Engineering:M17 rifle grenade
| M17 rifle grenade | |
|---|---|
 The M17 is the third on the right | |
| Type | Impact-fused rifle grenade |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–1945 |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Produced | May–June 1943 March–April 1944 |
| No. built | ~325,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 667 g (23.5 oz)[1] |
| Length | 248 mm (9.8 in)[1] |
| Diameter | 57 mm (2.2 in)[1] |
| Filling | TNT or EC powder |
| Filling weight | 22 g (0.78 oz)[1] |
Detonation mechanism | Impact fuze |
The M17 (also known as the T2 grenade[2] ) is a rifle grenade that was used by the United States during World War II.
Description
"GRENADE, RIFLE, FRAGMENTATION, IMPACT, Ml7—This grenade consists of a fin stabilizer assembly with impact type fuze similar to that used for Grenade, AT, M9Al. The head consists of a Mk. IIA1 hand grenade fuze body which is screwed in the fuze adapter on the stabilizer assembly. The Ml7 grenade is used in a manner identical with that of the Adapter, Grenade Projection, Ml, however, it offers a unit ready for firing without assembly in the field as is required for the Ml adapter"
WAR DEPARTMENT, INFANTRY FIELD MANUAL § WEAPON AND AMMUNITION TECHNICAL MANUAL, INFANTRY REGIMENT, PARACHUTE, June 1944, Page 43
Firing
Once the warhead is screwed in, the M17 is fitted onto a grenade launcher adapter, such as the M7 grenade launcher. A special blank .30-06 cartridge is inserted into the rifle, then fired. The M17 will not explode if it lands on sand, water or mud; only solid ground will cause it to detonate.[2]
History
Adoption
The M17 was adopted in 1943. It was the United States' primary anti-personnel rifle grenade during the middle part of World War II.[3]
Obsolescence
By the middle of 1944, the M17 had essentially been supplanted by the M1 Grenade Projection Adapter,[3] which allowed a standard grenade to be converted into a rifle grenade.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "OrData - Data Details". Archived from the original. Error: If you specify
|archiveurl=, you must also specify|archivedate=. https://archive.today/20121212221653/http://ordatamines.maic.jmu.edu/displaydata.aspx?OrDataId=801. Retrieved Feb 14, 2019. - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "M17". http://www.lexpev.nl/grenades/americas/unitedstates/m17.html. Retrieved Feb 14, 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "U.S. Rifle Grenades, WWII & After - Inert-Ord.net". http://www.inert-ord.net/usa03a/usarg/rg/index.html. Retrieved Feb 14, 2019.
External links
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