2.36-inch A/T

Service - M6A1, M6A3, M6A4, M6A5

Practice - M7A1, M7A3, M7A4, M7A6

Over-all length, inches

Total weight, pounds

Head length, inches

Body length, inches

Body diameter, inches

Body wall thickness, inch

Ogive length, inches

M6A1 (cone shaped)

M6A3 (hemispherical)

Ogive diameter (at flange), inches

Motor tube length, inches

Motor tube (inner diameter), inches

Motor tube wall thickness, inch

Maximum range, yards

Effective range, yards

Muzzle velocity, ft./sec.

Color

Explosive

Pentolite

General: Pill boxes, tanks, and armored vehicles are prime targets. The rocket can also be used in a stationary emplacement for demolition or as an anti-tank mine or a booby trap. The rocket can penetrate three inches of homogeneous-steel armor plate at all ranges and at angles of impact as low as 30 degrees, employing the shaped-charge explosive.

Launcher: The Rocket Launcher M1A1, commonly called the "bazooka", is an electri-cally operated weapon of the open-tube type, fired from the shoulder, and weighing 13.26 pounds. Rocket Launcher M9A1 is similar but breaks down into two sections, each 31 inches long, for ease in transporting.

Construction: The 2.36-inch A/T Rockets M6A1 and M6A3 are identical except for difference in the ogive and the tail assembly. In other respects the two rockets are simi-lar, consisting of a hollow ogive crimped onto the body, a body union fitting into the base of the body with internal threads to receive the motor, and a fuze which is located in the forward end of the motor tube. The M6A1 has a conical ogive, whereas the M6A3 has a hemispherical ogive which gives better penetration by forming a stronger stand-off piece for the shaped-charge effect of the explosive. M6A4 is like the M6A3, except that it is lighter-being made of high-strength alloys - and also uses the Bore-Safe Fuze M400. The M6A5 uses the Bore-Safe Fuze M401 and has a larger propellant grain, which eliminates the safety disk.

Tail assembly: The M6A1 has six fins (5½ inches long) spot-welded to the nozzle, a steel cup internally threaded at the forward end to screw onto the motor tube. The M6A3 has a different type of tail assembly to obtain fin area and counteract the change of the center of gravity effected by the hemispherical nose. The tail assembly consists of four sheet-steel fins 2-5/16 inches long, each of which is curved over an arc of 90 degrees on its outboard edge to from a blade. Each fin is joined to the other by welding, with an overlap of approximately ½ inch to form a circular drum which is actually nothing more than a continuation of the four fins. The base of the fins are spot-welded to the nozzle. In the M6A5 and M7A6 the free end of the ignition wire is attached to the shroud tail by a chip-board disk, instead of the tape on earlier models.

Propellant: The propellant consists of five sticks of ballistite. On an average, the propellant weighs approximately 61½ grams, though it is loaded not by weight but rather by length of powder stick, to keep the pressure for various rounds at a relatively cons-tant value. The M6A4 and M6A5 use the Powder M7, which burns at a lower tempera-ture, +120° to -40° F.

Fuze: The fuze for the M6A1 and M6A3 consists of a steel firing pin which slips into the central cavity of the fuze body, where it is held in a rearward position by the firing-pin spring. A circumferential groove midway down the length of the firing pin receives the safety pin, which extends through the motor tube. When the safety pin is removed, the firing pin is free to move forward, restrained only by the action of the firing-pin spring. After the safety pin has been removed, the firing pin will overcome the spring and deto-nate the rocket if it is dropped over four feet. The fuze body contains the Detonator M18 of lead azide and tetryl, and the booster charge of tetryl.

Remarks: The practice rounds are similar to their accompanying service rounds, ex-cept that they are inert-loaded and have a dummy fuze or steel weight to fill the empty fuze space.

The M6A5 and M7A6 have plastic closing plugs, making them waterproof rounds. They also use the Powder M7, which burns at a lower temperature, +120° to -40° F.

The M6A1 and M7A1 are now considered obsolete.

Figure 115. 2.36-inch A/T Rocket M6A1