No1 Mk3 mills bomb cup launcher??

[Peter Laidler]

That AK47 variant is VERY interesting Vince......... But how in heavens name do you shut the gas to the piston off? On our L1A1 rifles we could cut the gas off by rotating the gas plug. If you didn't, the gas cylinder would split wide open for about 4"

[Vincent]

The golf ball launcher has the same LH threads as the AK47 muzzle brake. It screws on just like a muzzle brake.

It will launch a golf ball 100 to 150 yards depending on the blanks, condition of the ball and the wind.

Some Yugoslavian and Polish AK47s are set up to have the option to launch grenades. They have a valve that closes off the gas to the piston. This one has the Polish gas valve.

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You can also buy a golf ball launcher for the AR15. I don't know how you would shut off the gas though. Come to think of it, they look a bit long and I doubt people buy them to launch golf balls. You know,, a long tube with 1/2x28 threads at one end.

[Peter Laidler]

Ah, got that Vince. We had some captured Hungarian AK's where lifting the grenade sight would shut the gas off. I was thinking of a straight screw-on version. There 's bound to be one squaddy in every section who would fire an AP grenade from a standard rifle!

[rayg]

Here's my recently acquired Japanese WWII Type 100 grenade launcher that was an early design where the grenade could be propelled by regular full power issued ammo and not blanks as the other launchers used at the time were.
Because the rifle fires regular ammo it is dangerous to fire pointing up when launching a grenade unless it is done in a safe bullet impact area so I'm going to made some blanks like I did for the LE launcher to see if they would work. The only difference I can see is with the Type 100 the gas is vented up into the cup were in the LE launcher it's directly into the cup. The Golf balls are a loose fit but probably will work if patched with a paper napkin like I did with the tennis balls on the LE. Should be fun to try. The gas adjustment amount is opened and closed and locked with a wing nut on top the bullet passing through a tube on the bottom. Ray

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[WarPig1976]

You don't see those every day.!!
Don't think a blank will work though, unless you block the bore somehow

[Peter Laidler]

We had a Corps Officer killed when a 'bullet trap' AP grenade went off while on the end of the rifle as he fired it. I seem to recall that the accident occurred when they were being tested for some middle eastern nation I have a feeling that it was an Aust made at ADI-Maribyong grenade. The subsequent enquiry didn't really get anywhere because the grenade and the end of the rifle had disintegrated too. Never established the cause.

[rayg]

You don't see those every day.!!
Don't think a blank will work though, unless you block the bore somehow

You're right. The bullet tube needs to be blocked for a blank to work, Ray

[WarPig1976]

Pulled from Lone Sentry website.


The new Model 100 (1940) Japanese grenade launcher, has been test-fired by an Ordnance intelligence unit and found to have a maximum range of 132 yards. This grenade launcher is believed to be designed for use on the Japanese 7.7-mm Model 99 rifle. However, it can also be used on all other Japanese rifles. The launcher has the advantage of using only standard ammunition, and no special ammunition is required. The projectile used is the small Model 99 (1939) grenade. The grenade is propelled by the powder gases from ordinary ball ammunition.

The accompanying sketch shows the Model 100 grenade launcher attached to the rifle, and with its ammunition. The launcher weighs 1 pound 9 ounces and consists primarily of a small tube and a large tube mounted side by side.


The Model 99 grenade is placed in the large tube with the safety pin removed. The gun is aimed, and elevated at the proper angle, and a round of ball ammunition is fired. As the bullet passes through the small tube, the tube is blocked, and the expanding powder gases pass into the large tube through a by-pass, ejecting the grenade. The force of setback arms the grenade, and it explodes 4 to 5 seconds after leaving the launcher.

The wing nut, which can be seen in the pictures, operates the closure to a small gas port, which is probably used for adjusting ranges. The rifle can be fired from the shoulder when using this launcher. When this launcher is used, the report of the rifle is slightly muffled. The grenade is plainly visible in flight, and it leaves a trail of smoke behind it.

On preliminary firing tests the range at 30 degrees elevation was found to be greater than the range at 45 degrees. The ranges at 30 degrees were as follows:

Type of Rifle Range
7.7-mm Model 99 132 yards
6.5-mm Model 38, long 102 yards
6.5-mm Model 38, medium 111 yards
6.5-mm Model 38, short 117 yards

[rayg]

Good info WP76. They made the launcher to fit the t-99 or the T-38. The bullet tubes were made with different id bore sizes. The one I have is for the T-38.
When I first got the launcher I put it on a T-38 rifle and it really made the rifle/launcher combination a bit heavy and awkward so I was curious if it would fit on a T-38 carbine and as you see it does.
The launcher on the T-38 carbine is much lighter and easier to handle and I wonder if they actually did use the launcher on the carbine also as it would be a lot handier and easier to use as a grenade launching platform? I don't see there would be a problem as the light US M1 carbine was used to launch grenades so I don't see why the T-38 carbine couldn't be used. I bet you might even get a little more range/distance out of the shorter barrel which produces more muzzle blast/pressure?
As far as shooting the 100, I think there might be a problem shooting objects out of the 100 unless you are out in no mans land as you are firing a live round up in the air which is a no no and dangerous unless nothing is in front of you.

However I bet blanks would work in it like it did in the Lee Enfield as basically the principal is the same only instead of the gas going straight in the cup like the Enfield it just channels up and into the cup. I may have to try that. Golf balls would be perfect to try, they are just a bit undersize but could be patched for a tight fit and I think it would be easy to convert the 100 launcher to shoot blanks by just blocking the bullet tube in front of the of the muzzle with a thin metal or cardboard disk so all the force of the blank is diverted up into the cup. I don't see why it wouldn't work with the 100 launcher and can't see anyway that it could hurt the rifle or launcher, Ray

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