Tracers

[39mto39g]

Laws were great for blowing bunkers or holes in the ground. Tie two togeather with a 1/2 block of C-4 and use some det cord. The guys that had to carry a Law were more than happy to give them up.

Steve,
your artical says the tracer starts at 100 yards, but sure seemed alot closer than that, looked like 30 feet maybe.

Ron

[82Rigger]

Andy:

I've done a fairly extensive web search for 40mm WP ammo for the M79 and turned up nothing detailed. Just several vague references that it did exist.
Do you happen to remember the "M" designation for the round, or the color coding on the projectile?
Also, I posted an inquiry in the MILITARY WEAPONS forum. Maybe Col Murph can help.

Ron:

The data on the .50 tracer states that the FULL ILLUMINATION (bright) trace starts at 100 yards. The data on the 7.62 and 5.56 tracers is worded the same way. The tracer chemical obviously has to be burning when the bullet leaves the barrel, since the powder charge in the cartridge is what lights the tracer chemical.
So...I'm thinking that there might be a faint or dim trace out to 100 yards before it goes bright.
You're right...the trace is difinitely visible a couple of meters from the weapon, well before it reaches 100 yards.

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[Andy]

M-79 ammo - HE was was sort of a silver/bronze color, shot gun rounds were black. For the life of me I can't remember the other colors. "M" designators for ammo - dude, your about the only person I know who remembers or knows that sort of thing. There were lemon drop shaped frags and the baseball frags but the numbers, no idea. By the way, I never used or even saw a flechette round for the 79, we just had the shot gun rounds and they were hard to get.

I don't know if it will help but when we first got to RVN, don't recall WP rounds, maybe but I don't remember them. We definitely had them before TET.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[39mto39g]

As I recall the WP rounds had a white top and the flishett rounds were all silver colored (Aluminum) and flat nosed. But then, I thought the powder went in first on the 175.

Ron

[82Rigger]

...don't feel too bad about the 175mm powder thing.
We're all getting old!

Hell, I have to write myself memos to go to the bathroom.

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[Sgt_Tropo]

The only WP rounds I ever saw for the M79 were white tipped, with a bronze or gold colored casing. I only fired two or three of those, but like was stated earlier, they were a great deterrent. Uncle Chuck knew all about WP and didn't want any part of being on the receiving end. This was more evident from the WP arty rounds than any M79 round I fired, but WP is WP.

I also never saw the flechette round, but used many of the buckshot rounds. However, the buckshot rounds I used were highly modified to provide a much greater range and penetration. Those standard buckshot rounds were near useless in heavy foliage, but the modified rounds were quite effective.