BOMBS USED IN

FUNCTIONING

ARMED CONDITION

FUZES USED WITH

ARMING TIME

VANE SPAN

MAX. BODY DIAMETER

DESCRIPTION:

This pistol employs three basic principles of operations: mechanical impact, chemical action, and anti-withdrawal. Principal parts consist of the arming vanes, retaining balls, safety strips, sleeve, and locking balls.

OPERATION:

After safety pin has been withdrawn and bomb released, vanes rotate up and off in approximately 8 revolutions. On impact, the striker weight moves down against the hammer, forcing it against the crusher, which mashes the ampoule against the perfora-ted disc and amüoule seating. Two other things occur simultaneously with this action: the thin brass safety spider moves down, the four protruding ends being pulled free from above the safety collar; and the locking and cocking pellets move down, the lock-ing pellet pulling the sleeve with it. As the sleeve clears the two locking balls, their springs force them into the narrower parts of the grooves in which they ride and lock the lower part of the pistol body in the exploder. Since the safety collar is no longer re-tained by the safety spider, the two safety strips resting against it are free to be for-ced up. The acetone acts on the delay disc, the time of the action being predetermin-ed, and as the disc is dissolved of softened, the timing spring forces the firing pin re-lease cup up. Two projections on this cup force the safety strips up with the cup. (These strips could not rise until after impact when the safety spider pulled free from above the safety collar). As the firing pin release cup rises, the firing pin retaining balls are forced out by the cocked firing pin into the gradually increasing area, untel they finally clear the groove in the upper part of the firing pin spindle, and release the firing pin to be forced against the detonator.

If the attempt should be made to extract the pistol after it has been dropped and the locking balls have been forced by their springs between the narrow part of the groove and the exploder, such an attempt would merely tend to bind the lower part of the pistol more firmly; the result being that the upper part would be unthreaded and the firing pin release cup pulled clear of the firing pin retaining balls. As the balls clear the groove in the firing pin spindle, the cocked firing pin would be forced against the detonator and detonate the bomb. Approximately one or two turns would activate the anti-withdrawal functioning of the pistol.

REMARKS:

(1) Early Marks had lead anti-withdrawal lug instead of locking balls.

(2) THIS PISTOL SHOULD NEVER BE WITHDRAWN FROM A BOMB TAHT HAS BEEN DROPPED FROM AIRCRAFT.

(3) Delays which my be incorporated in this pistol, and the corresponding color of the groove in the lower body extension housing the firing pin head are as follows:

17 Mk I

17A Mk I

17B Mk I

17D Mk I

17E Mk I

17F Mk I

17G Mk I

17H Mk I

17J Mk I

17K Mk I

(4) The delay is also engraved in the pistol body just above the colored groove

(5) The arming screw has left hand threads, all other threads are right handed.

(6) The fins of bombs using this pistol and the armin vanes are usually painted red.

(7) Mk II has same letter and time designation as Mk I, but the anti-withdrawal de-vice is not present on the latter.

(8) The Mk III is similar to Mk II, except that it has a lighter spider, and the safety pin hole is increased in diameter.