Tony Montana was the poster child.
However, that simply meant he had a long way to fall.
Along the way, Tony made some powerful enemies.
Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division during Exercise GRANADERO I in 1984. They are armed with M16A1 rifles fitted with M203 grenade launchers. Image: NARA
Meanwhile, a veritable army of hired sicarios staged downstairs ready to turn him off.
before blowing the doors off their hinges with a 40mm round.
The despotic drug lord then engaged in a roaring gun battle with the accumulated hitmen.
Before it was over Tony had been shot about a zillion times.
The chief hitman, nicknamed the Skull, then capped him from behind with a side-by-side 12-bore.
Tonys body pitched forward artistically to land in his indoor fountain.
The Marine on the right is armed with an M203 grenade launcher attached to an M16A1 rifle and is also carrying anM72 anti-tank rocket launcher. Image: NARA
Fake blood went everywhere.
Okay, so lets pick this apart.
Brian DePalmas magnum opusScarfacewas indeed a cinematic classic.
Lance Cpl. Erick M. Mistretta prepares to load an M203 grenade launcher during weapons systems familiarization at Camp Hansen. Image: NARA
Al Pacinos portrayal of the lost drug lord Tony Montana was arguably the most powerful role of his career.
The tactics of the shootout were, as expected, pretty ate up.
Tony only fired two rounds out of his M203.
U.S.A.F. A1C Vincent Ouchana and SrA Efrain Espinoza fire M16 rifles with M203 grenade launchers during the combat weapons event of DEFENDER CHALLENGE 2000. Image: NARA
In both cases the warheads should not have had time to arm based upon the abbreviated range.
Tony did swap magazines a couple of times in his M16, so theres that.
Im nothing special, but I have some cool friends.
The design of the M203 really is quite simple. It is little more than a rifled tube with a firing mechanism that fastens to a standard M16 rifle.
Ive actually hefted the weapon used in that scene.
The M16 was fairly unremarkable, and the M203 was a theatrical dummy.
I subsequently used them on and off for eight years in uniform.
Two U.S. Marines come under sniper fire in Mogadishu. The Marine in the foreground carries an M16A2 rifle with the M203 attached. Image: DoD
When finally I accumulated the means I bought my own.
In the Beginning…
The M203 grenade launcher is itself fairly uninspired.
Pictured above, the author loads the M203 grenade launcher. The 40mm projectiles can be equipped with varying payloads for different needs.
A slide-action, single-shot design, the action cocks automatically on opening.
It is, in essence, just a big honking rifled tube that rides underneath the host rifle.
There is a synthetic handguard riveted onto the barrel and a pivoting safety located inside the trigger guard.
The 40mm low-velocity grenades use an unusual and efficient propulsion design that allows for very good firepower and simple launcher designs. Image: NARA
To load the M203, you thumb the barrel release on the left and slide the tube forward.
Slip in a round, kill the tube, and ensure the safety is off.
Point the M203 at something you dislike and squeeze.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Eric Martinez fires an M203 grenade launcher during training at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Image: Pfc. Zane Ortega/U.S.M.C.
The real magic of the M203 is its ammo.
Meanwhile, British and American heavy bombers pounded German industrial facilities day and night.
In an effort at conserving both propellant stocks and raw materials, the Germans designed the Hoch-und-Niederdruck System.
Cpl. DeChristopher Curtin was armed with M16A2 and M203 while manning a post in Gnjilane, Kosovo. He is armed with an M16 and M203. Image: NARA
This roughly translates into High-Low Pressure System.
Conventional high-velocity anti-tank cannon consumed relatively modest volumes of propellant, but required heavy barrels and breeches.
The German High-Low Pressure System was designed to remedy that.
U.S. military personnel guard People’s Revolutionary Army members captured during Operation URGENT FURY. The serviceman in the foreground is armed with an M16A1 and M203. Image: NARA
This revolutionary design is essentially a pressure vessel within a pressure vessel.
It also conserved propellant compared with other recoilless weapons.
Americanization
In 1960, the U.S. Army formally adopted theM79 Grenade Launcher.
This 26th Marine Amphibious Unit member is armed with an M203 40mm grenade launcher-equipped M16A1 rifle during OCEAN VENTURE ’84. Image: NARA
The effective casualty radius for standard HEDP (High Explosive Dual Purpose) round is five meters.
The warhead will punch through two inches of steel armor plate.
For all its radical capabilities, the M79 was a single-shot weapon.
Grenadiers were typically issued a 1911 handgun as a back-up.
However, on the modern battlefield, the lack of a rifle was a serious handicap in a firefight.
The answer was the XM148 under-barrel grenade launcher.
This single-shot launcher mounted underneath the barrel of a standard M16.
The XM148 incorporated an extended trigger assembly that was accessible without removing the firing hand from the pistol grip.
The subsequent M203 effectively addressed these problems.
Ruminations
An M16 or M4 equipped with an M203 is undeniably portly.
Additionally, the slide-action nature of the design limits the length of the ammunition that fits in it.
The current replacement, the M320, sports a pivoting barrel that alleviates that problem.
My M203 came from Lewis Machine and Tool.
The M203 is classified as a Destructive rig (DD) and requires an extensive process to transfer.
Owning your own M203 is lyrically impractical but nonetheless remains more fun than watching chimps manage Slinkies.
Say hello to my little friend … .
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