CHAPTER 2
SMALL ARMS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completing this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
1. Discuss the operation and maintenance of Navy small arms, and the special
precautions associated with those small arms.
2. Describe the cycle of operation, disassembly, assembly, and safeties of Navy
handguns, shoulder weapons, and machine guns.
3. Describe the operating cycle, safeties, and maintenance of the Remington
M870 shotgun.
4. Discuss the Mk 87 Mod 1 line-throwing kit and describe what is needed in
preparation for firing.
5. Describe the controls, safeties, and operation of the M79 grenade launcher.
on maintenance requirement cards (MRCs), but all
SMALL ARMS FUNDAMENTALS
other information (operation, troubleshooting, parts
The term small arm means any firearm with a
lists, and so on) is normally found in Army technical
caliber (cal.) of .60 inch or smaller and all shotguns.
manuals (TMs) and field manuals (FMs). FMs and TMs
Since there are no .60-cal. weapons in the Navy, all
list the spare parts, special tools, and organizational
pistols, rifles, shotguns, and machine guns up through
maintenance procedures for a particular weapon. The
.50 cal. are small arms.
FM is the operator's manual, intended for personnel in
the field who must maintain the weapon. OP 0 also lists
In this chapter we will review small arms
TMs, FMs, and OPs that pertain to small arms.
nomenclature and operation, as well as how small arms
operate in the automatic and semiautomatic modes. We
SMALL ARMS NOMENCLATURE
will then describe the small arms currently used by the
Navy-including hand guns, shoulder weapons,
Before we begin the study of the individual
shotguns, and machine guns. We will conclude with
weapons, we need to examine some of the quirks in
brief discussions on small arms special precautions,
small arms nomenclature (names of the parts).
maintenance, storage and issue requirements, and range
Generally, terminology pertaining to the weapons
duties.
themselves is fairly standard because the Navy has
adopted most of the Army's system of identification.
ships, you will be concerned with pistols, rifles,
Minor differences do exist, however. For example, the
shotguns, and machine guns. Your responsibility in the
Army's carbine M1A2 is known in the Navy as the
field of small arms is twofold. First, you must know
carbine Mk 1 Mod 2. Notice that the Navy uses the
how to use and maintain them. Second, you must be
abbreviations Mk (mark) and Mod (modification) as the
able to train other personnel in their operation, safe
equivalents of the Army's letter designations M and A.
handling, and maintenance.
The diameter of a shotgun's bore is referred to as the
Most small arms are procured from the Army and
gauge of the shotgun. Gauge (with the exception of the
issued by the Navy to its field activities and the fleet.
.410 shotgun) is not a measurement of inches or
millimeters. Instead, it is the number of lead balls of
Information on basic operator maintenance is provided
2-1