Carl-Gustaf M4: All you need to know about the recoilless rifle
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- čas přidán 6. 04. 2023
- The Carl-Gustaf Recoilless Rifle, nicknamed the Charlie G by British soldiers, is a powerful and highly portable weapon, designed for dismounted soldiers - a cannon on the shoulder.
The Ministry of Defence has placed a £4.6m order with Saab for delivery of the Carl-Gustaf M4s multi-role weapon system, to replace the Anti-Structure Munitions the UK sent to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion last year.
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That is Jonathan Ferguson, the keeper of firearms and artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history.
Thank you for the information. It's good to know who is providing us with information.
😂😂😂
lolololl
Not humped the old heavy 84 designed to absolutely ensure there was no comfortable way of carrying it for 10 miles.
Thanks. Very interesting
Jonathan on Forces TV now 😁 he's becoming quite a familiar face on CZcams
You know you’ve made it when you appear on Cunk 😊
Fired it first time in 1976. Fabulous bit of kit….venerable and solid like a GPMG
Hey Mike how loud is that weapon when you shot it?
@@allenseeallendo5844 It's like the loudest thing you ever fired.
@@allenseeallendo5844 we wore ear defenders…I never fired it in anger. It makes a very distinctive “bong” noise in your head. In those days too we were instructed never to fire one from a window in room.
@@mikewinston8709 That’s actually pretty awesome. I saw this and I’m thinking that things got to be loud. Thanks for the reply.
I read somewhere that a person's brain can only take so many firings from weapons such as these before damage is inflicted. So I understand that armies now take that into consideration and count the accumulated shots that a soldier can make in training. Fairly recent developments.
Was listening to (2) US Rangers talking about "Carl" like he was their friend. They told stories of how hard Carl is to airborne drop with, but he is a great guy to have in a fight. They truly embraced the M4 like a squad-mate
I served in Ukraine. We mostly had RPG's, effective 300M max800m, Nlaws and Javalins are rare and used carefullly. I would of loved a carl gustav. Theres allot more things you need to blow up than tanks.
As a swede I think the biggest advantage to the Carl G is the cluster ammo so you can take out people in bunkers. Then it becomes a big shotgun basically with 1800 tungsten pellets. That shreads anything hidding in a trench or bunker with it's airburst capabilities when shooting this type of round. Also the new laser guided ammo will be a game changer for the Carl G, then it's almost like a NLAW.
And accuracy, i've trained on the CG (M2 variant) and the thing that stuck with me throughout my training period and after it is the incredibly stable, reliable ballistic trajectory. That is what you get with a rifled weapon, with fin stabilized ammo. You can reliably hit a watermelon sized target at 300 meters. That means weakpoints on modern MBTs, firing slits in bunkers - etc.
@@Pilvenuga A very true comment. I´ve done my military service (297 days) as a group leader for 8 men and two CGs. Let me tell you that you get a hell of a lot of BANG for your money too...👍🤣
The C-G doesn't have any cluster rounds, they practically don't exist in hand held weapon systems. Proximity rounds are not cluster rounds.
@@TzunSu translating some words into english makes fragmentation seem similar to cluster, which is what i think happened to him. However, you should have known better since he also talked about the tungsten "DnD dice" which shred through even BMP armor. The HE-frag shreds like a rockstar on cocaine, you're not the same after you experience it yourself.
@@TzunSu Yeah, yeah, but you know what I mean. Didn't know the right word for it.
Good to see more and more of Jonathan across different channels. Absolute expert, love it
In 1981 I was a conscript sergeant in the Dutch army. Each infantry group of 8 had a MAG and a Carl Gustaf as their group weapon. I felt sorry for the Carl Gustaf's loader, he didn't know when the shot was fired. After firing, the air pressure pushed the sand into his butt crack.
Yes, the No.2. Makes your balls swing from left to right in a smart and soldier-like manner!
I fired this when I was in the Canadian forces, 1980's, we just called it Carl. In our training we were told to only shoot at the BMPs and not tanks or use it as a bunker buster.
fired the 84 of my era,sennybridge 1983 final 2 weeks depot training 'exercise final fling' loved every minute of it 'lions of england'♦🦁♦
Would love to see a full 10-20 min video on old and new recoilless rifles/launchers that have been used over the years. Especially hand help ones.
I have had the privilege of firing this weapon in 1986 in my Territorial Army days... What a blast loved it....Great weapon....
Trust the new one is a damn sight lighter!
It was a Carl Gustav the Ukrainians used to destroy the infamous first T-90M near Kharkhiv back in May last year . It didnt straight up destroy the tank, but scored a mobility kill and the russians used another tank to destroy the T-90M, A mobility kill that results in a scuttle is still a kill tho.
When my Regiment (armour) deployed first time to Cyprus in ‘70s in a quasi Infantry role my secondary duty was my Troops’ Carl G gnr (M2 variant) - roughly twice as heavy as M4. Firing it always reminded me of getting hit really hard in the face with a pillow lol.
running around with an m2 definitely isn't fun either lol 12kg sure do weight you down on top of all the other gear you have to lug around
We called it the Charlie Guts-ache in the Aussie Army ;-) A nice piece of kit, but a bit of a pain to carry especially on patrol.
This is the M4 version which is much lighter to carry then the older versions. 6.6kg or 15lbs compared to M2 14kg or 31lbs.
When I serve the army I was GRG shooter.
(Grenade launcher Carl Gustaf 84mm) then it was 14,3 plus grenade 3,5 = 17,8 kg fully loaded.
Today less than 7 kg plus cartridge weigh 3,1 to 4 kg so around 10 kg fully loaded.
Effective firing range : 150 m to 2100 m using rocket-boosted laser guided ammunition.
Very fun to shoot. I had 95% accuracy of all my shoots if I may bragg.
Also we use 9mm tracer rounds ammo. But at max 100 distant in to paper targets. And also 20 mm trainings rounds in to paper / metal targets, but at max 350 distant.
SWEDISH Carl Gustav 84mm first fielded 1948.
GRG is an abbreviation of Swedish word GRanatGevär (Grenade Rifle).
This does seem like a beast of a weapon. The US had the 75mm and 105mm recoiless rifle during Korea and later Vietnam, so that's probably why we didn't adopt the CG. From there we pretty much went to the TOW, which as long as you have jeeps or APCs is in all ways better. But...fast forward and we actually need dismounted infantry again, and this kind of thing makes way more sense.
The US has used the M3 version of the CG since the 90s, initially mostly for Special Forces and from the early 2010s onward for regular troops as well.
Was trained in the 90 and 106 did the 90take 75’s place?
Don't forget, the US also had the shoulder fired, 57mm M18 recoilless rifle during this time as well.
About 10 years ago us Brits thought about developing the Ronnie Pickering recoilless vehicle mounted version of this, But the french refused to sell us the Citroens for it.
I see the French still dislike the english.
Good tool, like the at4 and javelin they all fit into their role perfectly
The Charlie G might not easily defeat tanks, but it will take out most other targets. Why waste expensive and high performance weapons against lower priority targets. The tax payer wants value for money!!
It took out a brand new Russian T-90, which was all over the news.
@@dirface That was a AT4, but it uses the same 84 mm shape charge.
It was a lucky shot though, but at the same proves that you are not 100% safe, even if your armor on paper should withstand an older weapon.
The carl gustav is relatively cheap, once you look at the military things tend to get more expensive than what the average civilian spends a day.
Now a javelin, that is quite expensive as far as manportable anti tank weapons goes.
Good job the civvy isn't using it to save their life then ! Saving the pennies doesn't save money in the long run
I toke out a T-90S from the side in Ukraine
The problem with the Carl G is that it can cause tearing in organ tissue to the operator firing it. You’re only supposed to shoot it twice a day but in Afghanistan we had guys shooting 20+ rounds a day and they had all sorts of issues with degraded muscle and heart tissue from the shockwave
You know? I heard about Recoilless Rifles as a kid (I had a hard time understanding it!), but am just NOW hearing about the effects on the operator! Roh-oh! This seems like a real problem, just for training! For everything I guess. If you manage to get someone in the field who is good with this and will do it... now you don't want them to do it too much!??!!
To my knowledge, this has been disproven in recent years. The restriction ain't there for most units any more.
It's a very real problem but some round are worse than others. I remember flares and smokes being more concussive than something like the HE.
@@duckinator2951 "Your injuries are not service related."
The Carl Gustav has served us, the Indians, extremely well till now. We train at first using a laser dummy round named Lakshya, then to the real thing. I have seen our crews fire 6-7 rounds per minute in rapid, or 2-3 in sustained. This payed a massive role in winning Kargil war.
You're not supposed to fire more than 3 in one day in training as the overpressure induces traumatic brain injuries
I thought Indians liked to get on their knees for Russia
India have a lot of the Bofors FH-77B, comparing this to the US M-777 and how effective the M-777 is said to be, however M777 Rate of fire is way lower, I wonder why Bofors stopped producing the much outperforming FH77-B
@@strichtarn3228 I have seen them firing it in combat.
@@petergrandien1440 We have the licence to produce FH-77B, although we are currently likely procuring the ATAGS now
We had an earlier model back in 1971, even at that time it was an awsome weapon.
The Swedish army stared to use Carl-Gustaf in 1948. and the new version weighs about 7 kg
anybody that's lugged around an M2 would cry in joy to have an M4 , it's like the difference between carrying a concrete brick and a styrofoam brick 😭😭😭
Indian army love carl Gustav and every squad in Indian army is equipped with m3 version, special forces recently acquired m4 version
It's a shame that India got it and not Ukraine.
In the future, India should only get weapons from its friends in Russia...
Fired one 1974 best weapons in the British army SLR. GPMG. and the Carl G. Need to get them all back into serves with the British Army real stopping power.
I carried a Charlie G across the Falklands 1982. 45 Commando RM. That was enough of a challenge.
That must have been lovely Royal, who doesn't want a heavy unbalanced tube on your back when you're crossing a frozen bog uphill for 60mi?!
I hope you fired all its ammo off at the first MG post you came across on Two Sisters!
@@JammyDodger45 I was taken off at Bluff Cove, blown up up on Sir Galahad and ended up in a ward with Welsh Guards survivors in Mungo Park ward SS Uganda. My battle buddy, got to fire off all the ammo, I was not happy to hear that.
@@ThePierre58 - why were you on Sir G? I thought the only Booties on there were the beach party and a couple of Cadre lads?
@@JammyDodger45 Booties were all over Falklands, check out the Bluff Cove Air attack video. I am on a stretcher moaning about the cold.,
The one legged Marine on the stretcher was firing GPMG at Skyhawks until his leg was blown off. Sick bay had 2 members of 3 Para recovering from trench foot. Welsh Guards were on the tank deck waiting to disembark.
@@ThePierre58- I'm aware we were all over the Island, I went through CTCRM in '89 and, less my Troop Commander, all the NCOs were FI Vets as was my first Sect Cdr on Zulu so I've heard hundreds of stories.
However on my ML2s the C/Sgt CI was (then) the Cadre Cpl who was manning the Beach OP who was calling again and again for the WG to get off the boat ASAP as opposed to bobbing around for hours and he only mentioned the Bootie Beach Party (who were also imploring people to get off).
You're the 1st Bootie I've encountered who was OpCon the Taffs. Were you Attached to the WG to beef up their ATK capacity or just to get a lift ahead of the Commando Snake to do Flank Protection?
That's pretty cool that they will be producing a guided round for it. Probably for quite a bit less cost than some of the others being used right now.
This weapon brought a argentinian submarine to a complete halt in the Falkland islands war.
It was my favorite weapon in the Army Reserve, unless I had to carry it any distance. I remember standing at the end of the firing line and wilting under the weight of it on my shoulder waiting for my turn to shoot - and then I pulled the trigger. I only heard the first part of the bang as my ears shut down for a couple of seconds. The surge of adrenaline made me feel like I could have carried it all day! We were warned not to fire it if the Obviating Ring was missing (a big rubber band at the end of the venturi to dampen vibrations) because it could really damage your hearing, even with ear plugs etc. And I got paid to shoot it!
Canadian army has had these for years too. Well before Americans took notice.
Mind you, even two decades ago America owned more TOW launchers than one can shake a stick at. So that's a perspective.
But TOWS aren't much use in buildings etc, not to mention their bulk and weight etc
I first fired this in 1971 at good old CFB Petawawa. Always a fun day.
@@justanotherviewer52 still firing them lol
@@phonkedout6225 I´m jealous...😂
We sent a bunch to Ukraine. Even the old ones have some use am sure. Modern ones seems really practical, east use and cheap for wha tthey can do.
I shot many rounds from this very fine weapon during my infantry career, starting in 89, both Heat, Smoke and light :)
How has your hearing survived? That's a pretty severe concussion only a few inches from your head.
@@phillipdavidhaskett7513 No problem at all with my hearing, wearing helmet and keeping your head very close to the tube offsets it somehow.
It is also worth mentioning how much lighter the ammo is when compared to similar rockets.
yeah, ammo is 3-5kg each and there's 2 in those "jetpacks" the loader carries with him
Whe have this weapon + AT4 on all levels in the army. Even if you face the home guard you find it there. 👍
I put my hamster in a sock and slammed it against the furniture
Having fired the 90mm RR they put out a hell of a shock wave
Ah the old Charlie G. Only fired 1 heat round. That was in Kenya 1981. Fired plenty of Sub Calibre in training though. Good to see its coming back
Fantastic editing and great to See Jonathan from the Royal Armories'
Loved how the elum round lights up the sky
That's a powerful weapon that perfectly fits a niche in the infantryman's toolbox. I sincerely hope they're being provided robust hearing protection, because that back-blast concussion seems pretty severe.
Just stuff your ears with chewed bread, easy, cheap, effective...
In my training we had to wear in-ear plugs aswell as over-the-ear muffs while shooting it, only wearing one of the two can cause lifetime hearing loss
A friend of mine here in Canada has fired one of these,and he said they are great
We had an exercise once where I fired 10 of these in a row since they didn't want the hassle of returning the ammo to storage. I got nosebleed from the pressure.
It's used by Indian Army since ages for CT & COIN Ops.. MK III was good but MK IV is really good
This weapon is timeless!!!
Fired those in the early 70s when the Canadian army replaced their old 3.5 inch “Bazookas” awesome weapon
The machine work in the rifling is beautiful
AY JONATHAN !!! Greatest crossover of channels
I loved this weapon.
When you have all-out war like Ukraine, everything that fires explosives is invaluable. There are lot a better weapons, but if you cant have them, i would gladly carry gustaf to my trench instead of using grenades or small arms against vehicles.
You are so true.
ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE A FRIEND LIKE CHARLIE 🎉
The venerable Charlie G. I still remember the old metal spring leg at the front and the blue practice rounds. Now, it's been given a new lease of life. The feeling of the whole air being sucked out of your lungs at the same time as feeling like you've just experienced negative G on firing it. 😂
And damn heavy too
I think that CG is a very fast weapon to fire from detecting a target and reloading and firing again for >20 seconds. Together with the vast variety of ammunition and the punch it delivers, it still in 2024 is extremely relevant (and very, very, popular around the World)
This is a legendary weapon for anyone who played bad company 2
my go to weapon when im on a death streak in battlefield and call of duty.
Just my view, but I think there should be much more familiarisation training across the army, or at least across the infantry, on the array of weapons that the British army uses (whether or not that regument / unit uses that weapon as part of their tasked role) - if the training has to be limited then familiarisation training should be given to all corporals.
You are not in >serious< trouble if firing gustav in doors. But you likely sustain some damage. I used to stand 45 - 55 degrees off centerline about around 7 meters meter behind Gustav and it feels good when they fire. I liked it so much I continued doing it. I do have respect for the blast so I had to modify the numbers here, I know I stood narrower but do not want to be responsible for damage to any soldier. It is not shrapnel flying out of gustav in the back it is "just" a pressure wave. If you are around firing Gustavs a lot you can experiment yourself and move closer and closer each shot being fired and see where you end up when you had enough.
You won't have to clean the windows if firing indoors. Or for that matter, any doors.
Never thought I'd see Jonathan Ferguson on Forces News
I was lucky enough to fire two LAW 90's and a few 66mm rocket launchers in Jordon when I was in. They were so easy to use and gave great confidence. These systems seem solid and reliable.
I retired in 2018, we are still using it...😊
Made in India since 1974, very very efficient for Guerrilla type tactics.M3 is the best for cost.
Always check your BBDA... unless you don't like the guy behind you 😅
thats the loader/no 2s job
Reminds me of the Clint Eastwood film where his lady cop partner stands behind the 66 at a fire demo, the DS forgot to check behind lol.
Maybe you should have listened to the lads and not taken it out of British service in the first place then...
When have top brasses ever listened to the lads. If they did the regular army would still have 160k plus 😂😂
Perhaps because the M2 version used by the "LADS" weighed 14.2kg and wasn't effective against its primary weapon in its projected theatre operation. The M4, at 6.6kg isn't really the same weapon as the M2 nor did it have the variety of ammunition types. From memory, us 'LADS' hated carrying it and weren't overly keen to fire it either.
@@andrewbirch5738 you have some pretty weak lads then, the M2 full steel weapon version was fine to carry around and even have a G3 variant with (another 4,5kg) for a ~25km trek through hills and marshes. Yes, its heavy but its not something you cant do
@@andrewbirch5738 You are absolutely right about the weight. But it was to shoot the damn thing that made it worth it.
@@Pilvenuga You are 100% correct.
Ol Charlie never fell out of favour in Canada 🇨🇦
Looks nicer than the older version
These things are slick. My Brother sent me a video of him firing one
Now that is useful information. An everyday life hack for the general public.
Genius.
WHAT ! No comments out and about yet about the Royal Marines, Northern Ireland, Nissan Huts, and the difference between "DRILL" and "PRAC" rounds for the CG ?
Welcome to the club from Canada!
I have one phrase too say " Tank Action" !
Dutch Army 1969; armour recon platoon; M113 inf squad, we got a couple
of these Carl Gustavs guys, but the ammo is so expensive you are only allowed
one shot each...
The war in Ukraine is a tragedy, but a silver lining would be a wake-up call for a need for more basic munitions in bulk.
Also a wake up call for the Army to do something about counter UAS tools.
I'd love to just test fire military weapons all day, or even just sit and watch. Grab a 6 pack, lawn chair, and just hang out at the range. Lol that would be awesome.
Played with Carl a few times during training. I remember there was a limit to the number of rounds you were allowed to fire a day lol. Due to the power of that backblast! Can't remember how many, but it wasn't alot lol!
6 is the number of the beast.
@@tomeng9520 I just read 3
@@TheBooban Six in wartime, three in peacetime.
I'm just here reminiscing of all the fun I had woth this on battlefield bad company 2. In other words , I'm an old man.
These are great when the enemy stands too close together.
I lived fired the 84mm quite a few times when serving in the British army in the early 80's; as many soldiers did back then, I got to say, it wasn't a very pleasant weapon to fire being honest.
Two brilliant weapons gpmg general purpose machine gun used by British army.
And Carl Gustaf anti tank weapon
We do like making thing that go boom in Sweden, from Alfred Nobels Dynamite to the Carl Gustav, AT4 and the NLAW.
I always used to wonder what it was. I get it now.
Can also really knacker your shoulder sockets and spine…..good old Gusto
All you need to know is it is a pain in the harris to carry.
It gives you a sexy bum, think of the girls...
Wasn't nicknamed "Charlie Guts-ache" for nothing in Australia.
Ive never wanted a Saab so much
Hello from Sweden 🇸🇪
Carl Gustaf 84mm grenade launcher:
Manufacturer : Carl Gustafs Stads Gun Factory Saab Bofors Dynamics in Sweden.
Unit cost SEK 194,000 / piece ($19.400 weapon) SEK 48,000 / piece ($4800 ammunition) =
SEK 242,000 = $ 24,200.
as a danish gunner on said weapon system i can assure you we had them in the danish army long before the afghan war started. heck i even served there and got a 1800 confirmed hit with my good ol dykn
They should make one that the user fires up in the air and it turns to the ground after and the user points a laser at the target.
I fired one back in the 80s without my ear defenders as I made the mistake of lending them to someone. My bad luck to be called to shoot. I had ringing in my ears for two days afterwards and that was after only firing sub calibre.
I recall some militia guys from Ottawa left one of these at the side of the road - true story. They never found it.
since these are recoilless, they can be mounted on Drones for attacking the top of the tank
also the russians have limited amounts of t90 ies, especially the latest variants. Mostly the seem to use different variants of t72 and t80 ies.
Gotta love the CG, it comes with a recommended maximum daily limit per soldier…😂
Theoretically they could develop smart ammunition for it that could do top attack. But that munition would be just as, if not more, expensive than NLAW.
A jeep mounted M40 Recoilless Rifle offered a great bit of mobility and firepower for its time. It’s still a viable concept today given it’s easier to carry Karl G ammo in a vehicle than by soldiers in a light infantry section. So why hasn’t Saab defence created some vehicle mounts and sight systems for the Karl Gustav 84 mm recoilless rifle? A removable vehicle mount for the KG would add a lot of firepower to light skinned recce vehicles to shoot and scoot on a reconnaissance in force mission. Such a vehicle mounted Karl G would bring a proven force multiplier to special forces elements like the US Marine Corps Reconnaissance who still use hummers for vehicle recces. Or, designated special forces units like the Green Berets or His Majesty‘s SAS who use light attack vehicles. While you’re at it maybe create a new type of anti-UAV round something like a cross between flack and bird shot that explodes at range to bring down UAV’s. It could also be used at cross purposes as an indirect fire munition. Such a round when detonated over a trench, mortar pit or field gun in defilade would neutralizes threats at ranges that a 40mm grenade can’t hit.
Sweden had a bigger 9cm recoilless rifle (9 cm pvpj 1110) that was mounted on modified Volvo L3314 and Volvo c303 all terrain vehicles.
While the Carl Gustaf is a great weapon it isn't well suited for vehicle mounts imo.
It has a low muzzle velocity of only 255m/s so range is limited, plus its low weight means you aren't getting much more mobility by mounting it. Why not just let the soldier in the vehicle disembark or pop out of a hatch to use it? Especially since you would have to pop out to reload it anyways.
The CG can fire a round with airburst capability. But a anti-UAV round is interesting, the biggest issue once again is the low muzzle velocity, the UAV would have to be close.
@@Cerulean_Frost After I read your post I went looking. I found this
Search the head line in Google
Military News Ukrainian Armed Forces Received Swedish Pvpj 1110: Does It Have the Power to Crush Either a BMP-3 or a Tank
@@Cerulean_Frost WRT the anti-UAV round its an Interesting technical problem. I'm rather sure the brilliant minds on all sides can solve it. The challenge is to make the solution affordable. As Confucius says," Don't use a cannon to kill a fly"
The Cheapest anti-UAV round may be a 12guage shotgun shell. The point of a heavier weapon like a Karl Gustaf RR is to engage at greater distances. Firing SAMS at UAVs has got to be costly.
Fired the Charlie G so many times i lost count, why is the MOD paying saab to train our forces , just ask all the ex squadies who mused it to train them, for a CSM's day rate i would do it . the only down side was hummping the thing around
And the shock wave, practically rattled the teeth out of your head!
@@JammyDodger45 if you know you know , the shock wave feels like a kick in the nads and nose at the same time , but it was fun after the first 3 or 4 rounds
@@newy2242 - I'm not sure I'd call it fun but it was certainly an experience!
Jonathan da goat😢🎉🤯
Raytheon/SAAB is making a missile for the M4. It's still in prototype stage.
I want one.
Money well spent! The Gustav is a fantastic weapon; a tad heavy... But what crew served system isn't?
I want one ( ten) of those
Crew Serve Weapon on HMMV?