Rifle Grenades

[Mahatatain]

Firstly does anyone know if the Soviets ever manufactured any rifle grenades like the US M31 HEAT rifle grenade?

Secondly how easy do people think that it would be to manufacture a bullet trap grenade and would this become a replacement for grenade launchers as 40mmS and 40mmN grenades because harder to obtain as the Twilight War progressed?

[pmulcahy11b]

AFAIK, only the Polish manufactured rifle grenades after World War 2 (though the Hungarians and Romanians also used the Polish grenades), and these required a ballistite cartridge and a special attachment for the rifle to use them.

Reverse engineering is always possible, of course, if the Soviets or Warsaw Pact felt it necessary. NATO seems to have moved away from rifle grenades to underbarrel grenade launchers, and the Russians and former Warsaw Pact countries also seem to have moved toward underbarrel grenade launchers. These are much easier to use and the ammunition is much more compact and just as effective in most cases. The French appear to be an exception.

BTU rifle grenades are generally designed to be used with a specific caliber of ammunition, and a flash suppressor of a certain diameter (generally a 22mm flash suppressor, as used with the 5.56mm cartridge).

[HorseSoldier]

There's a website somewhere on line for 37 and 40mm GL enthusiasts which includes info on reloading fired cartridges.

[dragoon500ly]

Both the French and the Belgians use(d) rifle grenades up until the 1970s, let me do some digging and see if I can get you further info.

[perardua]

The British forces used a rifle grenade until the introduction of the UGL, though I never saw one in service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_G...eneral_Service

[pmulcahy11b]

I have some of those on my site, but I thought he was referring to Warsaw Pact rifle grenades.