Krešimir: Croatia's Truly Insane Grenade Launcher (ad-free)
Added 2023-07-17 12:00:01 +0000 UTCThe Kresimir is honestly the most bonkers weapon I have come across in a long while. Made by IM Metall in Croatia at the beginning of the Croatian Homeland War circa 1991, this is a semiautomatic grenade launcher. Most grenade launchers fire a big cartridge with an explosive warhead, but not this thing. Instead, it uses a 5-round magazine of M50 hand grenades with percussion fuses. A second magazine holds 7.62x39mm grenade-launching blank cartridges. Pulling the trigger drops two strikers in succession; first one to ignite the hand grenade fuse, and then one to fire the launching cartridge. What could possibly go wrong?
When you do fire, the recoil cycles the whole barrel and bolt backwards like a long recoil action, although it appears to be blowback and not locked. This loaded a fresh grenade in the barrel and leaves it ready to fire again with the next trigger pull. We don't know how many of these insane creations were actually made, but I have multiple reports of their actual wartime use from veterans of the conflict.
Comments
The most insane part is it’s coming to existence in ‘91.
Jerry Harkins
2023-07-26 12:27:06 +0000 UTCA ridiculous concept but well designed and constructed. One wonders how many times a grenade detonated in the magazine.
Thomas Batha
2023-07-20 12:07:10 +0000 UTCBased upon your description [haven't watched the vid yet] I think I'd prefer that the firing of the launching blank did the work of starting the grenade fuse, not lighting the fuse and then not being forced to listen for the most nerve-wracking "click" ever...
Bruce Brodnax
2023-07-20 01:20:40 +0000 UTCI would Definitely be Interested in seeing a range day with this Gun!!! 🤠👍
Paul Beck
2023-07-18 21:15:18 +0000 UTCSo no range day with this one eh?🤣
Ed McEneney
2023-07-17 22:45:25 +0000 UTCI could imagine one would dig a hole before firing the thing. If it misfired, you toss the whole contraption in.
2023-07-17 19:11:27 +0000 UTCImagine the load bearing vest with a couple of extra mags, the weight of the Kresimir.... along a frag vest and sidearm. Makes lugging a BAR around the South Pacific a breeze!
Donald Davis
2023-07-17 17:26:08 +0000 UTCbtw I think the citizens of ELBONIA need an underbarrel grenade launcher or rpg panzerfaust something. they don't have any yet, do they? that thing should qualify though.
Guido Schriewer
2023-07-17 15:14:32 +0000 UTCI said the same thing in my comment, above :) Here's what Ian replied: "I think that's really not a problem. The way the magazine is shaped, the grenade fuses are well protected from any impact."
Loke von Post
2023-07-17 14:45:30 +0000 UTCAhh, a relief to hear! :) Thanks for the reply!
Loke von Post
2023-07-17 14:43:52 +0000 UTCI think that's really not a problem. The way the magazine is shaped, the grenade fuses are well protected from any impact.
Forgotten Weapons
2023-07-17 14:22:23 +0000 UTCIt would be a real same if the impact pin of the grenades in the magazine got activated by the recoil of this thing lol
Ryan Sponauer
2023-07-17 13:35:39 +0000 UTCHow safe are the grenades while in the magazine (safe being a relative term here, of course...)? Say you tripped on something and fell, hitting the gun on something, do you think that'd be an event with a survivability rate of 'reasonable or better'? (Gotta be honest, I wouldn't even want one of those in my fireteam, let alone carry it myself...)
Loke von Post
2023-07-17 13:18:31 +0000 UTCOMG, the frantic pressing on the second trigger when the cartridge didn’t fire. What a crazy gun!
2023-07-17 13:15:28 +0000 UTC100% this xD
Loke von Post
2023-07-17 13:13:41 +0000 UTCHeath Robinson drank a bottle of Vinjak, and then designed a firearm?!? This is bonkers. 10/10
Minion
2023-07-17 12:36:28 +0000 UTCMy head just screamed that you have finally found the perfect Elbonian grenade chucker
Aaron Black
2023-07-17 12:36:23 +0000 UTCOMFG, that would take major cojones to shoot. Like Ian asked: how many people shot one more than once?
Wayne S.
2023-07-17 12:33:26 +0000 UTC
