SHOT Show Pick of the Day: RM Equipment 40mm Grenade Launchers

Today, I thought I’d highlight a veteran-owned company out of Miami, Florida. RM Equipment offers up just about anything you can think of that is 40mm grenade-related.

Damn, you’ve just gotta love SHOT Show, this is ‘Merica at her finest.

Shortly after downing my first cup of coffee, I found myself chatting with the CEO of the company and playing with all manner of 40mm grenades and their launchers. The setup shown above felt particularly lethal, but sadly, I was informed I could not take it with me. Such is the nature of life and weapons of war.

 

I learned that the company has been a global supplier of equipment since 1972, supplying tens of thousands of M203PI 40mm grenade launchers the world over. In 2004, largely at the request of US Special Forces, they introduced their M203 grip product into various theatres of combat, making it a lot easier to draw a good bead on the bad guys.

This Is All Great, But Can I Buy One?

As with most things weapons related, this is not a simple answer.

In the United States, the public can theoretically purchase 40mm grenade launchers, but there are very stringent regulations surrounding them. These devices are classified as “Destructive Devices” under the National Firearms Act (NFA). To legally purchase one, an individual must:

1. Find a dealer or manufacturer that has the appropriate Federal Firearms License (FFL) with a Special Occupational Tax (SOT) to deal in NFA items.
2. Go through an extensive background check.
3. Obtain approval from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by submitting ATF Form 4 (Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of Firearm).
4. Pay a $200 tax for each Destructive Device, which includes the launcher and each grenade.

Furthermore, the actual grenades or rounds that can be fired from these launchers are also heavily regulated. Possessing or using explosive rounds would require additional legal compliance and, in many cases, is restricted to military or law enforcement use.