Yo, listen up, gun enthusiasts! Back in the ’50s, the U.S. Army was on a mission to crank up the firepower for their infantry. They wanted something with more oomph than a hand-thrown grenade but way more portable than a clunky mortar. Enter the Springfield Armory M79 – a slick, single-shot, break-action beast that hit the scene in ’61. This 40x46mm low-velocity beauty was a hit in the early days of Vietnam, but here’s the catch: you had to reload after every shot. Talk about a buzzkill in the middle of a firefight! Plus, these grenadiers were stuck with just the M79 and a sidearm, leaving them unable to pull double duty as riflemen. No wonder the Army started eyeing those nifty under-barrel grenade launchers for the new M16. Gotta love the Second Amendment and the innovation it inspires, right?