M79 grenade launcher

Launcher, Grenade, 40 mm, M79
M79 with the leaf-type sights unfolded.
Type	Grenade launcher
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1961–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Dominican Civil War[1] Communist Insurgency War The Troubles Operation Marajoara[2] Lebanese Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War[3] Salvadoran Civil War Falklands War Bougainville Civil War War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War Cambodian–Thai border dispute 2010 Burma border clashes Syrian Civil War Battle of Marawi Myanmar Civil War
Production history
Designer	Springfield Armory
Designed	1953–1960
Manufacturer	Springfield Armory, Action Manufacturing Company, Kanarr Corporation,[4] and Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge
Produced	1961–1971 (U.S.)
No. built	350,000 (U.S. only)
Specifications
Mass	2.93 kg (6.45 lb) loaded 2.7 kg (5.95 lb) empty
Length	73.1 cm (28.78 in)
Barrel length	35.56 cm (14 in)
Cartridge	40×46mm grenade
Action	Break-action
Rate of fire	Depends on the speed of the operator
Muzzle velocity	76 m/s (247 ft/s)
Effective firing range	350 m (383 yd)
Maximum firing range	400 m (437 yd)
Feed system	Breech-loaded
Sights	Blade and leaf type

The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40×46mm grenade, which uses what the US Army calls the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War. Its distinctive report has earned it colorful nicknames, such as "Thumper", "Thump-Gun", "Bloop Tube", "Big Ed", "Elephant Gun", and "Blooper" among American soldiers^[5] as well as "Can Cannon" in reference to the grenade size; Australian units referred to it as the "Wombat Gun".^[6] The M79 can fire a wide variety of 40 mm rounds, including explosive, anti-personnel, smoke, buckshot, flechette (pointed steel projectiles with a vaned tail for stable flight), and illumination. While largely replaced by the M203,^[7] the M79 has remained in service in many units worldwide in niche roles.