Rifle grenade
A
rifle grenade is a form of
grenade that utilizes a
rifle as a launch mechanism to increase the effective range of the grenade. The idea was first developed in
World War I and continues to this day. Many armies have replaced rifle grenades with dedicated grenade launchers. However the modern rifle grenade remains arguably a more effective weapon than the grenade launcher because:
* Rifle grenade warheads are larger (and thus more effective) than typical grenade launcher rounds; and,
* A modern rifle grenade is "bullet trap", meaning it can be fired from any field service rifle, thus making virtually any soldier into a "grenadier" at the drop of hat, whereas grenade launcher rounds can only be fired from grenade launchers. (which also adds the burden of the launcher to the service-member's load [and in the case of under-barrel grenade launchers to his primary weapon as well]).
Rifle grenades have primarily used three different launching mechanisms:
*A stick that fitted down the interior of the rifle
barrel;
*A cup or special adapter that fitted on the end of the rifle muzzle;
*A bullet-trap, which enables the weapon to be be quickly fitted to the muzzle of a standard issue service rifle.
For the former, a
blank cartridge was used. When fired, it propelled both the stick and the grenade. It was found that repeated use of a rifle for launching grenades by this method caused damage to the barrel, which is what lead to the cup/adapter technique. The original cup/adapter design used a blank cartridge that needed to be loaded at the same time as the rifle grenade (with predictable difficulty in the midst of combat). This lead to the modern concept of the "bullet trap" rifle grenade - this grenade permitted the passage of a standard bullet from the rifle's standard round through the grenade, thus obviating the need for a special blank round to be loaded to launch. In all cases, it was the gas that launched the grenade, with the round being trapped within the grenade in the final method.
Rifle grenades can be of any type as the more conventional
hand grenades. However, two types predominate â€"
fragmentation grenades, for use against personnel; and
shaped charge for armoured vehicles. Rifle grenades may be time-
fused, so that they
detonate at a fixed time after firing, or impact-fused, so they detonate upon impact. Generally, antipersonnel grenades would be time-fused, and anti-armour grenades would be impact-fused.
Often, special sights that attach onto the rifle to provide aiming for the grenade's particular
ballistics are employed. Since rifle grenades usually travel at low velocities with very high trajectories, their range is measured in tens of
yards (
meters). The maximum range of most rifle grenades was about 200 yards (180 meters). Rifle grenades are often fired at angles greater than 45
degrees, allowing them to drop down at steep angles to enter trenches, or to hit targets behind cover; the steep angle also increased the time of flight, to give the fuse more time to burn, so it would detonate as soon as possible after reaching the target. Firing at lower angles was useful for placing grenades through windows or other vertical openings.
Rifle grenades were common during
World War II, but by the late
1970s they were largely replaced by designated
grenade launchers. These grenade launchers generally took form of independent firearms (such as the
M79 grenade launcher), or as an attachment to an
assault rifle (the most common example being the
M203 attached to
M16/
M4-family of rifles).
Today, there is a return to the concept of the rifle grenade, such as the M16's
SIMON breach grenade and the
IMI Tavor's "Rephaim" advance grenade. Modern combination doctrine designates a certain percentage of
grenadiers, or soldiers equipped with a grenade launcher or combination rifle/grenade launcher. The criticism of this doctrine is that if the grenadiers in a group are disabled or separated from the group, then the group has completely lost the grenade launcher as a heavy fire support. With rifle grenades, each soldier would be equipped with a small number of grenades, so every individual soldier could utilize some form of heavy firepower.
Today, the use of rifle grenades are rare except as a rifle attachment.
In almost all countries, grenades are illegal for civilian ownership, though dummies (inert grenades with no fuse, detonator or explosives) are usually legal.
In the
United States, rifle grenades are covered under the
National Firearms Act as "
destructive devices". A civilian could legally own a grenade in theory, but the requirement of a
police chief's signature often makes owning such items legally all but impossible.
Rifle grenade launchers are not subject to the National Firearms Act, although stand-alone grenade launchers may be, and rifle grenade launchers may be regulated by local law.
*http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/graphics/serbiangrenade.jpg
