40mm projo ID

[dano1917]

Ran across this 40mm projo. Would like to know usage and era....Dano

 

[EODGUY]

Dano, You have the projectile from the 40mm M385 series Practice round. Not sure when the E4 vesion was fielded, but the basic M385 was around during Vietnam. You can find many different shades of blue anodization on the projectile. As you can see, my example is a very light blue. The projectile is solid alluminum with a gilding metal rotating band. The case is the hi-velocity type M169. It gets a little confusing with this model number. The practice round has an M2 propellant charge. There is an M385 Dummy round with the same projectile that is inert and marked "DUMMY" that was used in weapons function testing. There is also an M385 Proof loading with this projectile (Black projectile) that is marked "PROOF". Of course, the Proof load has a larger than normal propellant charge.

 

[EODGUY]

Dano, My computer went crazy on me trying to post these two photos of two other M385's. The case on the proof round is marked XM169 and is different from the typical M169 fielded. The markings on the other round are hard to read, but it is another Practice version.

 

[HAZORD]

Dano,

To add to what Bob has said, your M385 is the older design of solid aluminum projectile for the automatic grenade launcher, which was fired from launchers mounted on vehicles or on the chin turret of the Cobra helicopter during and post Vietnam era.

When I say older design, I'm meaning that it is the shape of the M384 HE grenade. The newer copies of this projectile have their ogive in the shape of the HEDP grenade, which is a bit flatter and is the currently used grenade.