M203 Underbarrel Grenade Launcher
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- čas přidán 17. 12. 2019
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After the problems with the Colt XM-148 under barrel grenade launcher were discovered in service in Vietnam, the US military was eager to quickly find a better alternative. The idea of replacing the standalone M79 grenade launcher with an under barrel unit was very appealing, and the development program moved quickly. Of seven different designs considered, AAI was the best, and it was adopted as the M203 and put into the field by 1969.
The M203 was a dramatic improvement over the XM148, with much simpler controls and batter handling. It would be made in large quantity (over a quarter million) and used until replaced only recently by the HK 320 launcher.
Many thanks to Movie Armaments Group in Toronto for the opportunity to showcase this M203 for you! Check them out on Instagram to see many of the guns in their extensive collection:
/ moviearmamentsgroup
www.moviearms.com
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle #36270
Tucson, AZ 85704
The heat shielded M16 and the M203 is one of the best aesthetics for the AR-15 platform.
If only there was enough space between barrel and launcher to keep the bayonet usable.
@@DH-xw6jp They didn't put the bayonet lug on the side?
@@McSkumm
At 1:21 you get a good veiw of the right side of the gas block and 4:13 gives you a decent veiw of the left.
It looks like they moved the sling loop to the left side but kept the lug where it was at, at least on this particular piece.
Ever seen an M16 with full wood furniture..
Yep their available online even with the triangle forestock not to mention different woods.
"Lol noob tube" - Unknown Viet Cong soldier
After action reports state that the VC that said this was soon obliterated by a 40mm HEDP grenade that descended upon him at an almost vertical angle. It was later determined to have been fired by a Marine half a mile away.
pocket artillery cannon, McCallum.
Actually that is last words of unknown NVA irregular (Viet Cong) soldier.
The Viet Cong were a wholly owned subsidiary of the North Vietnamese Army.
"Pro pipe bro" - Unknown Marine
@@CobraDBlade True that.
Retired Army here. Joined in '81 and volunteered to carry an M203 in every unit I was with. During initial training with it, was told it was an area weapon and was not to be used on individuals...I just smiled and nodded.
Lol and does only to be used in certain situations mean any chance you get?
The end of that comment sounds like you didn’t listen to the instruction which is…concerning to say the least
@@destroyerarmor2846 living vicariously through commenters' experience in the most dull era of the US military. Who was he blowing up then, Grenadians? Lol gtf, both of you.
Similar here. One man in heavy cover is more deadly than a group trouncing about in the open. Often, you don't really know how many might be bunkered down
hey im the 203rd like! how funny
I was the range control officer at a M203 range one summer. One weekend a unit didn't show but thier ammo did. The five of us were tasked to fire off all their ammo, back then it was a huge problem to return ammunition. This unit had every munition the M203 could fire. Every color of flair, every HE round, all had to be fired. I can tell you that it is possible that with a few hours of practice a soldier can lob a round through a vehicle window at 250 meters fairly consistently. It's a great weapon. 80's👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I'm so jealous, 80s America seemed like an amazing time. Dad? That you?
@@RJ-wx3fh RJ, have a sleep and reply when your sober.
@@tbrowniscool we didn't get a lot of ammo back late 70s early 80s but when we did, we shot the shit out of it!
Yes, sir, lol
I carried the M-79 and M-203, at one of our live fire training events we had a 5-ton show up with ammo to burn. We spent the day with 40mm, M-2, M60's and two pallets of LAW's to dispose of. It was a long fun day. About 1973 9th ID Ft. Lewis, training at the Yakima Firing Center.
Buckshot round: just the thing for ducks at 300 yards.
We shot some of those m576 rounds. The spread is crazy, like 2 feet at 15 yards
an under barrel punt gun
When you have to clear both varmint AND duck/geese off your yard
@@M0lomir plus your neighbour's house
@Kneon Knight My dad used to regale us with the story of how when he was in the Air Force, he watched an owl get exploded real good by the base radio antenna getting powered up.
THOOMP.
*Click* *ding* *pump*
click
FING
ding ding
thoonk
shack
Nothing beats the M79 *Bloop*
GI go home... GI FuBOOOOOOOM
P'THUMP
The weapon I carried in Iraq in 04 is a "Forgotten Weapon"?
Am I old now?
I'm pretty sure we're still carrying em to this day.
Tell us about the war grandpa
No bro ,I had it in 89
We had them in Afghan in 2011. I think "forgotten" is a bit of a misnomer here
I carried one in 04 as well, baghdad
Having fired a few practice rounds out of one of those I can confirm they are stupid easy to shoot accurately. Just eyeball and *thump*. My first shot ever with one landed square in the top hatch of an old m113 APC hull on the range. My drill sergeant just went "holy s*** private nice shot". Overall a great weapon.
It's late, but thank you for your service.
Oct 87 Ft Benning IOBC 250 yards right through a window!
@@gregbailey1753 it really is a weapon you just kinda eyeball and let it fly
I couldn’t believe how accurate they were either. Especially with that rear quadrant site.
When charlie has you pinned, dont get mad, get GLAD!!!!
@The Rockall Times ਕੀ ਕਿਹਦਾ ੲਿਹ ਸੰਦ ਜਿਆ ਬਾਈ ਜੀ ਨੂੰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਚ ਦੱਸੀ ਕੁਝ ਗਲਤ ਤਾਂ ਨੀ ਬੋਲਿਆ ਵੀਰੇ ਦੱਸੀ ਯਾਰ
@@balrajsingh-zp4wq oh yh we 100% understand u
@The Rockall Times Speak Chinese, bucko.
@The Rockall Times you mean the slants, right?
Regarding the story of this particular weapon:
"It's dangerous to go alone, take this."
A song popped up in my head.
yeah... 10:28
Comment winner!👍🤣🎖
It's like the 240B: Cool at first until you are the one that has to lug it around. But a lifesaver when everything hits the fan.
The 203 isn't bad by itself...its carrying all those 40mm rounds that really adds up the weight and bulk
I volunteered to take the M-60. I actually enjoyed carrying it to chow and what not. It was a beast at the range!
@@shadowwolf7622 Walking around in garrison is completely different than humping a GPMG in combat. The ammo alone is a back breaker.
@@grumples1517 Roger that
Lol or lugging the M2 from the armory at one end of the base to the patrol boat at the other end of the base. Eventually got smart, repurposed M16 slings as "back pack" straps to carry the receiver across my back and another sling to carry the barrel over my shoulder made that heavy bastard a lot less sucky to carry.
The thump of the air releasing is probably one of the most iconic weapon sounds I can think of
m1 garand ping as well
Last thing a lot of VC heard
Say hello to my little friend!
Guns N' Games lol beat me to it!
THERE! YOU LIKE THAT!? YOU WANT MORE!?
I can´t. I have to GET TO THE CHOPPA!
You wanna play rough?!
OK!!
I wrote the same thing.
Then I scrolled through the comments and saw, that you already wrote it 28 minutes ago...
😔
It's weird watching an episode of this done on something I was issued. Really damned weird.
I felt the same thing about the Martini-Henry.
I use a M203 at the range 2 years ago... sight was different but something really.
How can you commented from a month ago?
@@awesomekitty89 Patreon
@@comsubpac wow, harsh
"Allen! Switch to the M203!"
“Private Allen! Use your grenade launcher!”
Predator was my favorite movie as a kid so getting to carry this in the Army felt pretty cool. Used to love taking the paint rounds to the range. Had huge plywood walls with windows cut out at various distances. Got to be pretty good at dropping one through. We always had to go pick up the metal parts of the rounds down range and that orange powder would be all over everything. Used to love finding an unbroken blue round full of paint and throwing it at someone and ruining their uniform for the day haha.
I carried one for years when I was in the army (79-83). Kicked about like an angry 12 gauge and fun as hell. Very easy to use and 100% reliable. If you did not care about accuracy you could get 3 grenades in the air at one time on a long range target. You had to be careful because they sent us a batch of 40mms made for the Cobra helicopter auto-grenade launcher. A big no-no.
I thought those rounds weren't supposed to be able to go into battery inside an m203?
Jacob Thompson Ian did a video about some rifle with a "bayonet finger trap" and most of the comments talking about this supposedly impossible feat said stuff along the lines of "if you give soldiers enough time alone with something idiotproof, they'll find ways to use it in which was never thought of or intended for"
@@madeconomist458 Even the army training film admitted that with enough force it could be done. It took stupid amounts of extra force but some young soldiers are very strong and not always terribly bright.
@@100GTAGUY The way we said it was "make something idiot-proof and we will invent the better idiot".
So how did that work out? Me I don't have much experience with these other than familiarization fire. Which is why I don't know what the effect is.
Small company: "Ooh, the military wants a new thing! I bet we can get mucho dinero if we can land that contract!"
Small company proceeds to make thing that beats the competition.
Military: "Aight, cool. We want 50,000 of them tomorrow."
Small company: "Aw sheit. We can't make that many that fast."
Bigger competitor: "But we can~!"
Thing proceeds to become known for the bigger competitor with the smaller inventor company's name being left in the dust because of production amount by the bigger company.
Story as old as time, I bet. Unless they do some crazy subcontractor shenanigans like you see with other companies.
Considering how often this scenario happens you would think that these smaller manufacturers would at least have a plan on paper for deal with the sudden need for production.
Well that's also how Colt got a hold of the AR-15, because Armalite didn't have the manufacturing capabilities to produced them.
Essentially the story of the beginnings of the Jeep. The Bantam car company came up with the best design,but insufficient manufacturing capabilities meant they spent WWII making Jeep trailers. Better than nothing I suppose. Mind you the Willys engine was the the best choice then available, so taking the best bits from all the competitors made sense.
Same with the Jeep.
Accuracy International managed to deal with that quite well, only two guys in a garage when they made the prototypes but when they got the big contract they took the ball and ran with it.
“Phased Out”
Marine Corps still has it and issues them out in 2019😅.
Richard Recio it’s better than the 320 imo. Lighter , not cumbersome when in use, simple design, and with enough practice accurate enough to do the job it has.
Yeah isn't all the MC equipment and weapons just shit the rest of the branches don't want
Yet you'll still be more effective with it than other, better equipped and better funded branches...
Phased out doesn't mean it isn't still used.
The Marine Corps is currently issuing the M320.
I can personally confirm these were still being issued as late as 2016, had one on my Colt M4
Slap this under MP 5 and then Resonance Cascade happened
The fabric of reality just couldn't take such absurdity and ripped an interdimensional portal through itself.
The Freeman
In the movie End Of Days (1999),Arnold Schwarzenegger carried such a weapon. Here is more about it:www.imfdb.org/wiki/End_of_Days
Good one man! Half life/portal is the best!
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Just a minor correction - "Malay" is an ethnic group, some of whom live in Malaysia. There are no purely "Malay" units in the Malaysian Armed Forces. Someone from Malaysia is called a Malaysian, so it would be "Malaysian Special Forces".
In this pic (upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Navy_PASKAL_tactical_strike_team_personnels_during_57th_NDP.JPG) you can see the two soldiers closest to the camera have M203s attached to their MP5s.
82nd Airborne MP in late 70's and was issued one. On range one day we were shooting at doorway and window targets when I used the side mounted sights, cranked 'em to 400 meters and let fly; you could watch them like baseballs, the wind caught the rounds, carried them off the range, and they exploded in the tops of the pines at the end of the range. Other guys saw this and did the same thing, for a while. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye... or a range officer tells you to knock it off.
Ahhhh my set-up during my time in the 1980s Army, I loved the M203 but still drooled over the M79 we had in the arms room which we weren't allowed to use. The m79 was slated to be turned back in to be destroyed but our armorer was a Vietnam Vet who always managed to put it off one way or another.
This was the weapon my father used in Desert Storm, as well as Dutch in Predator, and Scarface.
Always makes me think of Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Predator" =)
Now I want to see Billy's shotgun attachment.
Did you know it was not real m16/m203? Arnie used SP1 rifle with 39mm cobray launcher in predator.
@@w4rpf1nnlad I think I've heard something along the lines of it not being an authentic M16/M203, but no specifics.
Not as if it would have been the first time that movie props turned out to not be the real thing^^
@@lavrentivs9891 Yeah like that grenade launcher monstrosity chuck norris carried in Delta Force 2.. :D
@@w4rpf1nnlad Much cooler when movie props are real guns in disguise. Like the Thompson submachine guns in Aliens or most weapons in Star Wars =)
Thanks, Ian. I'm happy to see my old field wife again. I carried that combo for a year on Okinawa with the 3rd Marine Division in 1977. Loads of fun to shoot both weapons. With the grenade launcher attached it becomes easier to make accurate offhand shots with the M16A1 because the muzzle doesn't wave all over the range.
I love this weapon! This is what I carried for desert shield and desert storm.
Oh, this brings back fond memories. Was a grenadier in Iraq and I absolutely loved my M203. Funny how he said most guys never used the sights because I can't recall ever using them. Once you know how it shoots it really is just about instincts.
Shiet. Anything can be instinct if you know the weapon. I never had the luxury of using the 203 but with a 240B and a good ratio of ball to tracers I can fire without aiming down the sight. Just look at the dust and the tracer
@@jorgecabrera3694 Did you ever hit what you were aiming at? I served as 240b gunner and if I saw a bad guy, I'd actually aim and give him a burst, no need to waste ammo. I guess it didn't really matter if I was just trying to keep their heads down.
The summer of 69 really was the best I guess.
Me and some guys from school
Had a unit and we tried real hard
Jimmy bit it, Joey got fragged
In the jungle, they never get far
Oh when I look back now
that summer seemed to last forever
I never even had a choice
I didn't even want to be there
Those were the worst days of my life
David Abest did you serve in SEA ?
@@davidabest7195 Imagine that even after carpet bombing and using chemical weapons against a people fighting for their freedom in a way that almost perfectly fits the US creation story, still feeling like you have enough moral high ground to refer to those people as "scum". Not to mention using woman as an insult, what rock did you crawl out from under?
Song plays every day at work. Sometines twice.
@@jameshealy4594 im not taking sides but i do have to say being a communist is pretty scummy
Things always scared the hell out of me. A guy in the series before mine had one detonate in battery during training and it took his hands off.
I had a practice round blow apart mid-air about 60 feet out of the barrel. No harm, no foul but it wasn’t confidence inspiring to hear my sergeant exclaim “Holy F”.
The arti-sims didn’t have the best quality control. Yours is not a unique story although I never saw it personally I was an officer and had access to a stack of old reports from reliable NCO’s. those munitions had a short shelf life and would settle out. The cordite would crumble and rot out the casing plus would also would fuse itself sometimes at launch. The actual munitions were very stable and Vietnam issue munitions are still usable, (but only in a pinch or is you are a poor ass country and can’t afford newer ammunition).
We were on a roof in Mamudiya and one of my team leaders shot his 203 towards an alleyway across the street. It hit a powerline about 20 feet in front of us and detonated. In shock, I asked everyone if I was bleeding. Luckily, nobody got hurt.
Scared the shit out of us.
@@theimmortal4718 On the bright side, being scared shitless is a positively happy outcome in that situation!
@@Handles-Suck-CZcams
You got that right.
Being scared shitless was quite often a daily occurrence for me that year
When I was in the Army, I was issued one of these. Interestingly enough, the only time I ever fired a live grenade through one was in basic training (ONE round). I did fire many training rounds, however, and got quite good with the thing, even qualifying “expert.” You are right, even though the sights were relatively easy to use, with time, one did not really need them. The entire weapon was more tedious to clean, cumbersome, and did not lend itself to sling carrying. Since one always had at least a canteen on one’s LBE where the rifle would sit, it tended to be unwieldy (other slung M-16s nestled along one’s side while slung. This thing, when slung, more or less flattened along one’s back-where a pack or canteen typically sat). I mostly took it in stride as just another military inconvenience, but did like its “coolness.”
I love the m203 handguard, i wish i could find an aftermarket one that looks like that
Oh look it's the grenade launcher from *insert any one of hundreds of game titles here*
Reapers breath last death *noob tubes*
Conflict Desert Storm
@@carbonfibre_ Equally accurate terminology.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2007)
My first thought was actually Winter Soldier.
When my dad was alive he talked about having one of the first five sent the Vietnam. He was there during the Tet Offensive.
Thanks to ur dad for his service
God rest him, and God bless you and family. Thank you for sharing
My father also carried an M203 during his tour with 5RAR (Australian Army). I thought it was strange they would issue a grenade launcher to a forward scout. His Platoon leader later explained to me it was because he was about the worst shot in the Battalion and he made so much noise he would scare shit out of the Vietnamese with the buckshot and it was his only chance of hitting anything. Scarily dad served 22yrs in the Army and was CSM of Engineer Design Establishment who develop and test weapons in Australia and he still couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. :-)...
I've always loved the aesthetic of the M203 and its accompanying hangaurd. I don't know why i like it so much
This was my weapon when I was at Ft. Hood, Tx in 1983
As I mentioned in your last video, my Dad started and ran the Plastics Dept. at AAI (Cockeysville, MD) starting in 1966/67. At AAI he helped develop the Plastic Handgrip for the M203. Ian is 100% correct that AAI did not have the manufacturing capability to produce items in large scale. AAI was a design and development company that took projects such as the M203, figure out the best materials and manufacturing process and the the client would contract to another firm the mass production. At one time I had one of those Plastic Grips given to me by my father.
Do you by any chance know what the handguard is named since no one is mentioning what that specific part was/is named?
"Phased out" in 2008
*looks at my arms room, where we have this exact nam-era setup on half a dozen of our rifles still.
Yeah. Phased out.
EDIT: it's a joke, folks. I'm fully aware how phasing out works and the Army's inability to let things go.
Military paperwork monsters my friend.
Phased out really means very little
phased out but not forgotten.
Yeah, my ship phased out the 12 inch version last year (2018) and replaced them with 9 inch versions.
Just means they started phasing them out in 2008. And even then, "phased out" often just means handed down to ARNG and Reserve units.
@@MrWigglesWorth I know. It was meant as a joke. My reserve unit doesn't exactly need the latest and greatest that the 101 is issued
I don't think anyone's forgotten about that masterpiece!
My father was issued this M16 with the M203 , when he was in Vietnam. I even have the Army's Operator's Manual for all the M16's versions. R.I.P. Dad. Thanks for showing this awesome peace of history , Ian. Also have a Happy Merry Christmas, Sir !!!!!!!!
Saw the notification and couldn't help but remember the first time I tried one.
Was such a good shot with it, the instructer gave me an extra round for fun.
I spent a lot of quality time with this weapon system in the Army. I found the ladder sight to be more accurate than the quadrant out to 200m, though like Ian says eventually I got to the point where I could get close enough just by eyeballing it.
Fun fact, the M203 HE round needs to spin a certain number of times to activate the fuse, MK-19 rounds do not...
Then why did the MK19 punch a soda can size hole into that asshat in bahgdad?? It didnt blow... About 10 yds from vehicle and it just splattered guts and didnt detonate
@@darkhorse6829 The MK19 was/is capable of firing ammunition intended for the M79 & M203, but had ammo dedicated to the MK19 which could not be fired from the individual weapons. Not knowing the round used in the incident you described could explain it's not arming.
@@darkhorse6829 perhaps the same mechanism with some RPGs, it has to reach a certain velocity so that the impact is strong enough to detonate it
@@anhtunguyen781 That would explain it. It's probably designed to only detonate when it strikes a "hard target", not a soft target.
@@darkhorse6829 Did you personally witness this incident, or is this something that you've read about? (I'm not sure how well-known the incident is)
"Forgotten Weapons"
MW2 Players: Let us introduce ourselves
Close? Insta-kill. Far? Boom.
One man army, danger close, ninja, AR with m203, thumper.
Aim right on wasteland, get 7, call in the Harriet, chopper gunner and nuke.
(Any AR) (Grenade Launcher)
No Secondary
Tactical Insertion
Stun
One Man Army Pro
Danger Close Pro
Ninja Pro
Pain Killer
Avionic7779x i know the gun because of Scarface
@@GeorgiaRidgerunner those people can be gamers too
Whenever Ian mentions some kind of development program with multiple designs or entries, I always get excited. It’s like, “oh boy, future Forgotten Weapons content to look forward too!”
"Stop using a noobtube bro oh my god"
NOOOO you can’t just use an oversight from the devs and call yourself good!!!!1!
Haha boob tube go thphwoomp
i used this when i was in ROKA(Republic of Korea Army) man the memories
it was fun shooting grenade rounds XD
one of the few channels that mentions a subject/item to be further discussed, and then ACTUALLY follows through with doing so ;-)
I love these things in Arma, I'm able to get them through windows at a couple hundred meters with some consistency. I very much prefer the quadrant sight
well in Arma, they are range finded usually with red dots so they are very easy to shoot.. But it is like 2030 ingame.
@@TheKodiak72 I've never used one with a red dot on it except for the M32 czcams.com/video/BRb2iFkwDC4/video.html. I'm used to the exact kind like in the video, and the M320 a bit too
Replied because Armanerd!
@@MurderCrowAwdio seeing this video made me start it up lol
@@dELTA13579111315 Lightweight... It made me tab out of it xD
One has to wonder, what did the Army do with the old M79, which was a great little gun in it's own right? Well some of them went to the FBI, who brought them out to local police department ranges, and encouraged the local PD'S to put in requests for them with the FED. The FBI did our qualifications shoots, as our local agent was a trained instructor. In addition to the old Model 19 Smith's that we carried, city issue guns you know, he also did the qualifications with the 12 gauge riot guns we carried in our patrol cars, and brought a few M-79's along with buckshot rounds, practice rounds and a few flechett rounds. Every officer was qualified with the M-79 on that particular session, the FBI dude gave us a brief instruction on the loading, aiming, and firing of the M79 (training I had received while in the Army prior to my police job) then we all got to fire 5 buckshot rounds for qualification. The old M79 does kick, and buckshot was fired from the shoulder instead of under the arm with the grenades so you got a real thrill from each round, but none of us had any problem qualifying with the gun we would never see again. I guess our FBI guy was not as good a salesman to the Chief as he thought he might be.
Law enforcement got a lot of them for riot control. IE teargas, Bean Bag, Rubber Bullets. If memory serves.
When the 1st Cav showed up in Quin Nohn in 1965 a lot of their Grenadiers were carrying a three round "M-79" like thing with a horizontal sliding breech "thing" that allowed them to have three rounds loaded. At the time I wondered how well it would work in mud and dust???? This would make an interesting segment for Forgotten Weapons.
Do you mean the China Lake grenade launcher
@@supersarge2477 no, he's talking about a harmonica magazine grenade launcher. There were a few deployed to Vietnam. China lake was even more of a prototype.
Absolutely gorgeous weapon system, love the 203 and the 20rd mags.
This was my assigned weapon in the Army for quite a while.....the thing I really hated-besides the weight- was that there's no good comfortable way to carry it in the hand and it was awkward to carry slung as well. It worked well, but definitely little thought was given to ergonomics....."yes sir we will just wire up this here grenade launcher up under this here M-16 and it WILL be good to go!"
"Used until 2008"
We definitely still use M203s
PHASED OUT in, not USED until.
The Army started replacing the M203s around that time. The USMC held out for a few years to see if the M320 was really worth it.
When I was in the 1st Cav Div in Viet Nam 1970-71 these were still referred to as XM203s. That may have been a carry over from when test weapons were issued for field testing or it may be that the local nomenclature hadn't caught up with the official one yet. Good weapon. IIRC we never had a malfunction. It did kick harder than an M-79 because it was on a rifle platform and was not designed for recoil when fired at a high angle. Some of my grenadiers got very accurate with it and could drop a grenade into the firing slit of a bunk with one or two shots. Not much penetration, though. I saw a hit on about a 4" diameter dead tree branch that just scattered some wooden splinters and blackened the wood but did not break the branch.
Hello Ian.
I served in the USMC, starting in '78, and I am very familiar with the M203 Grenade Launcher and the M16A1 Rifle. The M16A1's improvement was to the buffer system, making the weapon's kick softer. The M203 was a joy to use and I can attest to the 'instinctive' firing one gains after only a few dozen rounds down range. After a couple hundred, you don't really need the post sights for the M203, and you gain an instinctive feel for what elevation is needed to drop the round on target at any particular range. Even though I was primarily trained as an 0341 Gunner (60 and 81mm Mortars), when I was posted to Quantico, VA as an Enlisted Weapons Instructor, I rapidly learned to use the M203, and several other 'heavy' weapons, and became both proficient and accurate with all of them. After a few hundred rounds down range, it became very easy to hit targets out to 300 yards accurately with little effort and no use of the sighting posts. I became accurate enough (after a thousand rounds or so) to hit 'bullseyes' an average of 7 to 8 rounds out of 10 fired down range at almost any range target, pretty consistently. And even after a period of several months of not firing the weapon, it only took a dozen or so rounds to regain my 'feel' for ranges and targets after a prolonged period of recovery from surgery (not service related, I first had all four wisdom teeth erupt at the same time with too small of a jaw, and then had problems with my appendix). Even though newer weapons systems have been developed in the past 35+ years since my service time, I still feel the M203 is a good weapons system overall. I envy those allowed to use the m32A1, in that such a weapon in my hands 35 years ago would have been even more 'fun' to use and teach to 2nd lieutenants at Quantico.
Keep making your videos. I enjoy them and enjoy seeing others interested in the many types and kinds of weapons available for use by both civilian and military personnel.
Speaking, Frank-ly
awesome video, but i have actually read multiple books written by MAC V SOG soldiers that they really liked and widely used the buck shot round in the M79, it was the round they walked around with in the M79 and switched to HE if they needed too.
Ian you left out that the launcher also shoots star clusters and parachute flares. While these may not seem as important as the he, hedp, or the buckshot rounds, they are used in coordinating fires I.e. shift/lift fire and to illuminate enemy positions. I carried an M4/203 in 2003/2004 during off with 3/325, and kept a buckshot in the tube during raids as I was number 1 in our stack... Thanks for the video!
Carried one in germany 1984 with the 1st armoured division 1/54 infantry mailed foot. Loved shooting at the range..
"Say hello to my little friend!!!"
Learning so much from these videos. Especially about R&D approaches, intended and/or theoretical use vs. field and/or practical use, and what factors for one option to replace another. Thank you!
All this needs is the danger close pro perk.
and One Man Army Pro.
I wonder how they will adress this in MW2 Remaster. This combo was obnoxius....
@@ComissarYarrick nah we need the 1887s to return to there glorious form
If i remember correctly its detonator in HEDP rounds activates after 14.5 rotations which equaled something like 16 meters minimum arming range
The Grenade Launcher Attachment Development Program.
Now, that's a GLAD I can get behind 😁
Amazed how much simplier it got, and more useful.
I had to lug one of these around during my army days...
It could be worse, I had to lug around the m249. The LMG wasn't too bad because you have the sling, but the bandaliers with fully loaded drums were a pain in the neck.
How did an American soldier “give” it to a Canadian? I had to sign for my weapon and return it while enlisted. Sounds more like someone stole that weapon and smuggled it home to Canada..
In war time, in that era, with everything crashing down, perfectly reasonable that a Canadian might get handed just about anything. Battlefield loss was an easy explanation in that scenario, at that time.
Years (many years) later I was handed a FAL with 6 full mags by a Belgium peacekeeper because I only had a side arm and he wasn't allowed to load or even point it at the time.
After a very hot few hours I tried to give it back and he told me to keep it. Raised some eyebrows when I got back to Quantico, promptly taken away from me. Probably still there.
I wondered the same thing, I well remember the time my troop was locked down because a not-very-sharp sergeant had left an M60 out on a maneuver range when we went back to garrison; fortunately he remembered exactly where he left it, but man did the CO and 1SG go absolutely apeshit. On the other hand, my Dad had a M1897 Winchester 12ga during his first tour in Vietnam that was off the unit's books despite being marked US property; he was going to bring it home with him but as his line was heading towards the plane while those arriving were heading the other direction, he just reached out and handed it to a random soldier and said "good luck". He kinda wishes he'd kept it now, but figures since his gut told him to that it was the right thing to do.
Ever heard of Saigon Sams? Look it up, to this day people sell their gear here
There's a number of ways a soldier can lose their rifle, and once it's lost, if it's found again by someone else, what would they do? All of a sudden, extra rifle, stuck in limbo. Nobody is officially responsible for it, so why not hand it off to whoever's gonna need it?
It’s a prohibited weapon here so this company ( which appears to rent “prop” weapons to the entertainment industry) would likely have purchased it legally in the US, and may have had to deactivate it prior to registering it here. In order to register it they’d need a legitimate bill of sale from a recognized dealer. So your question might be about how did an American arms dealer get their hands on this particular piece of public property?
Wow! That's awesome. Thank you for showing a M16A1 with AAI M203. I could never hope to own one but at least I (through this channel) have seen one.
The grenades available are, or were High Explosive, High Explosive Dual Purpose (aka "Armor Piercing"), Multiple Projectile (aka "Buck Shot"), Fragmentation, Star cluster, Star Parachute, Smoke Canopy, Smoke Ground, Practice, and CS (aka "Tear Gas"). The ranges are 150 meters maximum effective point target, 350 meters maximum effective area target, 400 meters maximum range, 31 meters minimum safe distance combat, 165 meters minimum safe distance training, 14-28 meters arming distance for all but frag, frag arming 7-14 meters.
I carried one of these when in seevice.
Same here... and I loved it!
I third that, it was awesome.
Same but I hated carrying it.
@@jaken9817 Kinda screwed up the balance of the m16.
@@timinwsac At least it made firing the rifle feel like shooting a laser.
I like that Ian actually spaced out the movie armaments content. It’s like he knows what he is doing. 😁
Had an LS full sized kit of this with the rifle and the launcher back in the 80's and it was about as accurate as it could be for a plastic kit and taught me quite a lot about the operation and working parts of this weapon system
You mentioned these were phased out in 2008, but we were still using these in the US Army during 2012 and probably longer.
A really good weapon. I qualified with one at Ft. Benning
2nd 54th, Sand Hill here..
Hands down my favorite weapons system.
Carried an a2 w/ 203 for a couple years. My fav as well.
I got it when I could. I gladly traded my m9 for the m16a2/203 combo every chance I got. HE was a force multiplier when patrolling villages in the sand box.
Best weapon I carried. I also love the M60.
I was on a 105 howitzer in the 80's. I volunteered to take the 60 in our gun crew. I loved it!
Always enjoy these videos even though I’m in the UK and haven’t fired a weapon since the 80s.
Great clear delivery 👍
Don’t get mad, get glad *big fiery explosion*
“Hmmm what do we call our grenade system. It must sound cool and deadly. Got it. GLAD.”
I still loved carrying my 203. Loved that thing till I left last year. Was also the last group that came in and rushed the M16 before it was replaced with the M4
A rather long story about the differences in the rounds for the M203 and the other breech locked 40mm US weapons. We were deployed to the UK in 1980 with the 10th Special Forces Group as part of Operation Flintlock. Some of our A Teams were equipped with the M203. The UK back then was considered “USAF territory” as far as stationing of any US military forces. Our ammo supply came out of UK based ammo sources. Common ammo such as 5.56 and .45 was relatively easy to find at the many of the USAF bases located around the UK at the time. We came up short in our search for 40mm for the M203, however. We put one of our young 55B ammo specialists on the case and he located a source at Caerwent Depot located in Wales. We were located over in East Anglia at RAF Sculthorpe, quite a ways away! We did not have our helicopters with us this year, so I was directed to take an M880 truck and drive with my ammo specialist over to Wales.We loaded the truck that morning and included 2 5 gallon jerry cans of gas figuring we could make it down and back on that. Anyone who has driven the UK back then would tell you that the Motorway network in the UK was not extensive and driving east to west could be an all day affair which it turned out to be. We arrived at our destination, received our shipment after checking against what the ammo specialist ordered, and were promptly told we could not travel with the extra mogas cans and the ammo so we needed to dump it. We were given a map that included locations of USAF bases where we could refuel on the way back! This was now a Sunday. So the journey started and our first stop was a USAF base I never heard of- Chicksands. After rousting up someone to open the fuel point we were able to gas up. 13 hours after we departed Sculthorpe we arrived back with our shipment of 40mm. The next day when we went to distribute the ammo, you can imagine the surprise when we opened the crates and found what we had was 40mm ammunition for the USAF aircraft cannons. Our young 55B who ordered the ammo never knew having dealt with this type of ammo from a USAF source had ordered the wrong ammo! A 13 hour cross country trip for nada!
*Me:* Sing me the song of your people!
*M203 :* * *PLUNK**
Dutch: "if it bleeds we can kill it"
Time to bring ol painless out tha bag.
I carried that rig in the 80s. I feel so old , LOL.
We ARE old.
I was an Army Infantry (11 Bravo) Grenadier, and used the M203 while I was in. I typically practiced on the range with chalk rounds because you can clearly see the range of where you hit on the target, without blowing said target to bits, which they preferred at Ft Benning! I also launched a lot of real grenades, but those Chalk round were fun, and left a big, orange chalk spray everywhere.
It also has the side benefit of looking damn good
"If you give me this, I will use it..."
-Me, the first time someone handed me an M16A2 with an M203 in SOI.
Does anything make you prouder to be an American than the fact that we were the first to put a grenade launcher on a friggin automatic rifle? I mean, that has got to be the best thing since sharks with friggin lasers on their heads! Love the M203!
Ever heard of rifle grenades…?
@@user-njyzcip those were for full-power rifles, not Intermediate Cartridge ARs.
@@logion567 lol do you even know what you are talking about, or is FAMAS a full powered rifle now? Most NATO rifles, especially ones developed before the 40x46mm were introduced, including the M16/M4, can fire 22mm NATO grenades
I think he’s talking about an attachment that you can stick on to your rifle and just have a HE grenade ready to go at all times, instead of having to clear the weapon, load grenade blanks, and then put a grenade on the end
@@TheFirstCurse1 yeah. JFK was a damn fine president, everyone afterwards has been shit or average.
I served with 3 Squadron of the Australian SASR in Vietnam in 1969 and in a typical five man patrol the patrol commander carried an M16 with an M203 attached. Another patrol member sometimes carried an M79 as well as their normal weapon - an M16 or an SLR (FN FAL). Most patrols would have three M16s and two SLRs - the choice was up to each individual trooper. We did not usually carry sidearms. We also usually carried M26 grenades and Claymores in our packs. I had not realised we were such early adopters of the M203.
In about March or April 1969, my platoon 3rd plt,, A co, 2nd bn, 506th, 101st ABN, was issued the M203 for evaluation for approximately one month. They were issued without the peep sight on the side of the weapon and the leaf site was removed but the housing was left in place. We maintained our regular M79s during the evaluation which pretty much gave everybody except the medic and the RTO a grenade launcher. We had the opportunity to use the weapon in combat and it was very effective in projecting a strong presence at night. We developed a tactic of lofting the first round and quickly reloading and firing a second round on a flat trajectory effectively doubling our fire superiority effect. The main element of the grenade launchers for us was the difficulty, at night, to determine where the round was coming from. I wish we had had the M203 on Hamburger Hill with all of its low hanging bunker openings. You are also correct in saying that one could become very proficient with a stripped down M79. There was one fellow in my unit who won a bet by putting five out of five rounds into a well at about 250 meters. Incidentally, the sights on all of our M79s were removed in the field primarily because they rattled. I enjoyed your historical presentation.
I've been waiting for this one. We used to have two per 11 man squad.
Now imagine someone coming up to you and handing you _this_ before he gets to the chopper.
...then you take it and shout to him: "GET TO THE CHOPPAA!"
The most badass looking M16 ever.
Carried one of these during Desert Storm. Loved shooting the thing!!
I had to lug one of those around every day for two years. Trust me: It’s not forgotten.
It was better than the M60 I had to lug around for months before that, though.
Since I've never done anything like that,so I wouldn't know. Out of curiosity, how bad is it attaching an extra 3.5 pounds to your rifle? (I'm guessing that it sort of hurts after carrying it for hours, though)
“Say hello to ma little friend”
-Tony Montana
Balls
-Tony balltana
My army buddy pretty much quoted you exactly. Or rather you quoted him, his exact words "Once you get used to it you dont really even need to aim it"
I once saw a picture of early prototyping/training for the Tavor T2000's genade launcher that was just the whole front end, perforated square barrel shroud/handguard and all of an M16-M203 combo hanging off the front of a Tavor.
LOL I have memories of this weapon, my favorite one was in Tech School when I learned about it, when I had to qualify with it, I'm left handed so I used the leaf sight my weapon kept hitting right so my instructor grabs the leaf sight and bends it left and the next round was on target.
The whole marine corps still uses this lol it’s anything but forgotten 😂
leeeinfield
I handled the 203 and later a 320 little bit as well, not impressed. I'll take the 203 any day.
Heh. When Uncle Sam's handing out the new toys, the whole Marine Corps is a forgotten weapon. 🤣
Thankfully, we make the best of all the shitty old gear.
Yeah well the Marine corps was used the M60 for quite a while after the army got the m240b. And the M60 tanks for a while after the Abrams was introduced. So it doesn't surprise me. Hell our Beloved Corps still has a few cobras flying around. The Corps always did get the used army surplus weapons.
Hell my guard unit still has some 203’s collecting dust somewhere. Fired one a couple times in 2016 and 2017 I think but I haven’t seen one since
Loved seeing this video. I was an M203 grenader troop in the early 80's as part of a USAF 44 member security police ABGD team. I also got to train on the M79. Old blooper! lol. Great memories.
Lugged one of these around Haditha in 07/08. Shot 40 mike from it only like 10 times.
Turns out I really don't miss it.