Enfield Grenade Launcher Cartridge Load

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Slikker

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Hello

I am the new owner of a no.1 mk3 rifle equipped with the wire wrap and cup grenade launcher. I have seen on YouTube guys launching tennis balls with them and I was hoping to do the same, just a couple times as I think it would be fun.

Has anyone made up their own blanks to do this before? Just wondering what a good load charge would be.

Thank you
 
Slikker said:
Hello

I am the new owner of a no.1 mk3 rifle equipped with the wire wrap and cup grenade launcher. I have seen on YouTube guys launching tennis balls with them and I was hoping to do the same, just a couple times as I think it would be fun.

Has anyone made up their own blanks to do this before? Just wondering what a good load charge would be.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Just fire a regular blank as that will send the tennis ball on the way, it will have a hole blasted through it. The ballistic cartridge had to launch a one pound lump of steel so it is way more powerful hence the blank and ball does fine.
 
DO NOT use normal "Sound and Flash" Blanks for Grenade Launching of any type (either Real grenades/Inert Dummies or other Substitutes.)

The Proper Grenade Launching Cartridge uses a medium to slow burning Powder, usually similar to the original Ball Load, to get the proper pressure Curve and Propulsive effect. Remember the pressure impulse has to Fill the empty Bore, and propel the "grenade" with just sufficient "Push" not to shatter or detonate it prematurely, nor Bulge the Barrel.("HI-pressure-Lo-Pressure Effect" used in all "bomb throwing" devices, such as Mortars, Shotgun-type GLs (M79, M203 etc.), and rifle grenades.)

Fast Pistol type (or Shotgun) Powders are used for "Maneuver" Blanks for the Flash and sound, and are loaded to operate the Auto mechanism sufficiently for "Functional" Use. Hence they are High pressure (or specifically "High Port Pressure") to replicate the Gas pressures in Ball rounds, with a pressure curve that maintains the Port pressure at around 10,000 to 15,000 PSI for correct Gas/Recoil System operation. I won't go into the physics of the WW I "Bullet Trap" Grenade launching system, only to say it was a variation of the "Hi-P-Lo-P" system, allowing the use of Ball ammo to launch the grenade.

So, again, don't mess with normal "salute and maneuvered" blanks if you want to launch something, whether it is a tennis ball or a proper rifle grenade, or even a "Line Thrower" weight. Use the correct cartridge for the job, and be safe.

Regards,
Doc AV
AV Ballistics Film Ordnance Services.
Brisbane Australia.
 
The Wizard said:
DO NOT use normal "Sound and Flash" Blanks for Grenade Launching of any type (either Real grenades/Inert Dummies or other Substitutes.)

The Proper Grenade Launching Cartridge uses a medium to slow burning Powder, usually similar to the original Ball Load, to get the proper pressure Curve and Propulsive effect. Remember the pressure impulse has to Fill the empty Bore, and propel the "grenade" with just sufficient "Push" not to shatter or detonate it prematurely, nor Bulge the Barrel.("HI-pressure-Lo-Pressure Effect" used in all "bomb throwing" devices, such as Mortars, Shotgun-type GLs (M79, M203 etc.), and rifle grenades.)

Fast Pistol type (or Shotgun) Powders are used for "Maneuver" Blanks for the Flash and sound, and are loaded to operate the Auto mechanism sufficiently for "Functional" Use. Hence they are High pressure (or specifically "High Port Pressure") to replicate the Gas pressures in Ball rounds, with a pressure curve that maintains the Port pressure at around 10,000 to 15,000 PSI for correct Gas/Recoil System operation. I won't go into the physics of the WW I "Bullet Trap" Grenade launching system, only to say it was a variation of the "Hi-P-Lo-P" system, allowing the use of Ball ammo to launch the grenade.

So, again, don't mess with normal "salute and maneuvered" blanks if you want to launch something, whether it is a tennis ball or a proper rifle grenade, or even a "Line Thrower" weight. Use the correct cartridge for the job, and be safe.

Regards,
Doc AV
AV Ballistics Film Ordnance Services.
Brisbane Australia.
Click to expand...

It's not as easy as some people imagine and puts undue stress on what is valuable artifact, Damn stupid thing to do, seen from here.

Grizz
 
I am no expert but have launched tennis balls from mine using regular blanks several times with no ill effects. I use older worn tennis balls that are not a tight fit in the grenade cup.
 
^ I have seen lots of tennis balls sent to flight with regular blanks also with no ill effects. Worth reading Chapter 4. and folks can draw their own conclusions regarding ballistic cartridges V blanks cartridges for firing from a bolt gun that does not have to be cycled. I think Wizard is confused, and some high pressure movie prop blank for cycling a firearm as if it is running ball ammo is the problem, and confusion.

https://www.scribd.com/document/116...7-005pt-001-9-february-1976-Grenades-and-Pyro
 
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Movie blanks are more powerful and different than military blanks as they have to cycle the action and give a satisfactory flash and sound from an unaltered/altered firearm. Military blanks are designed to be used with blank fire attachments that fit on an unaltered firearm that restrict the gas exiting the barrel no flash needed and therefore are less powerful as they do not have to produce a higher pressure to cycle the action and give off a flash.
 
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^ (#8) You ever hear of a thing called a Blank Firing Attachment (BFA) that is attached to the muzzle end...........for firing blanks ?? Sending a tennis ball down range with a regular blank cartridge is hardly going to turn your rifle into a pipe bomb. Blanks and Ballistic Cartridges are two very different birds (not talking about some odd super ramped up prop gun blanks either made to be able to cycle a action.
 
WobblyHead said:
Movie blanks are more powerful and different than military blanks as they have to cycle the action and give a satisfactory flash and sound from an unaltered/altered firearm. Military blanks are designed to be used with blank fire attachments that fit on an unaltered firearm that restrict the gas exiting the barrel no flash needed and therefore are less powerful as they do not have to produce a higher pressure to cycle the action and give off a flash.
Click to expand...

I've handled and repaired a lot of functional "movie firearms" I have never seen one that isn't "altered" in some manner to make them incapable of firing ammunition with intact projectiles.

Garand M1 and M1 Carbines had different modifications, depending on where and who did the work. On one job, we converted 250 rifles for a movie company that was making part of a program on a regular basis in the Vancouver area. We had to remove the barrels and install TWO plugs, with small 1/8 inch diameter holes through them to allow gasses to pass and build up enough pressure to reliably cycle the op rods.

The chamber had to be drilled out to accept the plugs and leave just enough room to chamber a blank. The other had to be right in the muzzle and silver soldered in place. The insert in the chamber was press fit only.

This lot of rifles was done for Castle Armory, they rented a lot of movie set grade firearms to the different production companies in the area at the time. The rest of the order was to have a rod, with a larger diameter section on the end, that fit into the chamber welded into place. The long 1/4 inch rod extended within a half inch of the muzzle. The firing pins were removed from the bolts and the bolt faces were welded over. The rifles still cycled, but wouldn't chamber live rounds of any sort. They were prop guns and were later sold off as parts guns for $100 each, All they needed to make them fully functional was a new, complete bolt and a new barrel fitted.

You're correct about the "movie" blank cartridges, they are/were more powerful. We were supplied with a couple of crates of those blanks on enblocs to test the rifles that were modified to accept them for function.

The regular military blanks had to be cycled by hand.
 
These be me left over blanks from a big batch I got back in the 70's. They are made for noise and are extremely loud compared to grenade blanks. They also
be very corrosive to the bore if not treated with a boiling water cleaning shortly after using them. They were mercury primed. A grenade in front of one of these
buggers would definitely stress yer rifle bigtime.

Total bunch of fun though fer Halloween & New Years kaboom shows. ;)
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Here is some links to some blanks, these are exactly like the ones I got when I bought the rifle (posting from a mobile so this is easier then sending a picture)

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/attachments/ordnance-ammo/284293d1325088064-rifle-grenade-ranges-ammo-info-please-.303-grenade-cart..jpg

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/attachments/ordnance-ammo/301304d1328247596-rifle-grenade-ranges-ammo-info-please-dsc08204.jpg

Appears to be a regular 303 round with X amount of powder and what appears to be wax or some "capping" the end, no crip just open ended.

I was hoping to replicate this, but wanted to know if anyone knew the proper charge.
 
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