M17_rifle_grenade
M17 rifle grenade
Rifle grenade used by the United States in World War II
The M17 (also known as the T2 grenade[2] ) is a rifle grenade that was used by the United States during World War II.
| 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 |
"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
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]
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.
- "OrData - Data Details". Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved Feb 14, 2019.
- "U.S. Rifle Grenades, WWII & After - Inert-Ord.net". www.inert-ord.net. Retrieved Feb 14, 2019.