40mm paper weight!

ABTOMAT

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The thing that really scares me is that those are usually either timer or proximity fused, unless it was from an APC gun or something. Could have blown at any time.

I'd assume he just thought it was a training round when he found it. Those are pretty common. But man, make sure!
 

Sturluson

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The sad thing is that he not only made a mistake that cost him his hand, but he will now suffer the casual contempt of (edit out: every twit) many people who read the story.

Seems like a very big price...
 

Lightraven

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Something very similar happened at Fort Knox when I was there in 1992. Some soldiers in the motor pool were juggling 40 mm grenades, if I got the story straight. Of course, they dropped and exploded. I think some might have been killed. Several were injured.

Bored soldiers and explosives are not a good mix.
 

Makarov

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Ugh, reminds me a bit about an "close encounter" with a 40mm grenade in Lebanon.
The local militia had to check in their weapons at our (UN) checkpoints before entering the UN controlled areas. Mostly the consisted of rusted AK's but once in a while we got in M4's(never M16's:thinking: ) When they delivered the weapons to us, they had to empty them before handing them over, and we gave them back with an empty chamber as well.

So to our story;
One sunday I got a car full of people, clearly on their way for a picnic to the local river(a popular spot). Out of the car comes a drunk soldier from the local militia, toting a M4 with a M203. He clears the chamber and hands me the magazine, then he rack the mechanism on the M203 so that the 40mm grenade pops out and down on the pavement. I think I jumped at least a meter back. :sweat:
He picks up the grenade and gives it to me with the rifle. The grenade looked like it had been banged against something hard, several times. It was dented and the paint scarred.
As it wasn't allowed for the militia to carry guns in our area I *had to* take care of it until he returned... I carefully carried the grenade to the shelter where we had the weapons stashed, placing it were we put explosies.

When they came back a couple of hours later, he reloaded the gun and the M203 and threw it in the back seat with the kids. I don't think gun safety was a major concern in the militia.
 

The_LED_Museum

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When I saw the thread title, I didn't even think of ammunition. I thought of a circular device with a diameter of 40mm; probably made of glass or metal. :/
 

tvodrd

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The M79/203 HE round has a very clever fuze. It is "bore safe" in that it requires a mechanically-programmed number of revolutions after being fired through the rifled barrel before the "primer" is in alignment with the "firing pin." They have a clock work inside with centrifugal weights that remain semi-stationary with the round's angular acceleration down the barrel. The "primer" is initiated by a "puncture" from a very small/sharp "firing pin." They are among the most dangerous "dud" projectiles as after it lands the firing pin is spring-loaded into the "primer" that sets it off. Any disturbance at all can make it go boom!

The boom part is a hypereutectoid steel sphere about 1.5" diameter that is sort of knurled (to make a bunch of shrapnel) on the inside with 2 halves that are electron beam welded together. One half is threaded for the booster charge which is initiated by the "primer." They are then filled with comp B HE. I've fired an M79, and the round makes one hell of a bang at 100M!

I disassembled one in 'Nam and read all the stuff on them. They're evil! I'm very surprised none of the students suffered any shrapnel wounds! Those suckers would be greatly improved with a self-sterilization feature in case of a dud!

Larry
 

Jumpmaster

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From the article linked in the first post:
"Colla found the 40 mm round while hunting years ago and "obviously he didn't think the round was live," said Dennis Huston, who teaches computer design alongside Colla."

Summary: No one ever told him not to play with UXO.

JM-99
 

InfidelCastro

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I would like to see the round and why he thought it was safe. This really makes no sense.

The only thing I can think of is that the round was spent and he had the casing. Perhaps there was explosive primer still left in the casing?

I'm trying to think of this logically.. 8/
 

ACMarina

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I'd imagine he found it intact, and figured that it was smashed up or really old and dirty and thus couldn't be functional. I've seen shotgun shells so old that the plastic was brittle, cracking and breaking, but the powder and primer will still more than okay enough to fire..
 
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