Rpg7 question/ help

[boxinggsxr]

Does anyone know if there is a certain number/rough estimate number of rockets that can be fired out of rpg before it becomes defective? I had some trouble trying to find this out since i can imagine how testing this would be a probelm.

[iamspartacus]

i can imagine how testing this would be a probelm.

...but man would I love to be on the team that does!! Mission: blow **** up until the weapon breaks.

[boxinggsxr]

Ya no joke especially since it'd most likey be some big weapon manufactor paying big bucks to you as a tester haha .....I checked some sites online but nothing close to a answer yet

[ChuckH]

I would imagine that the launcher would work for as long as it was kept in good repair, just like an old M1 or any other older or antique weapons.

[elliscraig12]

The number of rounds fired won't make a weapon defective, just as a number of miles a car has won't make it defective. Having been an Armorer, I'd say that since the RPG-7 has been around since about 1961, and as long as it is properly maintained, it should last a long time.

[Zulu 36]

The number of rounds fired won't make a weapon defective, just as a number of miles a car has won't make it defective. Having been an Armorer, I'd say that since the RPG-7 has been around since about 1961, and as long as it is properly maintained, it should last a long time.

I agree. They are about as simple as they come and reasonable treatment and maintenance should go a long way.

I have shot the RPG-7 a lot. Most malfunctions are due to ammo problems (from rough handling). The long tube holding the booster and sustainer motors is rather vulnerable to abuse.

[boxinggsxr]

yes i understand that Sgt and i completly agree as long as they were maintained properly they would function correctly. BUT the thing is for last 6 months we've taken care of them but who knows before they passed them over to us. there was a inncident were a rpg blew up in the tube so thats what brought up this question.

[Zulu 36]

yes i understand that Sgt and i completly agree as long as they were maintained properly they would function correctly. BUT the thing is for last 6 months we've taken care of them but who knows before they passed them over to us. there was a inncident were a rpg blew up in the tube so thats what brought up this question.

What do you mean by "blew up in the tube"? The motors, or the warhead? If it was the warhead, we shouldn't have to have this conversation.

One of the most common malfunctions I know of (except for a total misfire) is for the sustainer motor to not ignite after booster firing.

Even if a sustainer motor went off in the tube, because of the recoiless nature of the beast, and except for a lot more noise and blast at both ends, a sustainer ignition shouldn't blow the weapon up.

You should be able to look down a clean and unloaded tube and determine the condition of the tube. If it looks pitted, bulged, and really cruddy, take it out of service. If it looks smooth, and no bulges in the tube, keep it.

Otherwise, as far as the launcher is concerned, I would think that the parts inside the trigger housing group would have the highest probability of failure over time. I was trained in taking the RPG-7 launcher apart by an Army SF weapons sergeant, and that was his take on launcher failures.

Personally, I would be much more concerned with the source of ammunition. If I had to choose a country of manufacture for the RPG-7 and it's ammo, I would prefer Czechoslovakia. Even under a Communist government, the Czechs still had some pride in their weapons quality. There was more than one reason Hitler wanted Czechoslovakia, and their arms industry was a big one.

While the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact was still in existence, the United States bought a lot of ammo for Soviet-designed weapons from Czechoslovakia specifically because the quality control was much better than anywhere else.

Almost all of the RPG ammo I shot, and the most I ever saw shot, was Czech made and we never had a malfunction. I have also shot Russian and Egyptian made RPG ammo. We did have total misfires and a couple of sustainer failures with the Egyptian ammo. We just stopped using Egyptian crap and stuck to the Russian or Czech stuff.

I wouldn't necessarily want to fire anything that some Muhj has been hauling around Afghan mountains for a year, no matter who made it. I'm surprised even they have the balls to try. I guess ignorance is bliss after all.

[Apache]

M-1 is an antique ?
Whatcha talkin bout ?

[boxinggsxr]

They blamed that the rpg had bad ammo because it blew the tube in half, and said oh well it must have been cracked or something. Thanks Zulu36 and yes total misfires happen often we have russian rockets (ya there alright).

we usually fire 2 rockets in one rpg, and rotate with the other 3 rpgs then use a borebrush rod for it that they sent us just recently and said that "this would prevent another freak accident from happening" how that can prevent a tube thats cracked from exploding and shooting shrapnel i do not know.

any other way to check or clean the rpg that would help prevent that?

[Zulu 36]

They blamed that the rpg had bad ammo because it blew the tube in half, and said oh well it must have been cracked or something. Thanks Zulu36 and yes total misfires happen often we have russian rockets (ya there alright).

we usually fire 2 rockets in one rpg, and rotate with the other 3 rpgs then use a borebrush rod for it that they sent us just recently and said that "this would prevent another freak accident from happening" how that can prevent a tube thats cracked from exploding and shooting shrapnel i do not know.

any other way to check or clean the rpg that would help prevent that?

Keep the tube cleaned and inspected. Take the exterior heat shields off to inspect the outer part of the tube for cracks or bulges. Your ammo must be inspected too for anything that looks wrong (I can't explain what wrong looks like, just use common sense). When in doubt, don't use it.

Also check the age on the ammo. Only use stuff that is fresh as possible and just out a properly packed shipping container, just like you would with American explosive ammo. Sounds like you had a cracked/bulged tube added to an early sustainer motor firing.

Boosters are really fairly weak black powder charges, just designed to just poop the thing out there 10-meters or so. But the sustainers are full fledged rocket motors and pack more punch. The weak boosters are what allow an RPG to be fired from indoors with minimal danger from back blast.

Total misfires may also be caused by defective trigger parts. Weak hammer spring, etc. There are RPG-7 manuals available out there. DoD should have stuff in PDF. Failing that, there are civilian written manuals that cost money.

Here is a somewhat old Army TRADOC pub: http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/...SEC-UNCLAS.pdf

Here is a civilian written manual (cost: $40): http://t3gear.com/rpg-7launchermanual.aspx

One would think there should be additional stuff available from Aberdeen Proving Grounds to aid in armorer level maintenance. The Army used to run a two-week armorers school there for Soviet weapons years ago (might still do so).

The thing isn't hard to take apart, but it's been since about 1991 since I've done it last. I could probably do it now, but I'd have to have the thing in front of me. Really, any experienced small arms armorer should have no difficulty figuring it out on his own.

Failing all of that, track down an Army Green Beanie weapons sergeant and ask for help. Every SF Alpha Detachment has two. He should be happy to help - they're teachers at heart. He might even have manuals you can copy.

My unit only had two tubes and we never had trouble with them (both Russian made) except with Egyptian ammo. The optical sights suck big time.

[ChuckH]

Who would have thought the intel some of you Marines have on Russian rpg's..
I am impressed with the knowledge that is on this site...

[Zulu 36]

Who would have thought the intel some of you Marines have on Russian rpg's..
I am impressed with the knowledge that is on this site...

The funny part is I learned 90% of my knowledge of Soviet Bloc weapons while I was in the Air National Guard. My unit had quite a stock of Soviet bloc weapons and I learned how to play armorer on most of them thanks to an active duty Army SF weapons sergeant. I tried to go to the Army's Soviet weapons armorer school several times, but they'd pull my seat at the last minute because I was "only" Air Guard. My unit had more Soviet weapons than some SF units did.

We had 2 AK-47s (fixed stock), 10 AKMs (folding stock), 2 RPK, 1 PKM, 2 RPG7, a Dragunov, 2 Makarovs, about 10 Mosin-Nagants, 2 SKS, and 1 DShk (12.7mm machine gun). Most of these weapons came from official plunder stocks via the Grenada operation. A unit friend made blank firing adapters for all those weapons needing them.

We also had access through a private collector friend of the unit to a PPSH-41, and a M1910 water cooled machine gun (7.62x54R) and many others. I can't remember how many different military weapons I've fired and/or disassembled thanks to this collector (whom I suspect was a retired CIA guy).

[boxinggsxr]

Thanks Zulu36, they didnt give us any manuals and we have no armorer so this is very helpful. I'll definetly be taking a look at ours since firing 108 rockets in a day really makes you wonder how strong are these but they hold up really well except for the last one of course. Semper Fi

[Zulu 36]

Thanks Zulu36, they didnt give us any manuals and we have no armorer so this is very helpful. I'll definetly be taking a look at ours since firing 108 rockets in a day really makes you wonder how strong are these but they hold up really well except for the last one of course. Semper Fi

Keep them clean, treat them well, and check your ammo before shooting. You should do fine. Remember the tube is only dealing with a minor booster charge, and its a recoiless system, so the stresses on the tube aren't as great as in a closed breech system.

The Soviets did make some good stuff. Cheap looking, but simple and pretty reliable.