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Originally Posted by ArmySGT.
Any thoughts on older designs like recoilless rifles making a comeback with anti tank missiles all but impossible to reproduce? Shells for recoilless rifles, anti tank guns, and even anti tank rockets like the AT4, LAW, and RPG-7 are not much more sophisticated to make than the fused mortar and artillery shells being produced post-2000.
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I don't see them making a comeback as many weapons systems never left
As of 2001 the M67 Recoilless Rifle is still in production in South Korea ( Worldwide Equipment Guide 2001) Many more are still in service with avalanche control units of the National Park Service or Private Avalanche Control Companies. Apparently the ammunition stock pile was quite large as they are only now starting to run out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/us/20alta.html?_r=0
http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?...losed.html.csp
The US must also have a fair number still held in reserve as they were issued to troops in Afghanistan in 2011
http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/201...apons-arsenal/
Although the M72 is no longer use in general service by the US Military, Many NATO, and US Allies still use it. American production of the M-72 began by Hesse-Eastern in 1963, and was terminated by 1983; currently it is produced by Nammo Raufoss AS in Norway and their subsidiary Nammo Talley, Inc. in Arizona.
http://www.talleyds.com/Talley%20Nam...2_products.htm
AT-4 is still being produced in Sweden by Saab Bofors Dynamics and in US by Alliant Techsystems Inc who operates the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant having taken it over from the Olin Corporation in 2001. I’m thinking many more companies would begin making it as US and World Wide demand goes up.
As stated in my pervious post the 105 mm M2A1 (M101A1) Howitzer is still used by Canada and by over 50 other nations. This is WWII tech and it still going strong.
Your retooling is interesting but I remember this TV show on discovery called Sons of Guns. During one of episodes they work on a Soviet 152mm Towed Howitzer M1955 (D-20) I think might have I D1. Anyway they made shells at their shop while they did not go into great detail, it dose beg the question, could this be done on a small scale locally.