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Unknown 40mm projectile.

super7

Well-Known Member
Got this from a friend many years ago. He mentioned at the time that it came from a US airforce training ground, so it might have been used
in some kind of aircraft weapon system. Any clues?

The diameter is 40mm and total length is 79 mm.
 

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It is the high velocity 40mm grenade fired by the Mk-19 automatic grenade launcher. The gun is sometimes mounted on the chin turret of Cobra helicopters.

Is there any blue anodizing on the projectile?
 
Hazord . . . . No color of any kind visible. Could be that the previous owner had it polist at one time.

Cheers, Jan
 
I haven't seen an example of a three-piece one like this before. The two piece HE version have an aluminum ogive/fuze that screws into a steel body. There have been inert loaded versions of that design. U.S. HE grenades have a yellow Ogive/fuze and OD body.

Target practice projos are usually all blue in color. Yours appears to be a practice as it has aluminum on the base, but it does have the potential to be a dud HE.

Perhaps some of the other members are familiar with this particular three piece design.
 

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I do not think it's a dud because the guy I got it from used to be a weapon
advisor for the Dutch Air Force, and the shell feel like one piece of solid aluminum.
I expect he got the shell before his retirement which dates it back to
at least 15 years or more. Hope this helps.
 
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