Reloadable
Shells Adapters
37MM
and 40MM
By GROG Copyright 2012 3LC Productions
Recently Scot over at
Reloadableshells.com sent me a couple adapters for T&E. Adapters are used
in both 37MM and 40MM to shoot smaller caliber items out of the larger tubes of
the launchers. They are normally used in shotgun calibers or 26.5MM for using
surplus flares. Scot provided a 12ga to 37MM adapter and a 26.5MM to 40MM
adapter for my review.
I will start with the 37MM to
12ga adapter for reviewing. I will start out by saying that Scot’s adapters are
quite different than I am used to seeing. I have several other adapters by
several other manufacturers. Scot has put a lot of CNC work into his adapters.
The 37MM to 12ga in particular. The main difference I notice is the amount of
machining he has put into his adapters. The base of the adapter has two milled
out grooves on either side of where the 12ga shell sits, so that when you fire
the round you can easily remove the 12ga casing without removing the adapter
from the launcher barrel. Simply ease a fingernail in under the rim on both
sides and work it out. You can use a coin also if you have chewed up nails like
mine.
As you can see form the above
photos, there is plenty of room to get the 12ga casing out.
But, Scot did not stop there
when designing and putting thought into his adapter. He also machined a space
for a rubber “O” ring inside, to hold the 12ga shell in the adapter while not
in a launcher.
When you place a 12ga shell into
the adapter, in other adapters the shell can fall right back out if tipped
upside down. Not so with Scot’s adapter. You can put this adapter loaded with a
12ga round, into a bandolier without being concerned with losing your 12ga shell.
But… Scot didn’t stop there… He
also machines the outside of his adapter with an attractive hand grip pattern,
and then anodizes them black. (…or your choice of color…)
The rim of the adapter is 0.115”
thick, and has an OD of 1.695”. The barrel portion has an OD of 1.520” and the
adapter is 3.225” tall. The top is tapered to allow easy loading into any
launcher. 12ga shells load easily into the casing. The barrel portion is .365”
thick. Plenty to handle the pressures associated with 12ga munitions.
I really like the amount of work
Scot has put into a simple thing like an adapter. Where most manufacturers try
to keep it simple, Scot has added features to his that someone who shoots a lot
will appreciate. These adapters were made for combat. You can have several
loaded and ready to go, without fear of losing the 12ga out of them when
hurriedly loading them into your launcher.
Being
a 12ga to 37MM adapter, your launcher needs to be registered as a Destructive
Device in the US, as per the NFA, even for you to possess this adapter with
a launcher.
Next, the 26.5MM to 40MM
adapter.
I like the shape of the adapter.
J It
kinda reminds me of the 40MM CANNON round. The adapter is machined to hold the
standard surplus 26.5MM flares as available from Dan’s ammo and other
distributors. It is anodized black, and has the signature grooves in the sides.
The barrel is machined straight, so there is no lip for things to get caught on
inside. The 26.5MM flares and smokes sit nicely in the adapter. The rim area is
set up so that the primer of the 26.5MM is flush with the top of the rim.
The adapters were tested using
various munitions and functioned without exception. These adapters are made for
performance, and will not fail when needed. They are easy to use, and look good
too. I highly recommend these adapters for use in military or LE, or even home
defense usage. The 12ga also comes in 40MM for those with 40MM tubes.
More testing videos will be put
up as time permits. GROG
Copyright 2012
3LC Productions