The last M79s managed to survive into the 21st century, seeing use as recently as Operation Iraqi Freedom, but the M203 usurped them as America’s grenade launcher of choice. Troops took to calling the break-action launcher the “platoon leader’s artillery.” Both the M203 and the M79 were used by US troops for the remainder of the war. The M79 could hurl grenades farther than the M7 and handle a wider variety of munitions.īy 1969, the first M203s were fielded in Vietnam and used to great effect. It quickly won over US troops for its simplicity and devastating firepower. Rather than an attachment fixed to the muzzle of a rifle, the M79 was a stand-alone weapon. In 1961, the US Army began fielding the M79 grenade launcher. However, the M7 temporarily rendered a rifle incapable of firing bullets when it was attached to the weapon. The M7 could fire hand grenades up to 200 meters, a significant upgrade from the launchers of WWI. Improved grenade launchers like the American M7, designed to attach to the end of the M1 Garand, were used during World War II and the Korean War. During World War I, however, armies realized they needed more ways to strike enemy targets concealed in trenches. Though effective, the weapons were not widely used back then. Related: Upgraded Carl Gustaf Becomes US Army’s Boom Stick of Choice Where Did the M203 Come From?Įarly versions of grenade launchers were fielded in the 18th century, when flintlock muskets used blank charges to launch small grenades. And the thunderous explosion that follows has a magical way of swiftly changing the tide of a gunfight. When it’s fired, the unmistakable “bloop” sound tickles the soul. It can fire a variety of rounds, including high-explosive, smoke, and even buckshot grenades.Ĭracking open the breech and loading the launcher feels reminiscent of stuffing shells into your grandfather’s old double-barrel shotgun. It shoots 40 mm grenades up to 400 meters and can attach underneath standard military rifles such as the M16 and M4. The M203 grenade launcher is a breech-loading, single-shot, indirect fire weapon. But by the time movie stars were using it, the M203 already had more than a decade of real-world experience. The M203 has been a widely recognizable weapon ever since Al Pacino uttered, “Say hello to my little friend.” Four years after Pacino hip-fired the grenade launcher in Scarface, Arnold Schwarzenegger wielded it against Predator. Related: The Gear They Carried: The Equipment of MACV-SOG What Exactly Is the M203 Capable Of? So before it completely vanishes from the US military arsenal, let’s revisit the reliable rifle attachment and explore why and how it became the infantry’s best “little friend.” Today, the beloved launcher is going the way of the dodo bird - in fact, it will soon be entirely replaced by new indirect fire weapons. Before that, it served in every major American conflict since the Vietnam War. That single shot explosive launcher continued development over the years, and is now the well known M203 grenade launcher.An iconic weapon, the M203 grenade launcher saw extensive use in Afghanistan and Iraq. Right then the gunfire quieted, Bradford has hit them dead on. While the mortars attempted to get into position, his company yelled to him over the sound of the ambush “The ambush position is about 250 meters up this hill to the right…See what you can do about that.” Without question Bradford slithered into position, raising the barrel and firing off two successive shots. He ended up in the 4th Infantry Division due to the whims of fate and the mysterious workings of the Army administrative structure, where he and his company came under heavy enemy fire during an ambush. He could hit a target 200m with the M79 Grenade launcher. In 1968, there was nothing particularly unique about being a youthful draftee, however draftee Lamar Bradford possessed an odd talent. History of the M79 40mm Grenade Launcher, or “Buster.
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