Introduction

Sometimes 5.56mm just isn’t enough to get the job done, or any other standard rifle caliber for that matter. With shoulder fired rockets being heavy, which limits carrying capacity, most militaries opted to use reloadable 40mm grenade launchers as key supplemental firepower for their infantry squads.

M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is the US Military designation for a new single-shot under-barrel 40mm grenade launcher system to replace the M203 in the US Army. Unlike its slightly lighter predecessor, the double-action M320 includes a side-loading breach for longer 40mm grenade types, instead of the M203′s pump-style operation. An optional day/night sight and a handheld laser rangefinder for the grenadier, make the system more accurate, as do mechanical sights that maintain their zero via direct mounting on the launcher, instead of the rifle. If required, a detachable sliding buttstock quickly converts the under-barrel M320 to a single-purpose “bloop tube.”

US Army units had begun receiving the M320 in 2009.

Review

The US Army M4 carbine with HK M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) and AN/PSQ-18A laser scope weapon set (LRE-35101) is packed in a zip-lock bag safely secured between a firm cardboard backing. The box art on the front shows all the kit parts, while the one on the back lists Live Resin offerings which could be combined with this weapon set: US Army scope sets (LRE-35007, LRE-35008 and LRE-35028), Insight's Technology AN/PEQ-2, AN/PEQ-15 (LRE-35010), Forward grip set (LRE-35011) and Harris bipod set/Surefire tactical Weapon Lights set (LRE-35012).

The kit consists of 20 parts: 6x M4/M320, 6x AN/PSQ-18A day/night sights and 8x M4 ammunition magazines. As we come to expect from Live Resin weapon sets, the grey resin looks really good and I found no imperfections in the cast whatsoever; there are no air-bubbles or seam lines, just some thin flash residue easily removed with a back of a sharp blade. All the delicate details of these weapons are perfectly rendered in scale.

The M4s depicted in this set are fitted with integral Picatinny-type accessory rail on the upper receiver and Knight's Armament Company (KAC) Rail Interface System (RIS) handguard, as well as the M320 GLM. The upper receiver rail provides the attachment point for scopes, while RIS handguard could be fitted with various laser designators, forward grips, tactical lights or bipods. All the accessories are available separately from Live Resin and are a must for this kit... some may complain about buying more sets just to get a "fully functional" M4s, but I find it a plus as this enables combining different accessories and building the specific M4 setup.

Although very similar, all the weapons in this set are not identical; there are 4 slightly different M4/M320 variants included, which are designated LRE-35101A to LRE-35101D. The differences include: two different buttstock versions, retracted or fully extended buttstock, M320 folding foregrip present or not, M320 foregrip folded or flipped down, and back-up iron sight (BUIS) present or not.

Other than the weapon itself, the resin carrier blocks also include AN/PSQ-18A day/night sight (DNS). The AN/PSQ-18A sights in this set feature two small indentations which help in adjusting the sight to the M320 GLM. Interestingly, only three M320s in this set feature protrusions which correspond to these indentations - a nice touch, allowing some of the weapons from the set to be used without the AN/PSQ-18A DNS.

Another thing to mention about this set is the fact these weapons are cast without their ammo magazines. Instead, 8 different ammo magazines are included in the set as separate pieces which can be fitted into a tiny opening in the M4 lower receiver assembly. The selection includes: 30-round M4 magazine (2x), with Ranger Plate USGI (1x), with 5.56 NATO 3-pack accessories attached (1x), 30-round Magpul PMAG (1x), with Ranger Plate USGI attached (1x). The set also includes coupled 30-round M4 magazines (1x) and two magazines which can be coupled by the modeler himself. This is quite a range to choose from, but even more magazines are available in additional Live Resin offering M4/M16 magazine set (LRE-35009).

Finally, all the M4/M320 GLM features are clearly identifiable and well defined in this 1/35 scale kit. The level of details is absolutely amazing… digitally sculpted and developed using high-resolution 3D rapid prototyping, these weapons are a work of art: each rail segment is sharp and well defined, the tiny details on the M320 GLM are magnificently executed, while the stunning AN/PSQ-18A is easy to position properly on the launcher. With some of the accessories available separately from Live Resin, these weapons will really come to life.

Conclusion

This kit features US Army M4 carbine with HK M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM). The kit includes 6 M4 w M320 GLMs in slightly different configurations, and 6 AN/PSQ-18A day/night sights. The resin cast is absolutely perfect with extremely well defined details. As with many other Live Resin weapon offerings, these weapons should be "pimped up" with accessories (optical sights, laser designators, forward grips, etc.) available separately from Live Resin.

Thanks to Yaroslav from Live Resin for this review sample.

References

HK USA
Insight Technology
Global Security
M320 Wiki