RG-6 grenade launcher

RG-6 (6G30)
Type	Revolver grenade launcher
Place of origin	Russia
Service history
In service	1994–present
Used by	Russia
Wars	First Chechen War Second Chechen War Syrian Civil War[citation needed] Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) Russo-Ukraine War
Production history
Designer	TsKIB SOO Valery Nicolayevich Telesh
Designed	1993–1994
Produced	1994–present
Specifications
Mass	6.2 kg (13.67 lb)
Length	690 mm (27 in) stock extended / 520 mm (20.5 in) stock folded
Width	145 mm (5.7 in)
Height	280 mm (11 in) in combat / 200 mm (7.9 in) in travelling
Cartridge	40 mm caseless grenades
Action	Double action
Rate of fire	2 rounds/sec (rapid fire) 16-18 rounds/min (sustained)
Muzzle velocity	76.5 m/s (251 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	400 m (1,300 ft)
Feed system	6-Round, Revolving, Swing Out-Type Cylinder
Sights	folded, ladder-type rear sight

The RG-6 (GRAU designation 6G30) is a Russian 40 mm, six-shot, revolver-type grenade launcher developed between 1993 and 1994 by Central Design and Research Bureau of Sporting and Hunting Weapons (TsKIB SOO), Tula, Russia.

History

The RG-6 was required to increase the firepower of the infantry during urban combat, seen in small-scale conflicts, such as the Chechen wars. The RG-6 entered limited production by the mid-1990s and is now in use by various elements of Russian Army and special forces such as those in the MVD.

Design

RG-6 is designed to fire all standard 40mm "caseless" grenades, available for the general issue GP-25 underbarrel launcher. The design of the RG-6 is, apparently, heavily influenced by the South African Milkor MGL grenade launcher, with some differences. The key difference is that the RG-6 uses "caseless" rounds, and thus its cylinder chambers are loaded from the front. The "barrel" is, in fact, a smoothbore tube, which serves only as a support for the front grip and sights.

The double-action only trigger unit is also modified from GP-25, with a manual safety and several automatic safeties.

The cylinder is rotated using a clockwork-type spring, which is manually wound during reloading. For reloading, the front cylinder plate with the "barrel" tube is unlocked from the frame and then rotated sideways, to expose the front of the cylinder. Each chamber in the cylinder is a separate muzzle-loading rifled barrel, similar in design to the GP-25 barrel.

The sights are folded for more convenient carry and storage, with a ladder-type rear sight. The buttstock is fitted with a rubber recoil pad, and when it is not in use, it is telescoped into the frame.

Users

•  Russian Federation
•  Syria
•  Mongolia

See also

• List of grenade launchers
• Milkor MGL
• Granatnik RGP-40
• Hawk MM-1
• RGA-86
• RGM-40 Kastet
• GM-94
• List of Russian weaponry

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RG-6 Grenade Launcher.

• Modern Firearms: RG-6
• Tula Firearms article^{[permanent dead link]}
• https://web.archive.org/web/20131026001821/http://zonawar.ru/granatomet/ru4nie3.html#6g30

This page was last edited on 12 November 2023, at 11:18