20mm antitank rifles with HEAT rounds?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

The WWII British PIAT anti-tank launcher took an interesting alternate approach - it was spring-loaded. No backblast, no flash, and not much noise. Of course, you don't get a lot of range that way.

There was a propelling charge in the base of the projectile. The spring basically just got it far enough from the operator that he wouldn't be hurt when it went off. It was a "spigot mortar" rather than a spring-gun.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by johndallman

There was a propelling charge in the base of the projectile. The spring basically just got it far enough from the operator that he wouldn't be hurt when it went off. It was a "spigot mortar" rather than a spring-gun.

You're right, the spring wasn't the propulsion...but I don't see your attributed role attested. It looks like the spring was just a (rather oddly heavy) firing pin mechanism.

(In a spigot mortar, the propelling charge is fired while attached to the launcher almost exactly like an ordinary gun mechanism, except that the tube is part of the round instead of being part of the launcher.)