The Kresimir is honestly the most bonkers weapon I have come across in a long while. Made by IM Metall in Croatia at the beginning of the Croatian Homeland War circa 1991, this is a semiautomatic grenade launcher. Most grenade launchers fire a big cartridge with an explosive warhead, but not this thing. Instead, it uses a 5-round magazine of M50 hand grenades with percussion fuses. A second magazine holds 7.62x39mm grenade-launching blank cartridges. Pulling the trigger drops two strikers in succession; first one to ignite the hand grenade fuse, and then one to fire the launching cartridge. What could possibly go wrong?
When you do fire, the recoil cycles the whole barrel and bolt backwards like a long recoil action, although it appears to be blowback and not locked. This loaded a fresh grenade in the barrel and leaves it ready to fire again with the next trigger pull. We don’t know how many of these insane creations were actually made, but I have multiple reports of their actual wartime use from veterans of the conflict.
The question is, whether these reports were from actual users of the weapon, or from veterans at a safe distance who saw them being used?
If you have difficulty finding reports from targets (e.g. Serbian Army) then that means that the Croatian grenade-launcher was effective. Hah! Hah!
“(…)Insane Grenade Launcher(…)bonkers(…)”
This reminded me another unconventional device for lobbing hand grenades from Great War namely
Handgranaten-
Schnellwerfer M.17
HGSW (Bauart Gergacsevics)
https://www.heeresgeschichten.at/infanterie/handgranate_schnellwerfer/handgranaten_schnellwerfer_m17.htm
it lobbed M. 16. Handgranaten from tube magazine using compressed air, see manual available at linked site.
The principle was re-used by Britain in WWII.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holman_Projector
That appears to be an variant of the Dynamite Guns of the Spanish American War era, sometimes called Air Cannons.
So … what happens if the first striker works, but the second doesn’t? Or if the launching catridge is a dud? Or if the person pulling the trigger doesn’t pull it through?
1) Aim
2) Pull trigger all the way through
3) If round does not launch, pull trigger again
4) If round still does not launch, throw launcher at enemy and take cover
Looks a decent trigger… Backbencher; and a reasonable course of action for misfires; 5 seconds I mean come on how long would it take you to clock that and lob it towards the enemy.
Are we trying to make these for disabled ethnic minority lgtb+q users or what; fire it at those lot over there, and yes throw it at them if required… Seems like a good instruction leaflet to me.
Even for C.T no? Well as I say P.C for you that, probably…
All I can say is… Yikes.
You have to wonder whose idea that was, and how long he’d been thinking about it.
Well, whoever came up with this probably did a better job than whichever committee designed the Trapdoor Springfield rod bayonets.
In defense of the rod bayonet idea… I find that the “Rosalie” sort of spike bayonet makes a lot more sense than the classic idea of using a knife on a stick… The cruciform Chinese SKS bayonet that we use-tested just did a wonderful job of penetrating and coming out again, while the fuxxored M9 and AK-style multi-purpose bastard knife bayonets all got hung up on ribs and the like. I think there’s rather more to be said for the spike bayonet than a lot of people are willing to admit, especially if they actually are going to get used as bayonets…
The rod bayonet was considered to be one of the most USELESS bayonets ever. If you stabbed an opponent and twisted your rifle, the rod SNAPPED IN HALF!! Heck, even stabbing an opponent without twisting the rifle around its bore axis risked having the rod bayonet snap from the axial stress of being thrust into someone’s gut.
Just watch this vid for more info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJS2pBRkntE
The 203 and M67’s were sphincter tightening enough. No easy way would I use this, but nevertheless, as usual, Ian delivers. Bad ass piece of journo Ian, thank you.
In function it kind-of/sort-of resembles the WW2 British PIAT, which was a “spigot mortar” setup that internally resembled a Mauser rifle bolt with spring-driven firing pin scaled up to Paul Bunyan size. This version is much easier to cock, though.
In concept, it resembles an experimental magazine-fed 3.5in M20 ATRL developed by Aberdeen in 1955. It was tripod-mounted due to its weight, and had a three-round gravity-feed magazine on top, with a crank to rotate a section of the rocket launcher tube around to allow a rocket to “drop” into place, then be rotated back to prevent rocket blast from going up the back wall of the magazine and possibly igniting the solid rocket motors of the rounds in same.
It never got past the prototype stage and I think you can guess why.
cheers
eon
“(…)experimental magazine-fed 3.5in M20 ATRL developed by Aberdeen in 1955(…)”
Now I am extremely confused. To my understanding M20 was single shot which spawned magazine-feed M25 (dubbed T115E1 by its’ manual)
https://thehistoryfiles.com/the-u-s-army-m25-rocket-launcher/
however 1500 examples were made, rather than just prototypes.
Can you provide more data regarding purported multi-shot M20?
That’s the one I was referring to. My data sources did not identify it by number, simply described it as a magazine-fed adaptation of M20.
I was unaware that more than one was ever made.
Thanks!
cheers
eon
Uses AK blanks to launch; if they fail to feed… you’re definitely going to eat it.
A scary device indeed. In this case desperation must have been the mother of invention.
This one looks like a breech birth…
Mind you, if one requires a device in a hurry to “Lob” stuff you have (M50’s) at the Normans… Or Whoever (King Kresimir the great “Brief read of his Wiki Bio” and thus, this pieces namesake; er… Go round lobbing bombs etc at various folk in order to attain the suffix; Great.” Well this is a decent design (The missing piece possibly meant you could fire another blank; mini bolt, lark… To try and lob the activated grenade, in 5 or so secs in case of failure.) Whats not to like.
Pop = Grenade fuse lit, bang = Grenade shot out, be a fair size bomb that heading out… Depends if it was cheaper than making something else, with a decent “boom” if so; get those pins pulled out and load it Farquar-Hill or not. And lob it at some Normans…
Think the author is being a bit critical, I mean; depends if you really wanted a bomb lobber, if so… I think this looks pretty good personally.
If it wasn’t for “cancel culture & political correctness” there is no reason why this could not have been exported for Duck hunting in… I don’t know; Connecticut or such.
“(…)get those pins pulled out and load it Farquar-Hill (…)”
Please provide drawing explaining proposed ameloriation.
I think this has recieved an overly crictical response, I mean; A pile of M50’s “This throws them out further and quicker than your arm, in an expeditous manner” I could make something much less safe than that to do the same thing, and if I was King Ka… Etc, I would totally expect you as my peasant posse to use it to lob it a Normans and such.
I mean what kind of softie Peasant posse are you, the Grenades in the mag won’t go off; it is a quality mag, look at it, it is.
Some people always complaining.
Lob it, and Grenades… At Normans, etc.
Mind you I have been called “Insane” at least, once. But still… I think it is quite good; definately would have won the battle of Hastings for Harold.
“(…)battle of Hastings(…)”
How could weapon requiring 20th century technology be used in battle which was in 11th century?
Heeyyyy . . .
“(…)King Ka(…)”
Who is that?
If this was a version were you popped in those tactical nukes from one of those crokket launcher things; turned into this, and you had five seconds, I could really understand folks concerns. But it isn’t. Pull the trigger again, and lob it towards the enemy while you duck incase of misfires; and quick. Meh, negligable danger; one could launch that entire thing once, in a blind panic almost as far as it would lob a grenade.
Health and safety gone mad, he he.
No I like it; the mini bolt, would have done that if present… Sure of it, you could semi auto it I reckon… The high sight position is probably for “hip firing” good gun that.
Wee rpg… Thing pop in some Grenades you have, to throw. Modular… Truly, for once.
Bugger and Grommit should knock up one to accept Brit smoke and H.E grenades, 7.62 nato; wee “modular” chamber/mag adjustable like. Snaps in two, so two folk can carry each bit. Incase of a need for it; snap the two bits together and set for smoke or bangers. Bangers and mash. Smash. See I am a good armchair gun designer, he he.
Well think of it; 5 folk will have 5 smoke grenades, they may want to lob seperately… May… But may think, well actually we could pop them in this; and actually get some cover.
No? Well I think it sounds good.
Even bomb grenades; again think about it… 5 folk have them, you may come across a situation were you think; here! Give us you grenades!! Watch this, I will run over there, cover me… Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop! BBBBBOOOM!!! OH THAT WAS HANDY. Might.
Anyway actually “Modular” for fucking once.
Pull the pins out, get over it; a Jap etc might shoot you in a minute etc anyway.
“Pull the pins out,(…)”
But why to require to do so, when advancement in technology allows you to launch grenades in quick succession, without needing that, by using SSW40
https://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.php?smallarms_id=1301
?
Because Daweo, folk have… Said M50 grenades already. Already. On them, at the time. End of.
It’s a good idea = Use what you have; to it’s maximum effect, not wait to what you may wish for.
Get the pins pulled out and loaded; good quality mag that “Tap, tap” locally produced, everyone wants it to work. Get it loaded and fired.
“You will get folk shutting there eyes for example while attempting to throw a grenade” This way, one guy; eyes open “Throws five” in order they, go somewhere towards the target. Important considerations.
You have to throw a grenade, somewhere near the target. No I like this gun, I do.
Should try it I think, vs “Eye shutting” which is understandable, grenade (Lobbing) accuracy lark; can… Firing five folks grenades of whatever type place them better, in principle (The modular part being: Yes they could still lob them as per… Per se, type thing I.e. Them; Miss or not.) Best gun I have seen in years this Croatian thing.
it seems that the Croats were inspired by the Italian light mortar from the second world war( Brixia Model 35) but they realized that it was cheaper to get hand launchers from south africa who were assigned to the commander of commando groups
sounds like a simple but dangerous piece of equipment.
any feedback from the users of mishaps
Because Daweo, folk have… Said M50 grenades already. Already. On them, at the time. End of.
It’s a good idea = Use what you have; to it’s maximum effect, not wait to what you may wish for.
Get the pins pulled out and loaded; good quality mag that “Tap, tap” locally produced, everyone wants it to work. Get it loaded and fired.
Bok! Bok! “Chicken there” get on with it.
Give it a shake, like near the ear “The mag” along with the “quality” tap, tap…
Prior to going “Bok bok!” HEY KEEP YOUR HAND ON THE FLY OFF LEVER WHEN REMOVING THE PIN “REMEMBER GRENADES… Yes? Quit instagram for a minute… Ok, you are back in the room; can you do that? Yes? Good… HEY! Yeah that, don’t let go, and pop it in there. Safe…” Mind you, they might get a notification on their ffon symudol… Burp. Probably would have worked in the… Well before phones, smartphones.
Probably safer with some sort of “disintergrating link” clip thing, you can attach to hold the fly off lever; before you remove the pin… Said clip thing then ejects (Work on it) the rest of it seems sound enough.