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%"
{| 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
|-
|-
|[[M79]]||[[Grenade Launcher]]||Semi||12 RPM||3° & 1° [[ADS]]||Unaffected||60 m/s||230 g (.5 lbs)||7 kg (15.43 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
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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;text-align: center;width:90%"
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! 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 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Weapon Script Name]]
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|-
|Launcher, Grenade, 40 mm, M79||40mm grenade||[[USA]]||1961||Springfield Armory<br> Action Manufacturing Company<br>Kanarr Corporation<br>Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge||8.5 in (24.13 cm)||13.77 in (34.9 cm)||weapon_m79_sog
|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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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 as well as "Can Cannon" in reference to the grenade size; Australian units referred to it as the "Wombat Gun".
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 was a result of the US Army's Project Niblick, an attempt to increase firepower for the infantryman by having an explosive projectile more accurate with further range than rifle grenades, but more portable than a mortar. Project Niblick created the 40 x 46 mm grenade, but was unable to create a satisfactory launcher for it that could fire more than a single shot. One of the launchers at Springfield Armory was the three-shot "harmonica" T148 (not to be confused with the later, underbarrel [[XM148]]), which did see some limited production and fielding in Vietnam, but problems with the three-round magazine prevented widespread acceptance. The other design was a single-shot break-open, shoulder-fired weapon, the S-3. This was refined into the S-5, which resembled an oversized single-barrel shotgun. Unable to solve the problems with the multi-shot T148 launcher, the Army adopted the S-5 as the XM79. With a new sight, the XM79 was officially adopted as the M79 on December 15, 1960.


In 1961, the first M79 grenade launchers were delivered to the US Army. Owing to its ease of use, reliability, and firepower, the M79 became popular among American soldiers, who dubbed it "the platoon leader's artillery". Some soldiers would cut down the stock and barrel to make the M79 even more portable.
==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.


The M79 saw combat in the Vietnam War beginning in the early days, when M79 Grenadiers assigned to major Army divisions first arrived to see combat in Vietnam in 1965, including the 1st Cavalry Division, the 1st Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. M79s were assigned to the specialist 4 grenadier in both 4-5-man fire teams organic to an Army rifle squad headed by a squad leader. The Marines assigned one grenadier to their three-fireteam 14-man rifle squad.
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===
* 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.


However, its single-shot nature was a serious drawback. Reloading after every shot meant a slow rate of fire and an inability to keep up a constant volume of fire during a firefight. This led the Navy to develop the [[China Lake Grenade Launcher]], which was produced for deployed SEAL Teams. For close-in situations, the minimum arming range (the round travels 30 meters to arm itself) and the blast radius meant a grenadier had to use his .45 ACP (11.43 mm) [[M1911]] pistol. Special grenades for close-in fighting were created to compensate, though a soldier was not always able to load one in the heat of battle. Moreover, its size meant that a grenadier armed with the M79 could not carry a rifle, having only a sidearm to use in a firefight after expending his grenades, though some grenadiers opted to carry a slung [[M16]] rifle in lieu of a sidearm.
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M79_grenade_launcher SOURCE]
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<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
  <div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Real-Life Photos</div>
File:M79 Grenade Launcher (7414625716).jpg
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File:Infantryman with M79 Grenade Launcher Vietnam.jpg
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File:M79 Grenade Launcher.jpg
File:M79 Grenade Launcher (7414625716).jpg|M79 grenade launcher.
File:M79 short 450.jpg
File:Infantryman with M79 Grenade Launcher Vietnam.jpg|U.S. infantryman with an M79 in Vietnam.
File:3D-1-1025-68.jpg
File:M79 Grenade Launcher.jpg|M79 grenade launcher.
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File:M79 short 450.jpg|M79 detail (shortened/compact configuration shown).
 
File:3D-1-1025-68.jpg|M79 and grenadier equipment.
    </gallery>
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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.
Videos
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