOD DEMOMAN ?!
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"They experimented with multi barrel versions" so what you're saying is that somewhere in a long forgotten basement in a forlorn government warehouse there exists a real life loch and load from tf2?
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The M79 has so many nicknames. One of my friends has a video of him using a M79 (he called it the "blooper") in vietnam. Apparantly someone was filming his unit when they were attacking a building full of enemy soldiers. The cameraman got a shot of my friend shooting a grenade into a window high up on the building (2nd or 3rd story), the grenade goes off, and a body flies back out the window. The crazy thing is that my friend didn't know he was being filmed, and found the footage while watching history channel. It was like "Hey, that guy looks like me. Hey, that IS me!"
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Ian just casually busting out one of the only China Lake launchers at the end, cause that's how he do
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When your personal entry code doesn't work: "Let me try mine."
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I loved my M-79. Just couldn't think of a way to sneak it home after Vietnam
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Ian's pull-out-from-under-the-table game is too strong.
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We had an 'incident' in the persian gulf on a MEU in the mid 90's and everyone on the ship was scrambling at the armory to get armed up. As a marine I had no idea what the navy actually had, so I was both shocked and enthralled when they started handing out M79 launchers through the armory window to sailors. I was like 'whoahhh' and I suddenly heard a half dozen vietnam era CCR songs in my head. I was jealous of the navy that day.
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"Hey soldier, do you know who's in command here?" "Yeah"
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When I carried the blooper on night patrols I inserted a bee hive round which had a multitude of tiny arrows for close range in counters. The M-79 was a great weapon.
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My father was a Combat Engineer in Vietnam. He had the standard M16, the standard .45 1911, and one of these. He never fired it except at the range, which he claimed was some of the most fun he had ever had.
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Best weapon to defend a bridge outpost while stoned outta your mind. RIP Roach
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"From Bloop to Brrt" Ian can use that for his next book title.
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I was in the infantry in the mid-60s, and we had these. I was a medic, and “supported” the training ranges. We took a platoon out to the M79 range and on arrival, we saw one of those big German bunny rabbits out grazing on the range. The Captain said, “give me a gun!” and proceeded to fire a round at the bunny. The critter looked up, hopped a few feet, and started grazing again. The officer fired about 5 rounds at the bunny, never so much as ruffling a hair, and finally the bunny hopped off into the surrounding wood. No one was very impressed.....
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One of my favorite scenes from "Apocalypse Now" : "He's close Man, real close". I thought the M79 was a replacement for rifle grenades and the LAW was the replacement for the Bazooka.
