M18 recoilless rifle

M18 recoilless rifle
M18 recoilless rifle
	M18 on a M1917A1 Tripod
Type	Recoilless anti-tank weapon
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1945–1960s
Used by	See Users
Wars	World War II; Second Sino-Japanese War; Chinese Civil War; First Indochina War; Korean War; Algerian War; Portuguese Colonial War; Bay of Pigs; Bangladesh Liberation War; Chadian Civil War (1965–79); Vietnam War (limited); Cambodian Civil War; Laotian Civil War; Lebanese Civil War; Nicaraguan Revolution; Syrian Civil War;
Production history
Designer	Kroger and Musser
Designed	1942
Produced	October 1944
Variants	Type 36
Specifications
Mass	44.4 lb (20.1 kg)
Length	61.6 in (1,560 mm)
Crew	1 or 2
Shell	57×303mmR; HEAT (5.3 lb (2.4 kg)); HE (5.3 lb (2.4 kg)); WP (5.3 lb (2.4 kg));
Caliber	57 mm (2.2 inches)
Action	Interrupted lug rotating breechblock
Recoil	Recoilless
Carriage	M1917A1 machine gun tripod mount
Elevation	+65° to −27°
Traverse	360°
Muzzle velocity	1,200 ft/s (370 m/s)
Effective firing range	490 yd (450 m)
Maximum firing range	4,340 yd (3.97 km)
Sights	Telescope M86C 2.8-power

The M18 recoilless rifle is a 57 mm shoulder-fired, anti-tank recoilless rifle that was used by the U.S. Army in World War II and the Korean War. Recoilless rifles are capable of firing artillery-type shells at reduced velocities comparable to those of standard cannons, and almost entirely without recoil. The M18 was a breech-loaded, single-shot, man-portable, crew-served weapon. It could be used in both anti-tank and anti-personnel roles. The weapon could be both shoulder fired or fired from a prone position. The T3 front grip doubled as an adjustable monopod and the two-piece padded T3 shoulder cradle could swing down and to the rear as a bipod for the gunner. The most stable firing position was from the tripod developed for the water-cooled Browning M1917 machine gun.