22 mm grenade
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A 22 mm rifle grenade is inserted over the firing mechanism on the front of rifles that are equipped with the appropriate spigot-type launcher, either in the form of an integral
This measurement practice differs from
Usage
To fire the grenade, firstly a special blank cartridge is loaded into the weapon. There is often some sort of cutoff device on gas operated rifles that can be engaged to disable the gas piston, both to eliminate the possibility of a live round chambering itself, and to prevent any of the gas being tapped off, which might affect the accuracy and range of the grenade.
The tail of the grenade is slipped over the muzzle attachment, where it indexes itself so the aiming mark is on the top. The rifle is lined up with the target, butt to the ground, and held to the proper angle to ensure the correct ballistic trajectory, a skill which must be learned in training. This can be done by eye, but some rifles, such as the
The trigger is then pulled and the high-velocity gases rush down the barrel. The gas is slowed by the obstructing grenade, and the low-pressure, high-velocity gas transforms into low-velocity, high-pressure gas very rapidly, which forces the grenade off the launcher at a relatively high speed, whereupon it follows a ballistic arc to the target.
A rifle grenade cannot be easily or safely fired directly at a target, and is always used for indirect fire; the closer the target, the higher the angle the rifle is held, much like a mortar.
Adoption
The first rifles to utilize the 22 mm grenade were the American
Two non-NATO members, Yugoslavia and Spain, adopted locally-manufactured rifles, such as the
References
- ^ "INF 401/2 RÈGLEMENT SUR L'ARMEMENT DE L'INFANTERIE - DEUXIÈME PARTIE LES MUNITIONS - TITRE V LES GRENADES A FUSIL" [INF 401/2 Infantry Weapons Regulation - Second Part the Munitions - Title V the Rifle Grenades] (PDF). lexpev.nl (in French). 1966. pp. 34–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
- ^ "Gevaergranatutskytningsror Mauser K98k" [Rifle Grenade Launcher Mauser K98k]. digitaltmuseum.no (in Norwegian). 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2024-01-21.