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Infantry Small Arms / The Warfighter

M67 Recoilless Rifle


Portable Anti-Infantry / Anti-Armor Weapon [ 1963 ]



Despite its entry of service in the early 1960s, the M67 Recoilless Rifle has managed a healthily long service tenure and is still being encountered today.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/27/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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The recoilless rifle became a prominent battlefield anti-tank weapon during the 1950s and 1960s as enemy tank armor (primarily Soviet in nature) became increasingly effective. In the U.S. Army, the recoilless rifle followed the storied Bazooka series of World War 2 (1939-1945) and encompassed such designs as the M67. The recoilless rifle received its name from its action which reduced recoil effects of the exiting projectile by expelling some of the resultant propellant gases out of the rear of a launch tube. Today's best modern interpretation of such a weapon is the Swedish M2 Carl Gustav 84mm. Comparable weapons of the period included the famous Soviet RPG-7.

The M67 was born from design work in the 1960s and entered service in time to see combat action in the Vietnam War (1955-1975). The weapon system was essentially composed of a long, Bazooka-like launch tube with integrated sighting device (telescopic with stadia line rangefinding) and grip-handle trigger area. Due to its "recoilless" design, no complex recoil arrangement was needed which simplified both general operation and serial production of the weapon. A hinged assembly at the rear of the tube allowed access to the breech for reloading. Projectiles were 90mm in caliber was originally intended for anti-armor work but soon found to have value in tackling fortifications. An anti-personnel round also allowed for engagement of dug-in enemy troops at range. A standard M67 operating crew numbered three and a bipod and monopod support pairing was provided along the weapon's length. A heatshield served to protect the primary firer from the heat being generated by the launch tube during firing. Overall system weight was 38 lb with an overall length of 53 inches.

The 90mm projectile was issued as a single-piece munition and its spent shell casing was ejected from the rear of the launch tube after firing. Reloads were dependent upon existing in-the-field stocks. Rate-of-fire was one round-per-minute with five rounds-per-minute made possible under extreme circumstances. Maximum engagement ranges reached 2,300 yards. M371 designated practice projectiles while the M371A1 HEAT was the primary "High-Explosive, Anti-Tank", shaped-charge projectile. M590 served as the anti-infantry flechette round.

Despite its relative effectiveness on the battlefield, the M67 proved a cumbersome weapon being both long and heavy. Three crew had to be committed to the system for efficient function. As such, troopers generally favored their old, improved Bazooka forms (primarily the M20) which were far more portable and achieved similar results against infantry with its 60mm rocket projectile. Additionally, the M67's action resulted in a considerable (and dangerous) amount of back-blast which could end up endangering crewmembers or allied forces nearby. Despite this, the weapon maintained a battlefield role for decades after its adoption. It managed a frontline U.S. military presence into the mid-1970s though many were held in reserve or storage and still operated by specialist forces. From this point on, the M47 "Dragon" and Hughes TOW anti-tank missile systems took over the portable anti-armor role.

Beyond actions in the Vietnam War, the M67 saw use in the Salvadorian Civil War (1979-1992) where the U.S. supported the Salvadorian government. With the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the need for a portable anti-fortification/anti-personnel weapon became apparent once more and existing stocks of M67s were brought back in force, serving elements such as the storied 101st Airborne. M67 service continues today (2015) nearly 50 years since introduction of the weapon. Amazingly, as an anti-armor weapon, there is little information regarding its use or effectiveness again enemy tanks.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
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Specifications



Service Year
1963

Origin
United States national flag graphic
United States

Classification


Portable Anti-Infantry / Anti-Armor Weapon


National flag of Afghanistan National flag of the Philippines National flag of South Korea National flag of the United States National flag of Vietnam Afghanistan; El Salvador; Philippines; South Korea; South Vietnam; United States; Vietnam
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Special Forces
Qualities of this weapon have shown its value to Special Forces elements requiring a versatile, reliable solution for the rigors of special assignments.


Overall Length
1,345 mm
52.95 in
Barrel Length
1,345 mm
52.95 in
Empty Wgt
37.48 lb
17.00 kg
Sights


Integrated Telescopic.


Action


Recoilless; Reusable Launch Tube

(Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information)


Caliber(s)*


90mm

Rounds / Feed


Single-Shot; Reusable Launcher
Cartridge relative size chart
*May not represent an exhuastive list; calibers are model-specific dependent, always consult official manufacturer sources.
**Graphics not to actual size; not all cartridges may be represented visually; graphics intended for general reference only.
Max Eff.Range
5,576 ft
(1,700 m | 1,859 yd)
Rate-of-Fire
1
rds/min
Muzzle Velocity
215 ft/sec
(66 m/sec)


M67 - Base Series Designation


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
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Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery



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Image of the M67 Recoilless Rifle
Image from the United States Army image archives.


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