M7 Grenade Launcher - Improved Models

Improved Models

• M7A1 (Springfield Armory T95) : The major problem with the M7 grenade launcher is that it left the gas cylinder lock closed when attached, venting the cylinder. This meant the operator would have to cock the weapon to extract the spent cartridge and load a fresh one from the en-bloc clip in the magazine. The M7A1 incorporated a spring-loaded piston designed to keep the gas cylinder closed when loaded until the grenade was fired, but then opened to allow normal semi-automatic function. The spring-loaded launcher also recoiled when fired, preventing damage to the rifle. The M1 Garand design was modified to use a hardened gas cylinder lock (marked with an 'H', for "Hardened") dubbed the "Flat-Edged Lock" (Ordnance Part No. 7265959). This allowed prolonged use of the new launcher system.
• M7A2 : The only problem with the M7A1 was that sometimes the launcher would get stuck when fired or the gas cylinder lock would break. This rendered the rifle and launcher useless and required repair by an armorer with special tools. The jamming problem was solved by using a heavier spring-loaded piston on the launcher and introduced a redesigned grenade retaining spring. The M1 Garand was then modified with a distinctive dual gas cylinder lock (marked with a 'M', for "Modified") dubbed the "High Hump Lock" (Ordnance Part No. 7265871). The launcher had a mount machined into it to take a proposed leaf-sight that was never adopted.
• M7A3 (Ordnance Part Number 7266167) : During the Korean War, it was found that the World War II-era Anti-Tank grenades were useless against the Soviet T-34 tanks fielded by the North Korean army. A new high-velocity anti-tank rifle grenade called the Mecar ENERGA (dubbed the M28 in US Army service) was soon issued. However, its grenade launcher (dubbed the T119) had the same problems as the original M7 launcher and the M28 was inaccurate when launched from the M7A2. The M7A2 launcher was simply redesigned with a longer tube to fire the improved grenades and could be used with either the "Flat Edge" or "High Hump" lock. After the war (from early 1956 to late 1959) it could be fitted with a leaf-sight that was calibrated for use with the M28. The M7A3 Kit (Ordnance Part No. 5750089) consisted of a M7A3 launcher packed with a "High Hump" gas lock to allow the grenadier to upgrade an earlier model M1 Garand to the new specification.