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Ordnance, Explosives, and Related Items

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US Cartridge, 40mm HE, M406

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Description

This cartridge is a high explosive round designed to inflict personnel casualties using ground burst effect, and is fired from 40mm Grenade Launchers M79 or M203 (attached to the M16 series rifle).

This cartridge is a fixed round of ammunition consisting of an aluminum projectile body with a rotating band and a cartridge case assembly containing the propelling charge and percussion primer. A hollow aluminum ogive is fitted to the front end of the projectile. A steel ball assembly containing a booster charge and a bursting charge is fitted in the rear end of the projectile. A PD fuze assembly is threaded into the front opening of the ball assembly. The projectile assembly is press fitted into a cartridge case. The case is a hollow bi chambered aluminum cylinder with an annealed brass propellant cup assembly fitted into the center of the cartridge base. The cup contains the propelling charge and a percussion primer in the center. It acts as a high pressure chamber while the hollow cavity in the case, which surrounds 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

PD, M551

Source(s)

TM 43-0001-28, Artillery Ammunition (chg 11, 2003)

TM 9-1385-51, Ammunition (Conventional) for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (1967)