PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-602
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 602
JANUARY 2003
Mortar Rounds
Warning!
Never let the base primer of
any mortar ammunition hit hard on the
bottom of the containers. That could ignite
the propellant. Protect the primer with the
fiber container end cap prior to firing.
Keep mortar rounds packaged as long as
practical to keep propellant from exposure.
Always store your WP mortar ammo so
the rounds are in a vertical position.
Use a two-man procedure to open and
remove rounds packed in “jungle wrap”.
The first opens and holds the waxy con-
tainer wrappings open while the second
removes the round. That way the one with
the sticky hands won’t have to touch
the round.
81mm HE M374A2 (1315-C256)
and 81mm M375A1/A2 (1315-C276)
WP Smoke Cartridges
Every precaution must be taken to keep C256 and C276 ammunition dry. Firing
in wet weather is not a good idea because critical short rounds may occur when
propellant charge bags are wet or have previously been exposed to moisture.
PS 602
JAN 03
52
Propellant
•
Propellant containers should be closed tight to protect against moisture.
•
Propellant bags should be firm, dry,
clean, laced and tied. Do not use bags
that are torn or leaking propellant.
•
Propellant bag stains aren’t neces-
sarily bad. Yellow stains are okay. So
are blue, brown or orange stains as
long as the cloth is strong. Blue,
brown or orange stains with cloth that
is weak and tears easily should be
turned in to your ammunition supply
point (ASP).
•
Always eyeball the igniter on separate-loading propellant. The igniter end will be
padded, marked IGNITER, or packed in red cloth. The igniter must be clean, dry
and have loose powder. Lumpy, damp igniter may not work right and may result in
erratic flight, hangfire or misfire. Turn it in to your ASP to be checked.
•
You can remove propellant increments when ammunition is authorized for zone
firing. But
never
add extra increments. If you do remove semi-fixed or separate-
loading increments, store them in a safe place. Follow your unit’s SOP for proper
disposal.
Before using
artillery
propellant, make
the following
checks…
Torn, leaking propellant
bags are NO-GO
Never let
mortar base
primers hit
hard on
container
bottoms
Before firing
mortar rounds,
look for damaged
projectiles,
missing obturators,
fins and fuzes, and
loose or damaged
propellant.
Primer
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