Law and Disorder: Rearming the M72 LAW

A PALADIN PRESS BOO ISBN 0·87364-764-5

ISBN 0-87364-764-5

J.

9"780873"64 7649

Rearming the 66mmLight Anti-Tank Weapon

9000 0

Fred Brown

LAW ami Disorder Rearming the 66mm Light Anti-Tank Wenpon by Fred Brown Copyri ght 0 1994 by Fred Brown

ISBN 0-87364-764-5 Printed in the United Slates of America

INTRODUCTIO N : 1

Published by Paladin Press, a division of Paladin Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box 1307, Boulder, Colorado 80306, USA . (303) 443 -7250

PART O N E: Overview 3

PART TWO: Using the LAW 9

Direct inquiries and/or orders to the above address. All rights reserved . Except for use in a review, no portion of this book may be reproduced in aoy form without the express written permission of the publisher.

PART THREE: Rearming the LAW 23

APPENDIX: Warhead 47

Neither the author nor the publisher assumes aoy responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book.

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0, your arsenal of homemade weapons is almost complete. You've got handguns, rifles, machine guns, and grenad e launchers; CN gas, CS gas, and Mace; mantraps and booby traps. You've maybe even knocked up a few missiles. But what about the LAW? No, not the guys who chased you last Saturday night, I'm talking about the Light Anti-tank Weapon, M72, 66mm type . The LAW is available in inert, fired, or deactivated form on the surplus/collector/underground market and

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is surpris in gly eas y t o rear m . This little man ua l describes how to do jus t that, showing in illustrated, step-by-step form how to disassemble, rebuild, and rearm the weapon's internal firing components and con ­ struct a suitable pro jectile. In the United States , surplus LAWs are lik el y to be found with th e designations M72AI, M72A2, M72A3, and Practice Launcher M190. In Europe the same system is lik ely to be found with a designation su ch as RK 66m m HEAT LI A2Bl or LN CHR & RKT 66mm HEAT LI A3B!. Be warned. This m an ual is for inform ation purposes only. You sh ould n eve r mess with propell an ts, projec­ tiles, rocket launch ers, igniters, explosives, raw fish , 0 poisonous toadstools withou t first ch ecki ng w ith Mom and Dad that it is safe. Always wear gloves, goggles, safe­ ty boots, a hard hat, clean socks, an d a tic. T his ensures that if you do blo w yourself up you w i ll be smartly dressed for the fun eral. When dealing with improvised exploding things (lETs), it pays to check periodically for missing body parts, e.g., a finger. These bits are often the first to disappear wh en an experiment goes wron g. Coun t and m ak e a note of the number of fingers you have now, for future reference.

riginally developed in the mid--l960s for the U.S. Ar m y, the M72 66mm LAW is a vet eran of ma ny conflicts. Although it is n ow obsolete or obsolescent in its original form by virtue of the improve­ m en t s i n tank armor, an enhanced v e r si on (the M72E4(S(6 series, manufactured by the Tall ey Defen se Syst em s(Raufoss consortium) is still in produ ction at the time of this writing. The M72E4 has an armor-pene­ tration capability of 355 millimeters . In the U.S. Army

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LAW

AN D D ISO RDER

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th e 84mm M1361AT4 ) has tak en ove r the ro le of th e M72 LAW. The British army rep lacement [for the 66mm LAW and the 84mm Carl-Gustaf) is the 94mm LAW 80.

that runs dow n to a propellant igniter in t h e base of the rock et itself. Upon firing, flam e from the primer travels through the tube to the igniter, causing the roc ke t m otor propellan t to st art burning.

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CONSTRUCTIO N

II

The M72 series 66mm LAWs are single-shot, fire-and­ discard sy st em s. Each unit con sists of two concentric tu bes. T h e out er tube is fibergla ss an d carri es the rear sight cover, rear and front sight assemblies, safety han­ dle, trigger housing, an d trigger assembly. The inner tube is of aluminum co n struction an d is designed so as t o slide tel escopically along a ch an n el assem bly riding within an alignmen t slot in the trigger housing assembly. T he ch annel as sem bly contains a fir­ ing-pin-rod sys tem . When t he inner tub e is exten ded, as for firing, the channel assembly locks it in the fully open position. Th e las t inch or so of tra vel of the inner tube as it is extended causes the firing-pin-rod assem bly to cock the weapon.

THE ROCKET AND WARHEAD

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THE FIRING SYSTEM

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The trigger takes the for m of a rub ber-covered bar, which must be depressed firm ly to release the cocked fir­ ing-pin -rod assembly. T his cann ot be done un til the safe­ ty handle is pu lled out to the arm position . The firing. pin assembly is contained in a h ou sing mounted on the top rear section of the innermos t tube. When the trigger is depressed the spring-loaded firing­ pin rod is released and moves ba ckw ard, causing the point of th e firing "pin" to pass through a small horizon­ tal exit slo t and strike the prim er. T h e pin is then with­ drawn back in to the housing. The pri m er itself is con tain ed within a primer block in the form of a cylin drical nyl on in sert mounted in the firing-pin housing. Attached to this block is a flash tube 11

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A t ypica l 66 m m ro c k et comprises an M I8 HEAT (Hi gh Exp losive An ti -Ta n k ) warhea d, te t ryl booster, M412 PIBD (Poin t Initiating, Base De tonating) fuze, and the M5 4 rocket motor. The design of this motor is such that all the propell an t is burnt before the roc ket leaves the tube. This technique is k n own by the a cro nym ABOL, derived from the phrase All Burn t On Launch ." Systems u til izi ng the ABOL principle do n o t require a blast/heat shi eld around the fron t of th e tube as w as com m on in early bazooka-type anti-t an k launchers in which the rocket motor w as still burning fiercely when the projectile left the tube. It is perhaps worth noting here that syst ems such as the RP G-7 an d its vari a n ts emp loy an alt er n ate tech­ nique in wh ich a small charge "kicks" the pro jectile out of the tu be to a safe distan ce in fron t of the firer befor e the rocket engine pro per start s it s burn. A tt ac h ed to the n ozzl e of the LAW ro ck e t are six sprin g-loaded fins . These are folded forward along the nozzle/ m otor section when th e rock et is in the tube . Upon leavin g the tube these fin s spring out t o stabilize the rock et in flight. In i tial velocit y of the rocket is around 158 meters per second [rn/sec). The HEAT warhead section of the rocket is of a taper­ ing cylindrical design con tain ing a shaped charge based aro un d 3/4 pound of explosi ve (originally Octal) and a copper cone liner. Up on impact a piezo-electric crystal assembly in th e PIED fuze is cru shed, causing an electri­ cal cu rren t to be generated. T h e current travels along a connecting wire to the fuze, which explodes, detonating II

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OVERVIEW

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~F S

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CB

,, SL

RS

TB

RSI-I

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SP

Inner tube Outer tube RSH Rear sight housing RS Rear sight (temperature compensating) TB Trigger bar Safety lever SL

FS TS RE CB PB SF

Front sight Transportation safety pins Rear end-cap

Close-down button Primer block housing Spring-loaded fins (folded forward)

CC

LW

TA

FIGURE 3: Cross section of 66mm LAW rocket

FIGURE 1: Cross section of the M72 66mm LAW system IT OT

FZ

PB F5 FT IG FL SP

PG CT

Primer bloc k Spring-loaded fin Flash tube Igniter Fin lugs Stud plate Propellant grains Closure threads

FZ TB WB LW CC

HE NC TA

Fuze Tetryl booster Warh ead body Lead wire (running from TA to FZ) Copper cone Hi gh explosive Nose cap Terminal assembly ("LUCKY")

th e b oos t er ch a rge of tctr yl and, vi a th i s , t h e ma in shaped charge. The copper cone is converted in to a high­ ly pe netrating jet of plasma. The difference between the M72Al and M72A2 is si m ply the improved armor pene­ tration of the latter.

FB

THE SIG HTS

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FIGURE 2: Exterior of the 66mm LAW roc ket

WH

NC CL

Warhead section (black with caliber and model designatio n, ammunition lot number, and type of warhead in yellow lettering) Nose cap Closure

6 I:

RL RM

FB

FS

Round lock (transit safety) Rocket motor housing (anodized aluminum) Fuze and booster section (anodized aluminum) Fins (6, spring-loaded)

LAW H

• • • • •• •••• •• • • • • • • • •

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AND DI SORDER

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The rear sight of M 72A l and lat er- s eries sy s t em s incorporates a spring-loaded aperture plate that compen­ sates automatically for temperature variation s. A ru bber cover is fixed to the top of the sight. The fro nt sight con­ sis ts of a central, vertical range li n e indicating ranges from 50 to 350 meters in 25-met er in cre m en ts . Range estimation is faci li tated by two diverging stadia li n es, whi ch will bracket a 6-meter (20-foatJ-lon g target at that range. Th e ran ge-findin g system assumes that the target is tw ice as long as it is h igh . Provision for aim-off (lead) on a moving target takes th e form of crosses , w hich are

OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................

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visib le on the extr em e left and righ t of the sight plate. These give the correct lead for a directly cro ssing target traveling at 24 kilometers per hour [km/h] , or 15 mph . THE TRAINING LAUNCHER

Introduced for the purposes of rea li stic instru ct ion , the training launcher consists of a normal M 72A 1 tu be contain in g a telescoping M190 s ub cal iber la u ncher assem bly an d the M 73 35mm subcali ber ro ck et . The subcali ber insert is reusable. Sigh ting an d firing proce­ dures ar e the same as for the tactical weapon. T he M73 35mm rocket consists of a detonating war­ h ead, rocket motor, m otor closure, and igniter assem bly. The warhead is made of ri gi d p l astic and conta i n s app r oximately 1.5 grams of MBO composition mixtur e. Th e front part of the m otor clo sure con tains a base deto­ n at in g fuze and an M26 stab primer. When the rock et strik es a t arget an i nertia-driven firing pin stri k es the prim er, thereby settin g off th e h ead cha rge. Although pr i­ m arily a spottin g ch arge pro du cin g n oise, a fl ash, and smoke, this w ill penetrate app roximately 3 m ill im et ers of steel plate or 20 millimeters of soft wood . The ro cket motor casing itself is metal an d contains th ree tub u lar grains of M7 propell an t. Stab ili zation in flight is provided by six molded plastic fins. The foll owin g se ction is a reprin t of t h e U .S. Army LAW u ser m anual. It contai ns full details of how to arm, aim, and fire the system, as w ell as the actions that shoul d be t aken in t h e event of a m i sfir e. T h i s inform at ion applies to tubes of Am erican and European m anufacture.

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LAW

AN D DISORDER

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ABRIEf DESCRIPTION' 1,·,, 1

WEAPON DATA Pra cllco

Tactica.l

M72 A2 . M72A3

Launcher M190 ",,/R ac k el M73

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00 00 Backg round Wh i, . Prin, lno

00 00 Background Wh it. Printi ng

00 00 Background Wh ito Printin g

00 W/ Y. l1ow Printing

00 W/ YoUow Printing

0 0 WI Yollow

M72 (Hoot)

M72Al (Hca l)

Sporting eha rgo

Ca m pl. to L..n9th (Clo. od) Nominal (O pon) Namino l

24.7-l n. 34 .7· ln.

24.7-ln. 34 .7· 1".

25.3- ln . 35 .4- 1" .

Diame te r

4 .9-'n.

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M72A l Wo ig ht Coto; Ide ntific atio n Launc h. r Firing In, truc.t ion lab el

M od ol. 14t No , Dot e Mfg 14bo l W a rhoad

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M 72 A2 OP M 12 A3

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WEAPON

ON RIGHT SIDE

LABELS

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EXTERNA L VIEW AS ISSUED (NOT EX TENDED)

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EXTHIDEO (READ Y FOR USE)

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LABEL FOR PRACT ICE IT EM

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NOT E EXTERN A L V IEW OF T A CT ICA L AN D PRACT ICE W EAPON A RE ID EN T ICAL

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LAW

USING THE

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T HIS PAGE INTI NTIOHALLY Lf I'T ' LA NK

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PU l l FLAP AT N OSE EN D OF BA RRIER BAG AND OPE N T O EX PO SE CONT A IN ER EN D

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Ilr ;1. PULL PR EPA RED TEAR { ) ST RIPS O FF CO I'lTAINER END AND REM O V E COVER

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Following applies to tactical weapon only.

CHAPTER 2 OPERATION

SERVICE UPON RECEIPT OF MATERIEL

FOLLOWING APPLIES TO TACTICAL AND PRACTICE WEAPONS

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KEEP M A RKIN G "NOSE END " O F BOX FACI NG LEAS T HAZA RDO US AREA

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REMOV E C l;S H IO N IN G A ND W EAPON

EACH WEAPON SYSTEM

CRACKED TUBE DENTED PARTS MISSING PARTS LOOSE PARTS

FOR

FRAYED SLING LOOSE OR BENT REAR HOOK LOOSE OR DAMAGED SAFETY MECHANISMS BLURRED OR INCORRECT NOMENCLATURE T RIGG ER SAFETY HANDLE MUST BE IN SA FE POS ITION

STA N O TO SIDE

Of NOSE l!No­

MA RKI N G.

REA C H OVER TO P OF BOX A N D UN FASTEN WI RE HOOPS

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00 N OT USE SHARP

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LAW AND

D ISORD ER

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WARNING

00 NOT EXTEND LAUNCHER UNTIL READY FOR USE.

U S ~NG

THE LAW

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BACK BLAST DANGER ZONES

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FUR TACTICAL WEAPDNS ONLY.

4 0 METERS

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IF TIME PERMITS CHECK IGNIT ER FOR DAMAGE

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LAU NC H ER ~L

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(BROKEN, CRACKED OR SPLIT )

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(SEE INSTRUCTIONS FOR RElvIOVING CARRYING SLING)

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:m~;:::B ;tH;: Z~ i:,i&{ WARNING

IF SO DAMAGED

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UNLESS • ..

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TAPE OAMAG£D IGNITERS TO \ PREVENT LOSS OF IGNITION

MAiER :AL REPLACE SLING ASSEMS LY .

CLOSe REAR COVER AND REPLACE

PULL PIN.

p. n o"ne l a nd obstructions.

2. Body o xt,.. m ; ti. ~ a re cleo t o f Rockot exha ust e nd.

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ZON E "A " DANGeR IN THIS AREA FROM BlJ'ST . KEAT. AND PROJECTED MA TE RII\ LS.

ZONE "8" D"'~ G E R IN fH IS AREA FROM PROJECTED MA TERIA LS

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~;',r",;..'..-.',y '. : _~...~, ~ti.."'~1 0· PR EPARATI ON FORFIRING ......,~ / ';" _ .All weapons

CARRYING POSITION TO CARRY SL:NG OVER

S~OULOER

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Th o Follow in g Step s Are

Porform ed At T h. Firing Po in t.

REM OVE PULL PIN

WARNING DO NOT CARR":' W£APC1'l IN EX":'E:NCED

FOS;110N.

14

LAW

AND DISORDER

USING THE

LAW

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ON TARGET

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GRASP REAR SIGHT

JCOVER • HOLD FIRMLY

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BE SURE LAUNCHER SN APS

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FIRING POSITIONS

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PLAC E SIGHT AT EASY READING DIST ANCE

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LAUNCHER SLIGHTLY AWAY FROM BODY

KEEP LAUNCHER

READY

U UNCHER OPEN FAIL ­ CLOSE AN D SET SYSTEM ASIDE FOR DISPOSAL 8Y AUTHO RIZI D ~' AM M U N IT I O N PERSONNEL (SEE SECTION X FOR

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WARNING

1) SNA?

BY_ ~~SH I NG

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PLACE FINGERTI PS ON TRIGGER SPRING BOOT AS FAR BACK AS POSSIBLE

T_.~ ARGET

OUT W IT H RIGHT HAND

EXTENDING THE WEAPON TOO SLOW LY CAN RESULT IN FAILURE TO COCK THE W EAPON.

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AIM

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KEEP ON TARGET LEAD MARKER (TARGET MO VING

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USIN G RANGI MARKI!R FOR HEAD . ON IlA NGl ESTI MA TIO N

SIGHT S ARE COATED TO AID IN NIGHT FIRING (EXCEPT M72A3)

U SING THE LAW

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DISORD fR

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FRON T SIG HT

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O N TARGET (STATI DR MOVING TARG T HEAD-ON METERS ) AT 2

USING RAHGE MARKI!R FOR

SIOl v irw RAN Gl lSTIMATIO N

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RUBBER S' GHT BOOT

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ON T ARGET

(MOVING)

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e WAIT 10 .SECONDS

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PLACE LAUN CHER BACK ON SHOULDER

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AIM

DEP!USS TRIGGER BOOr FIRMLY TO FIIiE IF A RECOC KED WEAPON WHI CH

HAS MISFIRED STILL DOES

NOT FIRE, PU SH TR IGGE R

SAFElY HA NDLE TO "SA FE"

POSITION AND W A IT

10

SECONDS THEN

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BEFO RE REC OC KIN G If time i. not ava ila ble loy weapon dow n po int ing

a t torget - ab a ndon .

CARHULLY LAY WEA PON ON GROUND FACING TARGH AN D EV ACUATE AR EA NOTIFY A UT HORI ZE D DISPOSAL M U N IT I O~ PERSONNE!.. FOR DISPOSAL OF W EAPO N

PREPARED FOR ­ BUT NOT FIRED

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KEEP ON TARGET

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RET URN SAFETY TO SAFE •

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