m79

Last crawled date: 3 years, 2 months ago

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. Because of its distinctive report, it has earned the nicknames of 'Thumper', 'Thump-Gun', 'Bloop Tube', 'Big Ed', and 'Blooper' among American soldiers as well as 'Can Cannon' in reference to the grenade size;1] Australian units referred to it as the 'Wombat Gun'.2] 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 M203,3] the M79 has remained in service in many units worldwide in niche roles.