1903 expert question?????

what are these and what did they do?? This is a Atwood photo taken at Aberdeen Proving Grounds 8-17-1944Attachment 24426

At first I thought they vwere Mann test M1903s, but a closer look leads me to believe they were something else. It looks like shotgun shells on the ground. No idea ... but will be interested in finding out.

Good eye Rick. It's difficult to tell, but I wonder if those are more the size of flares or something?

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...to1Large-1.jpg

Being it was taken at Aberdeen Proving Grounds maybe they were experimenting with something that never went into production (?)

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...opyLarge-1.jpg

The muzzles are much larger than 12 ga.; perhaps 1". The "barrel" looks as if it is attached about where the fixed rear sight base ends, well ahead of where the .30-06 chamber ends. The collar suggests the 1" barrel is threaded on to the .30-06 barrel and perhaps unscrews to load one of the "shotshells". Perhaps the shotshell would launch something else out of the barrel like some sort of large diameter mortar bomb or a flare

I was wondering about that too Kirk. Possibly a line throwing gun or something to launch some type of ordinance (?) To the right of the 'shells' there looks to be some kind of projectile (?)
If that base is part of the weapon it would most likely have to be used in a fixed location.

It'll probably be funny about our suppositions when someone knowledgeable about this thing explains what it is.

guys, I am asking cause I am clueless. I was looking for Ogram and Atwood when I saw the odd guns. I looked thru brophys book and poyers and did search on SA research page but unless you know name of is tough find. I never noticed the things as were at the feet of the group foto of 50 or so military personell and advisors at APG

They look to be something like the German grenades that launched from everything from a rifle launcher to the flare guns. I wouldn't put it past Aberdeen to try something like this.

Aberdeen P.G. has a museum. Email the picture to the curator and you'll likely get an informed answer. Call 410-278-3602 for the correct email address.

I did its in process of being moved to Ft Lee, and FT Lee is advertising for a curator.

speculation by me it is a attempt to copy this GermanAttachment 24431 thing--31 lb grenade launcher

I have seen K 98 rifles cut down by the Russians to launch Rifle Grenades. Could this have been an exploratory platform to do the same using obsolete equipment?? :madsmile:

I have seen these before they are o3s changed to fixed launchers for VB ( Viven & bessiere ) grenades.

Too small for vb grenades. I'm going to go with a rifle / mortar hybrid. It looks to be smaller ID than 2 fingers but bigger than one , so between 37mm and 25mm. The German rifle grenade is 30mm , and this looks about the same. The support has a turnbuckle made in , but no sights , levels , etc. , so one would suppose that it was a relatively short range weapon . There was prob'ly a hinge at the bottom and 1/2 to 1/4 turns on the turnbuckle would make for some fine adjustments. The use of a grenade launching cartridge would also support short range. A sand bag or board weighted with sandbags ( or a couple of kneeling GIs ) would make it stable . Light , fast , handy , able to unleash a flurry of small bombs into a trench line , MG nest , or behind a wall , building , or boulder . That's my take , anyway. Became a dead end with the development of the 60mm and 81mm mortars with thier greater range and payloads and the spigot rifle grenades with prob'ly the same abilities in a smaller package.
Chris

The rifles are Navy Line-Throwing rifles.

Hope this helps.

J.B.