Hand mortar

Hand Mortar
TypeFirearm
Production history
Designer
John Tinker

Menno Van Coehoorn Others

Specifications
ShellIncendiary, Explosive
Actionflintlock, matchlock, or wheellock

The hand mortar is a firearm and early predecessor of modern grenade launchers[1] that was used in the late 17th century and 18th century to throw fused grenades. The action was similar to a flintlock, matchlock, or wheellock firearm (depending on the date of production), but the barrel was short, usually 2 inches (5.1 cm) to 4 inches (10 cm) long (though some are reported to have barrels up to 13 inches (33 cm) long), and had a large bore to accommodate the grenade; usually between 2 and 2.5 inches (5.1 and 6.4 centimetres).[2]

  1. ^ "Hand mortars: An early grenade launchers used from the 1500s through the early 1800s". 29 October 2016.
  2. ^ Claude Blair, Pollards History of Firearms Ed. 1983, pp 56–58, 92