M17 rifle grenade

M17 rifle grenade
Type Impact-fused rifle grenade
Place of origin  United States
Service history
In service 1941-1944
Used by United States
Wars World War II
Specifications
Weight 667g[1]
Length 248mm[1]
Diameter 57mm[1]

Filling TNT or EC powder
Filling weight 22g[1]
Detonation
mechanism
Impact Fuse

The M17 (also known as the T2 grenade[2] ) is a rifle grenade used by the United States during World War II.

Overview

The M17 consists of two major parts, the warhead and the launch adapter. The warhead is a Mk 2 grenade's body, while the adapter has an impact fuse at the end of it. The warhead can be easily screwed into the adapter.[2]

Firing

Once the warhead is screwed in, the M17 is fitted onto a grenade launcher adapter, such as the M7 grenade launcher. A special blank .30-06 cartridge is inserted into the rifle, then fired.

Note that the M17 will not explode if it lands on sand, water or mud; only solid ground will cause it to detonate.[2]

History

Adoption

The M17 was adopted in 1941. It was the United States' primary anti-personnel rifle grenade during the early parts of World War II.[3]

Obsolete

By the middle of 1944, the M17 had been declared obsolete. It was replaced by the M1 Grenade Projection Adapter,[3] which allowed a standard grenade to be converted into a rifle grenade.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.