Description
This cartridge is a high explosive round designed to inflict personnel casualties from ground burst effect and is fired from 40mm Grenade Launcher M79 and M203 (attached to the M16 series rifle).
The cartridge is a fixed round of ammunition consisting of an aluminum projectile body with a rotating band, and cartridge case containing the propelling charge and percussion primer, a steel ball shaped assembly containing the high explosive charge is fitted into the rear of the projectile. The ball assembly has an open well on the forward side. A PD fuze with booster charge is threaded into the well. The fuze is covered by an aluminum ogive forming the nose of the projectile. The projectile body is press-fitted into the cartridge case. The case is a bi chambered aluminum cylinder with an annealed brass propellant cup fitted into the center of the base. The cup contains the propelling charge and the percussion primer is fitted in the center. The cup acts as a high pressure chamber while the cavity in the case surrounding the cup acts as a low pressure chamber.
Hazardous Components
Filler - Composition B (32 g, 1.14 oz)
Propelling charge - M118 cartridge case, M42 FED 100 percussion primer, M9 propellant (330 mg)
See Also
Nothing else to see.
Source(s)
TM 43-0001-28, Artillery Ammunition (chg 11, 2003)
