M319 grenade launcher

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M319 Individual Grenade Launcher
Production overview
Manufacturer:	Misriah Armory
Type:	Grenade launcher
Specifications
Length:	77.6 cm
Ammunition type:	40mm grenades
Feed system:	1 grenade (15 max)
Operation:	Break-action, breech-loading
Rate of fire:	Single-shot Automatic detonation Manual detonation (hold and release trigger)
Effective range:	Close to long
Service history
In service:	Insurrection Human-Covenant War Post-Covenant War conflicts

The M319 Individual Grenade Launcher, more formally known as the Individual Grenade Launcher, Caliber 40mm, M319, is a single-shot, break-action explosives launcher produced by Misriah Armory and used by the United Nations Space Command, specifically the UNSC Army. Due to its simplicity, ruggedness, and firepower, it has been a mainstay weapon in the Army since its adoption in 2263 and has seen action in several armed conflicts during nearly three centuries of use, with the Human-Covenant War as the most prominent. It proved very effective during the Insurrection; although it is less effective against energy shielded Covenant foes, it can be used to deadly effect against unshielded targets. Because of the weapon's reliability and power, it will likely continue to be fielded by the Army. Sometime after the Human-Covenant War, SPARTAN-IVs used this weapon in a simulation against the Flood aboard the UNSC Infinity.

Design details

A blueprint of the M319.

The M319 IGL fires high-explosive dual-purpose grenades. The grenade launcher has two firing modes. The first launches a single grenade: after hitting a surface, the grenade detonates on impact with an opponent or after about two seconds, in which case the grenade will explode after bouncing off the ground once. The second firing mode shoots a grenade that explodes when the user wishes. This is performed by holding down the trigger, which fires the grenade but merely primes it, leaving the detonation contents inert; the grenade will only explode after the trigger is released. This enables the user to lay a trap if the grenade is bounced properly into position, and essentially creates an explosive with a dead-man's trigger, (a trigger that will go off once it is released, e.g. when the user dies). This function is also helpful if the user wishes to fire at targets that are farther away than the detonation timer would normally allow.

Also, the grenade emits an electromagnetic pulse upon detonation, similar to that of the plasma pistol, that can temporarily disable vehicles and energy shields, but only when used in the manual detonation mode.

The weapon utilizes a break-action breech-loading system: after firing one round, the weapon must be reloaded, like many twentieth century shotguns.

Variants

• Pro Pipe: Professional problem-solvers demand proximity fusing and dynamic ballistics. The lovingly-dubbed "Pro Pipe" is an improved Grenade Launcher equipped with a Laser Targeter, giving the weapon rounds that adjust trajectory after ricochets in order to maximize lethality, in the same manner as the Z-180 Scattershot. EMP alt-fire mode is retained within this variant.

• 

  Pro Pipe.

Production notes

Concept art of this original design.

As can be seen in some early concept art, the M319 was originally planned to be a revolver type grenade launcher like the XM510 grenade launcher seen in Halo Wars. The artist who created this concept art, Isaac Hannaford, revealed that the design was changed to the current single-shot, breech-loaded design because the original was thought to have "too many grenades," which presumably might make it overpowered.

Trivia

• During the Halo: Reach level Tip of the Spear, if the player is still armed with the grenade launcher, it vanishes following the crash of the Falcon near Spire One.
• When fired normally, the grenade makes a quiet whistling while in flight. When the trigger is held, the round will make a noise similar to that of a much louder whistling, which can serve to alert attentive players to its presence and to which mode the grenade is in.
• The grenade launcher is commonly known as the "pro pipe", a reference to grenade launchers in other first-person shooters, primarily the Call of Duty series, which are collectively known as "noob tubes" due to their ease of use. This nomenclature lead to the naming of the REQ variant of the weapon.
• The M319 IGL, having been manufactured in 2263, is the oldest known weapon utilized by the UNSC.
• In the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, if a player fired the M319 and held the trigger until they died and someone else picked up the weapon, the player holding the M319 would take control of the dormant grenade.
• The M319 bears a very close resemblance to the real-life Russian GM-94. However, their similarities are merely aesthetic, as the GM-94 is a magazine-fed pump-action grenade launcher that uses the larger 43mm grenade as ammunition. The M139 also bears a close resemblance to the American Springfield Armory M79 grenade launcher in both aesthetics and function. Both are break-action launchers that fire 40mm shells, though the M79 has a stock, while the M319 does not.
• When reloaded, the M319's operator does not extract an empty shell casing. This could mean that it uses a caseless grenade round or the round utilizes rocket propulsion, which can be supported by the fact that there is a fire trail extending from the back of a grenade in flight.
• In the alpha build, the M319 had a red light on its side. This was removed in the beta build.
• The counter on the left of the weapon switches from briefly displaying "ARMED" to "LNKNG" (linking, presumably the remote detonation system connecting to the grenade) just after launch, and then to either "IN AIR" or "LNKED" (linked) after the round is launched, depending on the firing mode, and finally to "BOOM!" upon detonation. This is also present in the M460 AGL.
• When the grenade is fired from the weapon and set to manual detonation, a skull and crossbones symbol will appear below the distance counter indicating the number of targets in its explosive radius.
• In campaign, kills with the grenade launcher's secondary mode always reward the player with the EMP Blast Medal despite that some enemies, such as the Unggoy and Jiralhanae, do not possess energy shielding and therefore could not be affected by EMP blasts. Kills by impact or splash damage count as ordnance weapon kills.
• In Halo 5: Guardians, the projectiles for both versions will explode upon impact with the target. Interestingly enough, this function was first seen in both Halo: Spartan Assault and Halo: Spartan Strike.
  • Sometimes, in Halo 5: Guardians, if the player is hit with an M319 grenade but does not die (e.g. being hit by a teammate in Super Fiesta matches), the player will hear an ear-ringing sound effect identical to what they hear when hurt with explosives in the solo campaign.

Gallery

• 

  Early concept art of the M319 for Halo: Reach, using the original design.

• 

  Concept art of the M319 IGL.

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  A render of the M319 grenade launcher.

• 

  A turnaround reference of the M319 IGL.

• 

  An angled view of the M319.

• 

  The M319 IGL from a first-person perspective.

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  The M319 IGL in the alpha build of Halo: Reach.

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  The M319 IGL in the released build of Halo: Reach.

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  A Mark V(B)-clad Spartan-III firing an M319 IGL on Powerhouse.

• 

  The 40mm HEDP grenade used by the firearm.

• 

  Profile view of the 40mm HEDP Grenade in Halo: Reach.

• 

  The M319 IGL's counter.

• 

  A view of the M319 IGL's reloading animation.

• 

  A Spartan holding the M319 in Halo: Spartan Strike.

• 

  First-person view of the M319 grenade launcher in Halo 5: Guardians.

• 

  Smart scope with the M319 on Barrens.

• 

  An Icarus-clad Spartan-IV using an M319 on Alpine.

• 

  First-person view of the Pro-Pipe.

• 

  Rion Forge with an M319 on the cover of Halo: Renegades.

List of appearances

• Halo: Reach (First appearance)
• Halo 4 (Mentioned only)
• Halo: Spartan Assault
• Halo: Spartan Strike
• Halo: Ground Command
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo: Renegades