PIAT Anti-Tank Weapon

[Flying10uk]

Information

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[Gil Boyd]

Really bloody heavy piece of military kit without the bombs. We have one at the museum which we cart out for visits of young Paratroopers......they can't believe how awkward they are!

[GeeRam]

Really bloody heavy piece of military kit without the bombs. We have one at the musuem which we cart out for visits of young Paratroopers......they can't believe how awkward they are!

Then put them in itchy BD, some crunchy boots and uncomfortable '37 Patt webbing and then lug the bloody things around...........and that's before you try cocking the bloody thing

[Flying10uk]

I thought that the video made a good attempt of explaining how the PIAT works. I've heard of people complaining about that really strong heavy spring that has to be compressed before firing but I've thought to myself that surely the projectile isn't propelled by spring power alone, as some people seem to suggest.

[GeeRam]

I've heard of people complaining about that really strong heavy spring that has to be compressed before firing but I've thought to myself that surely the projectile isn't propelled by spring power alone, as some people seem to suggest.

It is just spring powered.

And compressing the bloody thing is not an easy task.

[browningautorifle]

surely the projectile isn't propelled by spring power alone

As stated, here's how it operates. I had elders in the army that had used them when young.

"Basic operation involved the main spring interacting with a centrally-positioned spigot which fit inside the hollowed tail of the grenade projectile. The operator unlatched the shoulder pad and held it down with his feet with the muzzle of the weapon pointed upwards. The body of the PIAT was then pulled up which moved both spring and spigot to an awaiting sear. The body could then be lowered to the shoulder pad, the pad re-latched and the system considered "cocked" (the process was reminiscent of a medieval crossbow). Now that the internal main spring was fully compressed, ready produce a substantial amount of force, a projectile was inserted into the awaiting trough. Once the trigger was pulled and the spring released, the resulting action activated the grenade's propellant charge. The resulting detonation served two purposes - it launched the projectile clear of the trough and onto its flight path while the recoil force was used to re-cock the main spring to ready the weapon for a successive shot. If the weapon failed to re-cock for whatever reason, the crew needed to manually reset the spring once more - this could prove detrimental as a standing PIAT man made for a clear target to enemy infantry. It was often recommended that two persons assist in the cocking of the weapon, such were the physical forces in play."

[Gil Boyd]

Great when you have missed and a bloody great Panzer is beading down on you firing its machine guns and anything it has to throw at you, knowing if they don't get you before you get the next shot off you could take a track off. Thats about all they were good for unless it was a lesser armed vehicle of course!..............................and of course to cock it properly you had to stand up, well unless Geoff Capes was in your unit.
For our offshore friends he was a shot putter in the Olympics a few years back and the Worlds Strongest man for many years and a close colleague in the Police, but he was built like the preverbial **** house!!

[Surpmil]

Would be debatable what role the blank had in propelling the cartridge vs. recocking the spring, if anyone wanted to measure the opposing forces required; presumably the designers did.

Certainly preferable to trying to slap a sticky bomb on the bottom plates or the engine grating!

[bob q]

I own and shoot one , so my info may not be as accurate as some posted here . I can cock mine standing with no problem . I can cock it while sitting with a lot of effort . The charge in mainly for recocking it , it will add about 10% to the distance . Where it really helps is counteracting the forward " recoil " and keeps the launcher from leaving your grip as it want to go forward when the spring hits the forward stop .

[Flying10uk]

People have said that they are only spring powered but I've never been able to see, from a practical point of view, how it would work from spring power alone. The chap in the video described it as a kind of "spigot mortar" because of the spring loaded spigot and the blank cartridge in the grenade.