M79 SOG: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of Vietnam]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
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! [[Damage]]!! Radius  
! [[Damage]]!! Radius  
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|[[File:Flag_us_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[US]]</strong> || [[File:M79 sog.png|512px]]<br><b>[[M79 SOG]]</b> || [[File:Weapon m79_sog.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Engineer.png|50px]] <b>[[Engineer]]</b><br>|| 1 / 2 || 125 || 175
|[[File:Flag_us_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[US]]</strong> || [[File:M79 sog.png|512px]]<br><b>[[M79 SOG]]</b> || [[File:Weapon m79_sog.svg|512px]] || [[File:Class_Engineer.png|50px]] <b>[[Engineer]]</b><br>|| 1 / 2 || 125 || 200
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! rolspan=2 | [[Projectile weight]]
! rolspan=2 | [[Projectile weight]]
! rolspan=2 | [[Weight]]
! rolspan=2 | [[Weight]]
! rolspan=2 | Reload Speed
|-
|-
|[[]]||[[]]||Semi||RPM||° & ° [[ADS]]||Unaffected||m/s||g (gr)||kg (lbs)   
|[[M79]]||[[Grenade Launcher]]||Single Shot||12 RPM||3° & 1° [[ADS]]||Unaffected||60 m/s||230 g (.5 lbs)||7 kg (15.43 lbs)||3.166 Seconds
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
|-
! rowspan=2 | Buckshot Damage Base  
! rowspan=2 | [[Headshot]] ×
! rowspan=2 | Chest ×
! rowspan=2 | Stomach ×
! rowspan=2 | Leg ×
! rowspan=2 | Arm ×
! rowspan=2 | [[Range Modifier]]
|-
|25x6||×2.5 = 62.5||×1.5 = 37.5||×1.25 = 31.25||×0.9 = 22.5||×0.85 = 21.25||0.75
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! rowspan=2 | Full name  
! rowspan=2 | Full name  
! rowspan=2 | [[Ammo Type]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Caliber]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Place of Origin]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Place of Origin]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Date]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Date]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Armory]]   
! rowspan=2 | [[Manufacturer]]   
! rowspan=2 | Barrel Length
! rowspan=2 | Barrel Length
! rowspan=2 | Total Length
! rowspan=2 | Total Length
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
|-
|-
|FN||AT||PoO||D8||Arm||in (mm)||in (mm)||weapon_
|Launcher, Grenade, 40 mm, M79||40mm grenade<br>12 gauge Buckshot||[[USA]]||1961||Springfield Armory<br> Action Manufacturing Company<br>Kanarr Corporation<br>Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge||8.5 in (215.9)||13.77 in (349.7 cm)||weapon_m79_sog
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<hr>
<hr>
TEXT GOES HERE
The '''M79''' grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action launcher that fires 40×46mm low-velocity grenades using the U.S. High-Low propulsion principle to keep recoil manageable. It became closely associated with U.S. forces in the Vietnam War, where it provided infantry squads with accurate, portable explosive fire out to several hundred meters. Its distinctive “bloop” report earned it many nicknames, including “Thumper,” “Bloop Tube,” and “Blooper,” with Australian units also referring to it as the “Wombat Gun.”
<hr>


==HISTORY==
The M79 grew out of the U.S. Army’s Project Niblick effort to give infantrymen an explosive projectile more accurate and longer-ranged than rifle grenades while remaining more portable than a mortar. While multi-shot launcher concepts like the three-round “harmonica” T148 saw limited evaluation, the Army ultimately standardized the simpler single-shot break-open design lineage (S-3 to S-5) as the XM79, adopting it as the M79 on December 15, 1960. The weapon’s straightforward manual of arms and reliability made it popular, and by the mid-1960s M79 grenadiers were fielded widely in Vietnam, typically as a dedicated grenadier within rifle squads and fire teams.


<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
In Vietnam combat, the M79’s major drawback was its single-shot rate of fire and the fact that many grenadiers carried it as their primary long arm, leaving them with only a sidearm after expending grenades unless they also slung a rifle. The minimum arming distance of standard 40mm HE rounds also complicated very close engagements, driving the use of special-purpose ammunition and inspiring repeating-launcher concepts such as the Navy’s [[China Lake grenade launcher]] for SEAL use. The underbarrel launcher concept later addressed many of these issues by pairing a grenade launcher with a standard rifle, eventually leading to systems like the [[M203]].
File:
</gallery>


===Sources===
* https://www.benning.army.mil/Infantry/Weapons/Content/PDF/M79.pdf M79 40mm Grenenade Launcher | U.S. Army (Fort Benning / Infantry)
* https://www.nps.gov/spar/learn/historyculture/us-wwii-arms.htm U.S. Small Arms (collection context for later U.S. weapons including grenade launchers) | Springfield Armory National Historic Site (NPS)
* https://smallarmsreview.com/the-m79-grenade-launcher/ The M79 Grenade Launcher | Small Arms Review
* Dockery, Kevin. ''Weapons of the Vietnam War''. Amber Books.


<hr>
<hr>


<div class="mw-collapsible" style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; width:100%;">
  <div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Real-Life Photos</div>
  <div class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top:0.5em;">
    <gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:M79 Grenade Launcher (7414625716).jpg|M79 grenade launcher.
File:Infantryman with M79 Grenade Launcher Vietnam.jpg|U.S. infantryman with an M79 in Vietnam.
File:M79 Grenade Launcher.jpg|M79 grenade launcher.
File:M79 short 450.jpg|M79 detail (shortened/compact configuration shown).
File:3D-1-1025-68.jpg|M79 and grenadier equipment.
    </gallery>
  </div>
</div>
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Latest revision as of 23:22, 24 February 2026

Factions Weapon Icon Classes Ammo Explosion
Damage Radius

US
M79 SOG		 Engineer
 1 / 2 125 200
Designation Weapon Type Fire Modes Fire Rate Bullet Spread ° Range Modifier Muzzle Velocity Projectile weight Weight Reload Speed
M79 Grenade Launcher Single Shot 12 RPM 3° & 1° ADS Unaffected 60 m/s 230 g (.5 lbs) 7 kg (15.43 lbs) 3.166 Seconds
Buckshot Damage Base Headshot × Chest × Stomach × Leg × Arm × Range Modifier
25x6 ×2.5 = 62.5 ×1.5 = 37.5 ×1.25 = 31.25 ×0.9 = 22.5 ×0.85 = 21.25 0.75
Full name Caliber Place of Origin Date Manufacturer Barrel Length Total Length Weapon Script Name
Launcher, Grenade, 40 mm, M79 40mm grenade
12 gauge Buckshot		 USA 1961 Springfield Armory
Action Manufacturing Company
Kanarr Corporation
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge		 8.5 in (215.9) 13.77 in (349.7 cm) weapon_m79_sog


The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action launcher that fires 40×46mm low-velocity grenades using the U.S. High-Low propulsion principle to keep recoil manageable. It became closely associated with U.S. forces in the Vietnam War, where it provided infantry squads with accurate, portable explosive fire out to several hundred meters. Its distinctive “bloop” report earned it many nicknames, including “Thumper,” “Bloop Tube,” and “Blooper,” with Australian units also referring to it as the “Wombat Gun.”

HISTORY

The M79 grew out of the U.S. Army’s Project Niblick effort to give infantrymen an explosive projectile more accurate and longer-ranged than rifle grenades while remaining more portable than a mortar. While multi-shot launcher concepts like the three-round “harmonica” T148 saw limited evaluation, the Army ultimately standardized the simpler single-shot break-open design lineage (S-3 to S-5) as the XM79, adopting it as the M79 on December 15, 1960. The weapon’s straightforward manual of arms and reliability made it popular, and by the mid-1960s M79 grenadiers were fielded widely in Vietnam, typically as a dedicated grenadier within rifle squads and fire teams.

In Vietnam combat, the M79’s major drawback was its single-shot rate of fire and the fact that many grenadiers carried it as their primary long arm, leaving them with only a sidearm after expending grenades unless they also slung a rifle. The minimum arming distance of standard 40mm HE rounds also complicated very close engagements, driving the use of special-purpose ammunition and inspiring repeating-launcher concepts such as the Navy’s China Lake grenade launcher for SEAL use. The underbarrel launcher concept later addressed many of these issues by pairing a grenade launcher with a standard rifle, eventually leading to systems like the M203.

Sources

Real-Life Photos
  • M79 grenade launcher.
    M79 grenade launcher.
  • U.S. infantryman with an M79 in Vietnam.
    U.S. infantryman with an M79 in Vietnam.
  • M79 grenade launcher.
    M79 grenade launcher.
  • M79 detail (shortened/compact configuration shown).
    M79 detail (shortened/compact configuration shown).
  • M79 and grenadier equipment.
    M79 and grenadier equipment.
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