Naval Line-Throwing Gun
Various Gunsmiths · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1930
Also known as: Line Thrower, Rescue Line Gun, Springfield Line-Throwing Gun
Overview
A line-throwing gun is a shoulder-fired gun that launches a weighted rod or projectile trailing a light messenger line, propelled by a blank cartridge rather than a bullet. The representative US Coast Guard pattern was built on a Springfield M1903 rifle whose barrel was bored out smooth so a steel rod could be slid down it and blasted across a gap; the earliest US shoulder line throwers were converted .45-70 Trapdoor Springfields. Once the thin line is across, heavier rope and hawsers are hauled over with it. It is used ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore for rescue, and for mooring and underway replenishment.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3900 g (137.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1100 mm (43.31") |
| Barrel Length | 610 mm (24.02") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Effective Range | 230 m (252 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .45-70 Blank · primary — also known as line-throwing blank, rod-launching blank
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Features: Blank Launched, Single Shot, Smoothbore Rod Launcher, Line Canister
Service history
Operators
- United States Coast Guard · adopted 1930
- United States Navy
Production
Production years: 1930-1960
Built on surplus service rifles by naval and coast guard ordnance; gradually supplemented by M14/M16 line-throwing adapters and pneumatic line throwers
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Notes
Generic category: the British W.W. Greener Light Harpoon Gun (the gun seen in the film Jaws) is a closely related blank-launched shoulder type firing a .38 Special blank with ~30m reach. No authoritative published mass or length exists for the modified M1903 line thrower; physical specs are estimated from the host rifle and flagged as approximate. The Lyle gun is a separate cannon-type line thrower, not this rifle pattern.
Background
The Coast Guard's line throwers were service rifles deliberately bored out to remove their rifling, turning a precision weapon into a smoothbore tube so a steel rod could be slid down the barrel and fired across the water. The closely related Greener harpoon gun, the same family of blank-launched shoulder gun, is the real working harpoon gun used on screen in the 1975 film Jaws.