Colt / AAI M203

History of Colt / AAI M203

The M203 is a single-shot, reusable 40mm grenade launcher designed to extend the range of the standard infantryman, making him a more balanced warfighter. The system fits under the barrel of an assault rifle or carbine and can be used without extensive modifications to the base weapon. The M203 debuted in 1969 and entered service shortly after. Before the arrival of the M203, the US Army relied on the M79 stand-alone single-shot grenade launcher - especially during the Vietnam War - but the operator's limitations quickly became apparent: the operator only had a pistol as his secondary weapon. Likewise , Colt Firearms' experimental XM148 single-shot grenade launcher (attached to the M16 military rifle) became another viable option at the time, and while the weapon was tested in the field during the conflict with mixed results, it was unable to gain more Great foot grip.

This stage of development culminated in AAI's M203, which subsequently replaced the M79 and XM148 series.

The M203 was originally designed and developed specifically for use with the then Colt M16 series rifles and related carbines, as these were still standard firearms in the US military. The grenade launcher system is placed under the front of the gun, just below the barrel, and has an integrated trigger unit. Since there is no pistol grip, the operator will use the M16's magazine as the foregrip when operating the M203.

Iron sights for range finding are supplied as standard and operate separately from standard telescopic sights.

As the M203 grew in popularity, the M203 proved to be a versatile weapon, as evidenced by its many operators around the world. The weapon fires eight different 40mm howitzer rounds, including the M406 HE (High Explosive), M433 HE DP (High Explosive Dual Purpose) Armor Piercing, M585 White Cluster Flare and M651 Tactical CS Crowd control CS Gas Ammunition for Training M781 practice rounds, white, green and red star parachute illuminators/signals, red, green and yellow ground markers for marking targets or locations, and Buckshot range for close room clearing.

Each M203 weighs about 3 pounds, bringing the total weight of the standard M16A2 series rifle (already 8.79 pounds) to an acceptable operating weight of less than 12 pounds. An effective accuracy range of 492 feet can be achieved, and depending on environmental conditions, ranges of up to 1,148 feet can be seen.

The official maximum range of the M203 is 1,312 feet, and the effective minimum range is just over 100 feet (the latter for safety reasons). M203 units are equipped with manufacturer-supplied blade sights, quadrant sights and handguards.

Variants of the M203 include the original M203 mount for the M16A1, M16A3 and M16A3 series rifles and the M4 and M4A1 series carbine systems. This particular model has a 12-inch barrel. Complementing the M4 and M4A1, the barrel length of the M203A1 was shortened by 9 inches.

The M203A2 is designed for use with the M16A4 MWS (Modular Weapon System) and is 12 inches in length. The M203 PI is designed to adapt the M203 grenade launcher to non-M16/M4 systems.

The M203 proved so popular at the time that foreign arms companies were forced to develop local M203 mount options for specific rifles and submachine guns.

While the Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher also fires 40mm rounds, it has a slightly different caliber (40x53mm) and a higher rate of fire than the 40mm rounds used in the M203 (40x46mm).

The new M320 single-shot, dual-action side-loading grenade launcher is designed to replace the M203 in service with the U.S. Armed Forces, ending the legacy of the M203 in the U.S. militarys roster. Several other countries have also retired the type from service.

M203 is manufactured by AAI Corporation, Colt Defense, Diemaco, Airtronic USA, RM Equipment, US Ordnance, Knight's Armament Company and Lewis Machine & Tool Company. While AAI was the original manufacturer of the weapon, they were not set up for mass manufacturing, so Colt received a new production contract from the U.S.

Department of Defense. AAI is only responsible for the first 10,000 units. The Colt version is faithful to the original AAI design.

Specification

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Changes