The M79 grenade launcher is among the most popular grenade launchers on the market, and is a favorite in the U.S. military.   The model was first used in the Vietnam War in 1961.  It is not among the most advanced firearms in the U.S. military currently, but its ease of use has made it a survivor.

This grenade launcher, nicknamed “Thumper,” uses 40 mm rounds.  It has the ability to use a variety of types of rounds, including illumination, buckshot, and explosive rounds.  The grenade launcher is a single shot, break-open firearm.  Single shot means it only holds one round at a time, and break open refers to its barrel being on a hinge that opens to load ammunition.

One of the great features of this grenade launcher is that the somewhat large sight (seen in picture) can be left folded down and still be fired with great accuracy.  The weapon is easy to load: a latch is pressed that opens the barrel, the round of ammo is inserted, the barrel is closed manually, the safety switched is pressed, and the gun is ready to be fired.  One negative aspect of the firearm (probably the only noticeable one) is that empty rounds do not exit the firearm automatically but must be removed manually.  Nevertheless, the loading process is what has convinced some soldiers to keep the M79 instead of upgrading to the M203 grenade launcher.  The weapon has recently been used by some special forces personnel in Iran and Iraq.  The grenade launcher also has reportedly better range and accuracy, and can use a wider variety of rounds than the newer M203.   Another great feature is the rubber pad on the end of the butt that absorbs some of the weapon’s recoil.  The weapon’s range is nearly a quarter-mile for a target area (as opposed to a target point).  This is about seven times farther than a grenade can be hand-thrown.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator using the M79

The advantage that the M79 has over grenades fired from a rifle is its pressure system.  Gasses build up high pressure in one chamber, then release into a low-pressure chamber where the round is held.  One safety feature of the weapon is that the fuses of the rounds are not lit until about 100 feet after they are fired.  This prevents an accidental explosion from occurring before the weapon is fired.

The best thing about the M79 is that you can get your own!  Click here to buy one.

Written by Craig Kent, member of the Best Military Surplus team.