{"id":206952,"date":"2025-03-08T17:01:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T23:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=206952"},"modified":"2026-01-05T04:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T10:58:15","slug":"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\/","title":{"rendered":"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">11<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 6 August 1945, Colonel Paul Tibbets dropped the first atomic bomb from the B29 Superfortress Enola Gay on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This weapon, an enriched uranium gun-type design designated \u201cLittle Boy,\u201d exploded 1,500 feet above the ground and had a nominal yield of around 15 kilotons. That is an explosive equivalency to 15,000 tons of TNT (trinitrotoluene) high explosive. That blast ultimately claimed between 90,000 and 166,000 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher-1024x844.jpg\" alt=\"The M388 Micro-Nuke set up in the field\" class=\"wp-image-207049\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher-1024x844.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher-364x300.jpg 364w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher-150x124.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher-768x633.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher-1536x1266.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher.jpg 1630w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This adorable little monster was America&#8217;s smallest nuclear delivery system. In a pinch, it could be operated by three men off of a jeep. (Photo\/Public Domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Three days later, the Superfortress Bocks Car was used to deliver a plutonium implosion-type device titled, \u201cFat Man.\u201d This weapon detonated at an altitude of 1,650 feet and produced a nominal yield of around 20 kilotons. It killed between 60,000 and 80,000 people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-mind-the-weather\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Mind the Weather<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-science-marches-on\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Science Marches On<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-size-matters-for-micro-nukes\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Size Matters For Micro-Nukes<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-bigger-is-better-or-is-it\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Bigger is Better&#8230;Or Is It?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-baby-nukes\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Baby Nukes<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-davy-crockett\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">The Davy Crockett<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-details\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Details<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-micro-nuke-launcher\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">The Micro-Nuke Launcher<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-spotter-rifle\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Spotter Rifle<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-practical-tactical\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Practical Tactical<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-ruminations-on-the-micro-nuke\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-level=\"2\">Ruminations On the Micro-Nuke<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mind-the-weather\">Mind the Weather<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"610\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Atomic-Bomb-Blasts-1024x610.jpg\" alt=\"Hiroshima and Nagasaki Mushroom clouds\" class=\"wp-image-207050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Atomic-Bomb-Blasts-1024x610.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Atomic-Bomb-Blasts-400x238.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Atomic-Bomb-Blasts-150x89.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Atomic-Bomb-Blasts-768x457.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Atomic-Bomb-Blasts-1536x914.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Atomic-Bomb-Blasts.jpg 1680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Hiroshima blast is shown on the left. Nagasaki on the right. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The second bombing was an iffy thing indeed. Nagasaki was actually the secondary target. The primary drop point was Kokura, but it was obscured by smoke and clouds. The aircraft commander, 26-year-old Major Charles Sweeney, had to make the call inflight to shift to the secondary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That decision claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. The <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/mark-james-robert-essex-and-the-second-battle-of-new-orleans\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"2348\">death toll<\/a> was lower in Nagasaki because of the general topography of the terrain, despite the second bomb\u2019s being 40% more powerful than the first. Regardless, that&#8217;s asking quite a lot of a 26-year-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there things remained, for going on 79 years now. Two bombs. Two data points a mere three days apart. These were the only two nuclear weapons ever deployed in anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-science-marches-on\">Science Marches On<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As of January 2024, the United States maintained 5,044 operational nuclear warheads. The Russians have 5,580. Putin threatens to nuke Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the UK, the US, and most everyone else on the planet about every twenty minutes. There is a fair possibility he might someday actually do that, but nobody takes him seriously right now.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now ponder the nature of technology since the end of World War 2. This has been the most extraordinary window for scientific advancement in human history. Since that time we have developed microprocessors, space travel, supersonic flight, cellular communications, and precision satellite-based targeting and navigation. The military tools we use today would have been unrecognizable when those two bombs were dropped.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comparable advances have been ongoing with nuclear bombs as well. While atomic weapons have evolved wildly since then, this evolution has been transparent to most of us. The last American nuclear test took place in September of 1992. Nowadays, we do our nuclear testing digitally. As the last actual deployment of a nuclear bomb occurred at the very dawn of the atomic age in 1945, it is easy to lose track of just how far the state of the art has progressed since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-size-matters-for-micro-nukes\">Size Matters For Micro-Nukes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tsar-Bomba-1024x677.jpg\" alt=\"Tsar Bomba explosion\" class=\"wp-image-207051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tsar-Bomba-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tsar-Bomba-400x264.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tsar-Bomba-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tsar-Bomba-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tsar-Bomba-1536x1015.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tsar-Bomba.jpg 1558w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is an image of the 1961 Tsar Bomba detonation. The shockwave bounced off the surface of the earth and prevented the fireball, which was five miles across, from reaching the ground. The mushroom cloud climbed to a height of 42 miles, eight times as high as Mount Everest. (Photo\/Fair use)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Nuclear weapons come in two broad flavors. Fission devices split big atoms into small ones. They typically start with either uranium or plutonium. Little Boy and Fat Man are the archetypal examples.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fusion weapons operate on an entirely different scale. These devices combine hydrogen to form helium. They use a conventional fission detonation to create the astronomical levels of heat required to support the subsequent fusion reaction. This is the same process that powers the sun. The Hiroshima bomb had a nominal yield of 15 kilotons. The largest fusion bomb ever detonated, the Russian weapon Tsar Bomba touched off in 1961, produced 50 megatons of explosive energy. That\u2019s 50 million tons of TNT or the raw equivalent of roughly three thousand Hiroshima bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bigger-is-better-or-is-it\">Bigger is Better&#8230;Or Is It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, Tsar Bomba could have been far more powerful. We have that technology. It was simply that 50 megatons kind of made the point without splitting the freaking planet in half. A typical deployed nuclear weapon like the new American W93 that will sit atop our submarine-launched ballistic missiles will have a yield of around 200 kilotons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those numbers boggle the mind. We have no ready frame of reference. The only two bombs that intentionally destroyed anything were both essentially prototypes. Neither performed to its full potential.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-baby-nukes\">Baby Nukes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"797\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Backpack-Nuke-1024x797.jpg\" alt=\"The B54 Backpack Nuclear bomb \" class=\"wp-image-207052\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Backpack-Nuke-1024x797.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Backpack-Nuke-386x300.jpg 386w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Backpack-Nuke-150x117.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Backpack-Nuke-768x597.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Backpack-Nuke-1536x1195.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Backpack-Nuke.jpg 1684w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Behold the infamous B54 backpack nuke, a man-portable version of the W54 miniaturized nuclear warhead. The determined geopolitical miscreant could tuck one of these bad boys away most anyplace. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While it is certainly thought-provoking to imagine how much bigger atomic bombs have gotten in the past several decades, American nuclear scientists explored the other direction as well. One of the smallest deployed nuclear warheads was the M54 tactical weapon that rode aboard the M388 projectile. The M54 was powered by plutonium-239.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Developed in the late 1950s, the M54 was only 11 inches across and 16 inches long. It weighed a mere 50 pounds. You could carry it around in a rucksack or parachute out of an airplane with it. Despite its small size, the M54 still had a nominal yield of up to 1 kiloton. The US Army planned to shoot it off of the back of a jeep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-davy-crockett\">The Davy Crockett<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Loading-the-Davy-Crockett-1024x662.jpg\" alt=\"The Davy Crocket\" class=\"wp-image-207053\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Loading-the-Davy-Crockett-1024x662.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Loading-the-Davy-Crockett-400x258.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Loading-the-Davy-Crockett-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Loading-the-Davy-Crockett-768x496.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Loading-the-Davy-Crockett-1536x992.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Loading-the-Davy-Crockett.jpg 1684w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Davy Crockett was an easy system to use. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Uncle Sam christened this man-portable monster the M28 Davy Crockett. A slightly-improved version was designated the M29. This recoilless nuclear gun was adorable, in a dark, sinister, apocalyptic, world-ending sort of way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An acronym-obsessed US Army called the thing the BGADS or Battle Group Atomic Delivery System. The plan was to shrink these bombs down so small that they could be fired out of conventional artillery pieces or humped into action on the back of some particularly ballsy special operator. The M28 rode about in the back of a standard jeep and had a maximum effective range of 1.25 miles. The subsequent M29 would shoot about twice that far. We built 2,100 of the systems. These weapons were deployed from 1961 through 1971.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-details\">Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The M28 launcher weighed 108.5 pounds unloaded. The M29 tipped the scales at 316 pounds. The intent was to put the power of nuclear weapons into the hands of local Army commanders down to the battalion level. The details are fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Projectile, Atomic, Supercaliber XM388 was a little rocket-looking thing, some 279mm in diameter. When equipped with an operational W54 warhead, each round weighed 76 pounds. Expected yield was around 20 tons of TNT. To get there, the XM388 carried 26 pounds of conventional high explosive to be used as a trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M388-Davy-Crockett-Projectile-1024x553.jpg\" alt=\"the M388 Micro-Nuke projectile \" class=\"wp-image-207054\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M388-Davy-Crockett-Projectile-1024x553.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M388-Davy-Crockett-Projectile-400x216.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M388-Davy-Crockett-Projectile-150x81.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M388-Davy-Crockett-Projectile-768x415.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M388-Davy-Crockett-Projectile-1536x830.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M388-Davy-Crockett-Projectile.jpg 1680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The M388 projectile was designed to be user-friendly. There were only a handful of controls. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The warhead was pure simplicity. There was a basic two-position height-of-burst switch that was user-selectable for either 2 or 40 feet off the ground. There was a binary Safe and Arm switch along with a mechanical time delay. This timer could be set between 1 and 50 seconds. If the time delay was set greater than the time of flight, the bomb would impact the ground and fail to detonate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The round included four stabilizing fins and a piston in the back. It operated like a spigot mortar. Once the propellant discharged, the piston system shoved into the back of the projectile and resulted in a milder acceleration than might have been the case with a <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/slowing-down-with-a-traditions-kentucky-rifle\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"2349\">traditional<\/a> gun-type design. This ensured that the sensitive nuclear components were not subjected to any undue stresses. Troops who used these things called them \u201catomic watermelons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-micro-nuke-launcher\">The Micro-Nuke Launcher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The M28 and M29 were muzzleloading weapons. The M28 used an 11-pound explosive cartridge for propulsion, while the heavier M29 used either the same 11-pound charge or a 19-pound propellant unit. Selecting between the two helped establish the desired range. In each case, the back end of the weapon was open to release backblast and negate recoil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M113-Nuclear-Delivery-System-1024x703.jpg\" alt=\"Davy Crockett mounted to a M113 armored personnel carrier\" class=\"wp-image-207055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M113-Nuclear-Delivery-System-1024x703.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M113-Nuclear-Delivery-System-400x274.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M113-Nuclear-Delivery-System-150x103.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M113-Nuclear-Delivery-System-768x527.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M113-Nuclear-Delivery-System-1536x1054.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/M113-Nuclear-Delivery-System.jpg 1682w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When mounted to an M113 armored personnel carrier, the Davy Crockett launcher could deploy with up to ten rounds of atomic ammunition. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These launchers could be fired from a ground-based tripod or a vehicular mount that fit on either a standard M38 or M151 jeep or an M113 armored personnel carrier. The M113 was set up to carry as many as ten rounds of nuclear ammunition. Weight was always critical, so the barrel was made of titanium and the tripod of aluminum. The smaller M28 broke down into three separate man-portable loads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-spotter-rifle\">Spotter Rifle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The M28 came equipped with a cool 20mm spotter rifle. This single-shot weapon was bore-sighted alongside the launcher and fired depleted uranium spotter rounds. These special rounds mimicked the trajectory of the nuclear projectiles and produced a puff of white smoke upon impact. In action, the crew would align the weapon, fire the spotter rifle to verify the lay of the gun, and then let her rip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The firing system used by these weapons was also intriguing. The guns fired via a 72-foot length of explosive det cord. The plan was to set up the gun and then take cover someplace less than 72 feet away. Once fired, the piston and projectile would leap out of the launcher tube as a single unit. The piston would then fall harmlessly away as the little mini-bomb continued on downrange. The training materials that were used with the system helpfully suggested that the crew not look at the bomb when it went off as blindness would invariably occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-practical-tactical\">Practical Tactical<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Radioactive-Tank-1024x786.jpg\" alt=\"Yellow Sherman tank used for nuclear tests\" class=\"wp-image-207056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Radioactive-Tank-1024x786.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Radioactive-Tank-391x300.jpg 391w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Radioactive-Tank-150x115.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Radioactive-Tank-768x590.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Radioactive-Tank-1536x1179.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Radioactive-Tank.jpg 1678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I&#8217;d love to have that cool Sherman tank. However, I&#8217;d sooner not have to walk across a bunch of deadly radioactive waste to get to it. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In action, these guns were quite accurate. M390 practice rounds actually carried 16 pounds of Composition B high explosive and could themselves be used as antipersonnel weapons in a pinch. Training shots typically landed within ten feet of the point of aim.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The W54 micro-warhead was particularly filthy. The instant release of neutron radiation would have been immediately lethal out to a radius of 300 feet. Anyone within 650 feet would succumb to radiation poisoning within minutes. At 1,100 feet you\u2019d be dead in a few hours. At 2,000 feet you\u2019d still be screwed, it just might take a while. The weapon would reliably induce blindness out to 3 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ruminations-on-the-micro-nuke\">Ruminations On the Micro-Nuke <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If that all sounds fairly horrible, that\u2019s because it was. These launchers sported a five-man crew and could be operated by a crew of three in an emergency. I wore the uniform myself for eight years. The idea of junior NCOs tearing about the countryside lobbing little baby nukes hither and yon strikes me as viscerally unsettling. Most of those guys with whom I worked were smart, dedicated, capable, and awesome. However, a few of them I wouldn\u2019t trust unsupervised with Silly Putty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Detonation-1024x840.jpg\" alt=\"Davy Crockett nuclear live fire\" class=\"wp-image-207057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Detonation-1024x840.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Detonation-366x300.jpg 366w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Detonation-150x123.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Detonation-768x630.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Detonation.jpg 1266w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is a shot of a Davy Crockett nuclear live fire. These things worked just as advertised. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, we never actually touched off one of those tiny little W54 nuclear weapons in anger. We shot two of them for real during testing, one a mere 1.7 miles from the launch crew. They both performed beautifully.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/vitalii-volodymyrovych-skakun-some-gave-all\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\">Vitalii Volodymyrovych Skakun: Some Gave All<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;West German defense minister Josef Strauss coveted a bunch of these things for the Bundeswehr in the worst way. He wanted to equip each German brigade with a Davy Crockett of its own. However, the world had recently had some fairly bad experiences with the Germans, so NATO vetoed that idea.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Russians made similar stuff, and keeping up with those diminutive rascals after the fall of the Iron Curtain kept many a CIA analyst gainfully employed. With the benefit of hindsight, it is kind of amazing nobody has been stupid enough to light something like this off. However, we live in interesting times. With nukes in the hands of the North Koreans, and likely soon, the Iranians, there\u2019s just no telling what the future holds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"the-m388-muzzleloading-micro-nuke-serious-man-portable-firepower\" title=\"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke: Serious Man-Portable Firepower\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 6 August 1945, Colonel Paul Tibbets dropped the first atomic bomb from the B29 Superfortress Enola Gay on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This weapon, an enriched uranium gun-type design designated \u201cLittle Boy,\u201d exploded 1,500 feet above the ground and had a nominal yield of around 15 kilotons. That is an explosive equivalency to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":208278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[846,7,234,772],"tags":[586,102,636,620,2836],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-206952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-columns-military-surplus","8":"category-gunsamerica-authors","9":"category-columns","10":"category-will-dabbs","11":"tag-column","12":"tag-feature-articles","13":"tag-history","14":"tag-tactical","15":"tag-will-dabbs"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thankfully, the 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.word-monkey.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/will.dabbs.9\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drwildmanmd\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/author\/willdabbs\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The M388 Muzzleloading Micro-Nuke","description":"Thankfully, the micro-nuke is one weapon that has not needed to be used, even though there are a few crazy close 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.word-monkey.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/will.dabbs.9","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drwildmanmd\/"],"url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/author\/willdabbs\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Davy-Crockett-Nuclear-Launcher-1024x844-1-150x124.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206952"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227704,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206952\/revisions\/227704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206952"},{"taxonomy":"featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured?post=206952"},{"taxonomy":"hunt365","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hunt365?post=206952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}