XM148

[renegadecow]

Another commission build but thought I ought to make a thread for it for everyones enjoyment. Unfortunately though the one I'm to make will only be a battery compartment and almost completely non-functional. I was trying to persuade the customer that I could make a working gas grenade version instead but he kept insisting there was no battery space on his XM177. Was gonna argue to use lipos but remembered the guy doesn't even play airsoft, just collects so I just went to work

 

So far I've only begun scaling images. Since this will be mostly cosmetic, I should be finishing this fairly quickly.

[Kalashnikov_kid]

Airsoft needs MOAR Nam. I'll be watching this one....

[Elvis]

Now this could be interesting! I would love to see an xm148 on my m16a1...

[Bando]

looks like you got enough space to have a front loading short moscart and enough room for a mini batt in the back right?

[renegadecow]

A bit too much trouble really. Realistically, I could make the launcher work and the upper handguard still has space for a lipoly batt.

I decided to make the tube at least operable with maybe a set screw keeping it shut. This way it's easy to access the battery connectors inside.

 

edit:

top pic looks like a gargantuan bolt action receiver

 

Airsoft needs MOAR Nam. I'll be watching this one....

You'd like my next (and personal) project then. I left a clue in first pic

[stubert]

The pump action launcher in the top left?

[renegadecow]

I don't know what it's called. I just know the sound it makes when it takes a man's life.

[spetsnazdave87]

Are you making a China Lake...?

[renegadecow]

Actually I really don't know what it's called. Some say China Lake but only because the original factory was there. Then there's EX-41 which is a totally different (but similar) weapon altogether.

[ninja master of coffee]

HOLY FLURKING SHNIT! I remember you mentioning the idea of making a china lake launcher a while back, if anyone can do it, it's you. As for nomenclature, apparently the china lake launcher never had a proper name or designation as it was never formerly adopted. The EX-41 was a 1980's project that had some similarities (as you say) but fired a new round and looked a lot more... futury. The main thing I'm supprised by is that call of duty actually got something right by not calling it the EX-41, mind = blown. Good luck on this project, kind of a shame it won't fire anything but it should be interesting and doubtless beutiful once finished.

[Kenworth W900]

This is a great project idea RC, looking foward to it. Rare oppurtunity to see a TM XM177 aswell, this thread is shaping up nicely.

[renegadecow]

Hello gents. A week without internet care of a blown motherboard and I feel like I'm back in the 90's! So I've been busy with the launcher, and in fact is already done. I was just painting it earlier then my can decided to seize half way leaving me with some blue spots. Turns out not so bad as the customer is having my friend (same guy who did the awesome job on the Gundam-gun I made a year ago) paint it and presumably the XM177 as well so I don't have to go buy a new can. So I'll just dump all the progress pics in one go. I'll take and post pics of the complete and assembled article tomorrow, hand them over to my friend and update again with photos of the paint job.

 

edit

if anyone can do it, it's you

Quit it, you. You're making me blush. And besides, there's still the high chance the heat gets to me and my brain evaporates for good

[Gunmane]

No, the heat will not get you. The Party wouldn't allow one of its finest to go that way.

[ninja master of coffee]

Haha! Quite so. The XM148 is looking very nice indeed. Looking forward to see how this turns out. Best of luck with it!

[renegadecow]

[aznriptide859]

Shame it's non-functional, very nice job.

[renegadecow]

Well, I guess it's only a matter of time before I'd end up wanting to make a functional one for myself and maybe stick it on the WE M16A1 when I get my hands on one. There's just a number of things I couldn't find on the net and maybe someone here could help. I need to know what the controls do and how to work the thing. The firing and trigger mechanism I understand, but what does the lever on the grip (looking like a 1911 safety) do? How do you open the tube and what's that little lever at the back, left side for (I'm assuming a manual safety)?

[judgeman]

Oh. My. God.

 

It's about bloody time someone did one of these. Seriously, you made my day.

 

Now bolt one to the front of a L1A1 and lets get all ANZAC up in this.

[ninja master of coffee]

Cow, if ever you were going to batch produce something for sale a functional version of this is it... I imagine it wouldn't weigh all that much or be too big a package? I know export has been a no no before but was that more due to size and weight? Also, STUNNING JOB!!!! Also, yes, I've always found the controls of the XM148 fairly baffeling. Does the grip safety thing maybe open the breach? We need a manual...

[spetsnazdave87]

Thing on the grip I'm pretty sure opens the breech.

[Bane]

*Does some digging*

 

The lever on the grip is to release the barrel, the pull-hook directly behind the launcher is the manual cocking lever, as the XM148 does not have an automatic cocking feature as the M203, the rightmost trigger is obviously the trigger to fire the unit.

 

Apparently the XM148 was quite renowned for having accidental discharges due to the design of the trigger and it being snagged on gear/branches/anything able to overcome the 6 to 11lb trigger pull

[renegadecow]

Thanks. Strange that lever is for opening the tube, means you can't really grip it while firing.

[ninja master of coffee]

I'd guess it's one of the many reasons it wasn't actually adopted. It was a good idea but the design was pretty poor, did only take the guy something like 50 days to fully design. It looked cool but the real thing was overly complicated to strip, unreliable, prone to going off accidentally and had generally poorly thought out and crudely designed controls. I'd actually be interested to see how many accidental discharges an airsoft replica gets. I seem to recall there was another experimental UGL used during Nam that comprised three revolving barrels, no idea how many were actually fielded but I have seen a pic of an M16 fitted with one next to a china lake launcher! There was also some kind of three shot, M79 ish thing that had a horizontal sliding feed for the grenades, when working it was pretty much a semi-auto 40mm launcher but it tended to fail and skip the middle shot, was fairly prone to fouling to by all accounts, again, used in tiny numbers.

[renegadecow]

The "harmonica" launcher, and who-knows-what that tri-barreled thing is. The 60's must have been fun.

I know having an unprotected trigger is just asking for trouble, but all you really need to do is don't cock the gun when you're running in the bush. I know the Australians liked it and started sticking it on whatever they were using. There's even a pic of a standalone version made by adding a bent stick for a stock (or presumably for clubbing).

[ninja master of coffee]

I LOVE the suppressed sterling with xm148, ludicrous yet awesome piece of kit. I seem to recall the xm148 with stick was a vietcong creation. The tri-barreled thing was another china lake creation, did a bit more reading on it, apparently it was horribly, horribly prone to fouling and missfiring, to the point that in the field there was a 50/50 chance it would actually go off when you pulled the trigger, I can't imagine the very reduced barrel length helped with accuracey any either. I concur, the masses of bonkers experimental weapons in the 60's makes current weaponary look so dull, pffft, magpul...