The MM-1 is a 40x46mm semi-automatic
grenade launcher
A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially designed, large caliber projectile, often with an explosive, Smoke screen, smoke, or tear gas, gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary gre ...
manufactured during the 1980s in the United States by the Hawk Engineering Company from
Lake Bluff, Illinois
Lake Bluff (formerly Rockland) is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,616.
History
The first settler family to claim land within the area now part of Lake Bluf ...
.
Development
The Hawk MM-1 was adapted from the
Manville machine projector, a revolver-type 18-shot tear gas gun, developed in USA for police use before the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Michael Rogak upsized the Manville design to 40mm and made certain design changes. One innovation was Rogak's development of a
button rifling procedure for the aluminum barrel. This increased the speed of production while reducing costs. Subsequently, Rogak and a few others formed Hawk Engineering and began production of the MM-1.
Operation
The MM-1 is a revolver-type weapon, with the heavy cylinder being rotated for each shot by the clockwork-type spring. The cylinder could hold up to 12 rounds. The spring is wound manually during the reloading. It can accept any
40 mm grenade
This is a general collection of the world's many types of ammunition for grenade launchers in caliber.
Several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in 40 mm caliber.
NATO
NATO currently uses three standardized 40 mm grenad ...
of up to 101 mm length. To reload the cylinder, the rear part of the gun is released and rotated sideways to expose the rear of the cylinder, which is connected to the front part of the frame and barrel. The rate of fire can be up to 30 rounds per minute.
Operators
Jane's Infantry Weapons
Janes is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane.
History
Jane's Information Group was founded in 1898 by Fred ...
claims the MM-1 was used with special warfare units by the US and some South American and African countries,
but
American Rifleman
''American Rifleman'' is a United States–based monthly shooting and firearms interest publication, owned by the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). It is the 33rd-most-widely-distributed consumer magazine and the NRA's primary magaz ...
says "if this is so, it is on a very limited basis."
In popular culture
The MM-1 has appeared in several films and TV shows, most notably being wielded by
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
as The Terminator in ''
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)''.
The MM-1 Grenade Launcher appears in the 2012 video game ''
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2'', where it can be used in the campaign gamemode, as in the 1999 video game ''
Parasite Eve II''.
See also
*
*
References
{{Reflist
40×46mm grenade launchers
Grenade launchers of the United States
Military equipment introduced in the 1980s
Revolver grenade launchers