GHC Know your Weapon #2 : Carl Gustav recoilless rifle

The Carl Gustaf (also Carl-Gustaf and M2CG; pronounced "Carl Gustav") is the common name for the 84 mm man-portable multi-role recoilless rifle produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics (formerly Bofors Anti-Armour AB) in Sweden. The first prototype of the Carl Gustaf was produced in 1946, and while similar weapons of the era have generally disappeared, the Carl Gustaf remains in widespread use today. British troops refer to it as the Charlie G, while Canadian troops often refer to it as the 84 or Carl G. In US service it is officially known as the RAWS or Ranger Antitank Weapons System, but often called the Gustav or simply the Carl Johnson by US soldiers. In Australia it is irreverently known as Charlie Gusto or Charlie Gutsache (guts ache, slang for stomach pain). In its country of origin it is officially named Grg m/48 (Granatgevär or grenade rifle, model 48) but is sometimes nicknamed Stuprör (drainpipe) because the weapon mainly consists of a long tube.

The Carl Gustav was developed by Hugo Abramson and Harald Jentzen at the Royal Swedish Arms Administration (KAFT) and produced at Carl Gustav Stads Gevärsfaktori from where it derives its name. The weapon was first introduced into Swedish service in 1948 as the 8,4 cm Granatgevär m/48 (Grg m/48), filling the same anti-tank role as the US Army Bazooka, British PIAT and German Panzerschreck. Unlike these weapons, however, the Carl Gustav used a rifled barrel for spin-stabilizing its rounds, as opposed to fins as used by the other systems.

The use of the recoilless firing system allowed the Carl Gustav to use ammunition containing considerably more propellant, firing its rounds at 290 m/s, as opposed to about 105 m/s for the Panzerschreck and Bazooka and about 135 m/s for the PIAT. The result was superior accuracy at longer ranges. The Carl Gustaf can be used to attack larger stationary targets at up to 700 m, but the relatively slow speed of the projectile restricts attacks on moving targets to a range of 400 m or less.

The Carl Gustav was soon being sold around the world, and became one of the primary squad-level anti-tank weapons for many Western European armies. An improved version (M2) was introduced in 1964 and quickly replaced the original version. The current M3 version was introduced in 1991, using a thin steel liner containing the rifling, strengthened by a carbon fiber outer sleeve. External steel parts were replaced with aluminum alloys or plastics, reducing the empty weapon weight considerably from 16.35 kg to 10 kg.

In recent years the weapon has found new life in a variety of roles. The British Special Air Service, United States Special Forces and United States Army Rangers use M3s in the bunker-busting and anti-vehicle roles, while the German Bundeswehr maintains small numbers of M2s for battlefield illumination. Many armies continue to use it as a viable anti-armor weapon, especially against 1950s and 1960s-era tanks and other armored vehicles, which are still in use worldwide.

In a well-known incident during the Falklands War, a Royal Marine damaged an Argentinian corvette using a Carl Gustaf.

The Carl Gustav was used against Taliban defensive fortifications by soldiers of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in operations in Afghanistan. They developed a new system for firing at night, which involved a night-scope equipped spotter firing tracer ammunition at the target, and the Carl Gustaf gunner then aiming at the spot where the tracer rounds hit.

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Specifications
Calibre: 84 mm rifled (24 lands/progressive twist).[4]
Crew: 2 optimal, 1 minimum.
Weights: 14.2 kg (M2); 8.5 kg (M3); 0.8 kg (mount)
Length: 1.065 m
Breech: Hinged
Rate of fire: 6 rounds per minute.
Sights: Iron sights; optical 3x; laser rangefinder; image intensification system.