M30

Painting, Weathering and Finishing:
PollyS/PollyScale Acrylic Paints were used throughout. Winsor and Newton Oils thinned with Loew-Cornell Odorless Brush Cleaner and Thinner were used for the washes. Dry brushed in part with PollyS/PollyScale Metalline series Acrylic Paints. PollyScale Acrylic Flat Coat was then applied overall to the finished subject.

Actual Data:

Weights:
    Cannon, M30: 156.50 lbs.
    Baseplate Assembly (M24A1 shown): 193.00 lbs.
    Baseplate Assembly (M24 obsolete): 221 lbs.
    Bridge Assembly: 169.00 lbs.
    Standard Assembly: 59.50 lbs.
    Rotator Assembly:
        Cast Magnesium: 57.50 lbs.
        Welded Steel: 89.00 lbs.
Sight Equipment:
    M34A2: 4.00 lbs.
    M53: 5.25 lbs.
Mortar Complete: 672.25 lbs (welded steel, latest model)
Elevation:
        Minimum: 45° (800 mils)
        Maximum: 58° 42' (1,045 mils)
        Minimum (higher range): 51° 42' (919 mils)
        Maximum (lower range): 52° 30' (933 mils)
Traverse:
        Maximum, right or left of center using traversing handle: 125 mils.
Rate of Fire:
        18 rounds per minute maximum for the first minute.
         9 rounds per minute for the next 5 minutes.
         3 rounds per minute sustained for prolonged periods.

Designation	Type	Specifics
M329A1	HE	Range: 920 yds min, 5,650 yds max. Weight: 27.07 lbs. Effective Area: 40 x 20 m. Propellant: M36A1. Ignition Cartridge: M2A1. Burster present: NO. Filler: TNT.
M329	HE	Range: 870 yds min, 5,420 yds max. Weight: 27.07 lbs. Effective Area: 40 x 20 m. Propellant: M36. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: NO. Filler: TNT.
M3A1	HE	Range: 870 yds min, 4,620 yds max. Weight: 26.95 lbs. Effective Area: 40 x 20 m. Propellant: M6. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: NO. Filler: TNT.
M3	HE	Range: 870 yds min, 4.620 yds max. Weight: 26.95 lbs. Effective Area: 40 x 20 m. Propellant: M6. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: NO. Filler: TNT.
M328A1	SMOKE	Range: 920 yds min, 5,650 yds max. Weight: 28.66 pounds. Propellant: M36A1. Ignition Cartridge: M2A1. Burster present: YES. Filler: WP.
M328	SMOKE	Range: 870 yds min, 5,420 yds max. Weight: 28.66 pounds. Propellant: M36. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: YES. Filler: WP.
M2A1	SMOKE	Range: 870 yds min, 4,620 yds max. Weight: 24.91 pounds. Propellant: M6. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: YES. Filler: WP.
M2	SMOKE	Range: 870 yds min, 4,620 yds max. Weight: 24.91 pounds. Propellant: M6. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: YES. Filler: WP.
M335A2	ILLUM	Range: 400 yds min, 5,490 yds max. Weight: 26.7 lbs. Effective Area (M): 1,500 dia. Burn Time (S): 90. Rate of Decent (M): 5 mps Propellant: M36A1. Ignition Cartridge: M2A2. Burster present: NO.
M335A1	ILLUM	Range: 640 yds min, 5,290 yds max. Weight: 26.7 lbs. Effective Area (M): 800 dia. Burn Time (S): 70. Rate of Decent (M): 10 mps Propellant: M36A1. Ignition Cartridge: M2A1. Burster present: NO.
M335	ILLUM	Range: 640 yds min, 4,800 yds max. Weight: 26.7 lbs. Effective Area (M): 800 dia. Burn Time (S): 60. Rate of Decent (M): 10 mps Propellant: M36. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: NO.
M2A1	GAS	Range: 870 yds min, 4,540 yds max. Weight: 24.67 lbs. Propellant: M6. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: YES. Filler: HD.*
M2	GAS	Range: 870 yds min, 4,540 yds max. Weight: 24.67 lbs. Propellant: M6. Ignition Cartridge: M2. Burster present: YES. Filler: H, HD, HT.*
XM630	Tactical CS	Range: N/A min. 5,650 max. Burn Time (S): 60. Propellant: M36A1. Ignition Cartridge: M2A2. Burster present: NO. Filler: CS.

Propelling Charges:

M6 Propelling Charge	M36 Propelling Charge	M36A1 Propelling Charge	Arrangement of Propelling Charges


TM 9-261A May 1951	FT 4.2-H-2 August 1968	TM 9-1015-215-30P October 1984	TM 9-1015-215-12 July 1966


TM 9-1015-215-10 December 1993	FM 10-545 TO 13C7-10-201 September 1981	FM 23-92 June 1970	TM 9-1015-215-10 March 1985

General Info:
Standardized in the United States as the M30 in 1951. This weapon first saw combat during the Korean War. There the M30 served along side the M2 4.2-Inch Chemical Mortar of World War II fame that it would gradually replace.

The M30 was once again called on to provide heavy mortar support for ground operations in Vietnam, beginning with the earliest deployments of United States Forces, and remained in that theater for the duration of the United States' involvement. It would also serve with distinction with the Republic of Korea (ROK) forces committed to Vietnam as well. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was also issued the M30 in limited numbers.

No longer in U.S. Army service, the M30 4.2inch Mortar had been phased out of U.S. service in the 1990s in favor of the newer NATO standard 120mm Mortar, M120/M121. However, the M30 can still be found and in use within the NATO organization, in particular, the Belgian Army but eventually, the M30 will be completely phased out of service in favor of the120mm standardization.

In the U.S. Army Mechanized role, the M30 was transported by the M106 series of Mortar Carriers. The M106 being part of the M113 Family of Vehicles. This vehicle provided the crew basic protection from small arms fire as well as from shell fragments and also has an amphibious capability with preparation. However, the M106 had to stop and set up to fire the weapon internally through open roof hatches. The weapon could also be dismounted from it's carrier as shown here.

Interesting to note is that the M30 had a rifled tube that stabilized it's projectile by spinning it rapidly, whereas all other U.S. mortars, with the exception of the M2/M2A1 4.2-Inch Chemical Mortars, have been and currently are smooth bore tubes, firing fin-stabilized ammunition.

Personal Experience:
I had the opportunity to train with the "Four-Deuce" while stationed at Ft. Polk, LA in 1972. There I learned how to call in fire support missions with the M30. It was there that I also got to witness first hand the misfire procedure when things went wrong....

One of the tubes on line had a round that failed to fire when dropped in. The crew immediately called out a 'cease-fire' and headed for the nearest tree line. After about three minutes or so waiting to see if the round would fire off on it's own, one of the crew members came running out of the tree line and side-jumped on the tube, collapsing it down to about +15°. He bounced off, hit the dirt, the tube elevated back up to it's pre-set elevation (or close to it) and the round finally went out. The round headed down range, impacting slightly, but safely off target. Once that danger was cleared by range control, the fire missions continued on without any further mishaps. The ammo being used on that particular day, and during that particular instance, was White Phosphorous.

Unless otherwise specified, all models built, painted, photographed and are owned by the author.
Mortars in Miniature, Created and Maintained by Kevin Robert Keefe, Copyright © 2001 - 2008.
All Rights Reserved.

Fuse Types:

Fuse Combination Table	TSQ, PD, VT	M18 Fuse Wrench	PD, MT

A Subject of Mortars in Miniature.com
Click on all photos and scans to enlarge...
	The Kit: This a Tamiya kit in 1/35 scale, molded in styrene plastic, and is made in Japan. This kit has been around for quite sometime now, but is still currently available. Perhaps a little outdated as far as the moldings go, but it builds up into a real nice representation of the M30. This was a very enjoyable and a quick kit to build. Actually, this was the kit that got me started with this collection of mortars.



M329	M2	M3
* Explanation of GAS symbols: HD = Mustard, Distilled; H = Mustard; HT = Mustard-T mixture.


	U.S. 4.2inch Mortar, M30 Comments, suggestions, additional info?