Colt XM148 UBGL

Experimental Under-Barrel Grenade Launcher

United States | 1966

"The XM-148 from Colt Firearms existed in experimental form during the Vietnam War years - it did not see widespread adoption."

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Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/12/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The M79 "Bloop Tube" was the primary weapon of the American grenadier during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). The weapon gave excellent service for its role of close-in fire support but, since it remained a stand-alone weapon by design, the operator was required to carry a secondary weapon for self-defense - typically a pistol with limited engagement range and man-stopping power. Nevertheless, its greatest asset was the capability to fire various warhead types through 40x46mm projectiles including smoke, flechette and anti-personnel through direct-line-of-sight or indirect-line-of-sight engagement.

During the conflict there grew interest on the part of the U.S. military to develop a better alternative. Colt's Karl R. Lewis responded in 1964 with what became the "XM148" single-shot system intended for mounting under the barrel of a standard service rifle. The weapon, drawn up and prototyped in less than 50 days, fielded a weight of 3lb with an overall length of 16.5 inches. The cartridge type remained the 40x46mm grenade with a rated muzzle velocity of 247 feet per second and maximum range out to 437 yards. A quadrant sighting device was fitted for ranged accuracy.

U.S. military authorities appreciated the type enough to order 20,000 examples and these became available to select troopers before the end of 1966. It was used operationally by both American and Australian special forces into 1967 but, before the end of the year, inherent deficiencies in its design were readily noted - the XM148 relied on multiple small parts and its trigger arrangement was such that it could be prone to accidental discharge when the trooper was on the march through the jungle. These issues led to the launcher being removed from service - the cost of a hasty prototyping and development period.

The XM148 was officially superseded by the well-received AAI M203 40mm Under-Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) which is still in widespread service today (2016) though stocks of the earlier weapon remained in training roles for a few decades longer.

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Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Colt XM148 UBGL. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

800 ft
243.8 m | 266.7 yds
Max.Eff.Range

6
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire

250 ft/sec
76 m/sec
Muzzle Velocity

Physical
The physical qualities of the Colt XM148 UBGL. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

419 mm
16.50 in
O/A Length

254 mm
10.00 in
Barrel Length

2.98 lb
1.35 kg
Weight

Single-Shot; Reusable
Action

40x46mm
Caliber(s)

Single-Shot; Reusable
Feed

Quadrant Sight.
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Colt XM148 UBGL Experimental Under-Barrel Grenade Launcher family line.

XM148 - Base Series Designation; introduced in late-1966 and removed from service as soon as late-1967; as many as 20,000 units produced.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Colt XM148 UBGL. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): Colt Firearms - USA

[ Australia; United States ]

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Going Further...
The Colt XM148 UBGL Experimental Under-Barrel Grenade Launcher appears in the following collections:

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