Milkor 40mm Stopper
- Category
- Shotgun
- Barrel
- 390 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.10 kg
- Introduced
- 1981
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Milkor 40mm Stopper is a single-shot, break-open riot control launcher developed in South Africa for police and gendarmerie forces. Opening at the breech like a conventional shotgun, it fires a single 37/38mm or 40mm low-velocity cartridge and uses a floating firing pin that keeps the weapon drop-safe. Originating from Andries Piek's 1980 single-shot less-lethal design, the Stopper was introduced by Milkor (Pty) Ltd in 1981 as a low-cost anti-riot weapon during South Africa's arms-embargo era. It launches less-lethal payloads such as rubber ball buckshot, tear-gas canisters and rubber shot, and a Convertible version accepts both 37/38mm and 40mm low-velocity munitions. A skilled operator can deliver up to 12 rounds per minute at ranges out to roughly 400 metres.
Born of the same South African cottage-industry ingenuity that produced the BXP submachine gun, the Stopper let embargo-era police forces field a cheap, rugged single-shot riot launcher. Its floating firing pin and simple break-open breech made it hard to break and safe to drop, and its convertible bore let one weapon deploy the full spread of 37/38mm and 40mm less-lethal munitions.
Part of Milkor's Stopper family of single-shot less-lethal launchers; the Convertible model chambers both 37/38mm and 40mm low-velocity rounds. Overall length is roughly 506mm (19.9 in) with the stock retracted and 700mm (27.6 in) extended, with a 390mm (15.4 in) barrel.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Milkor (Pty) Ltd
- Category
- Shotgun
- Country
- South Africa
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1981
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 390 mm
- Overall length
- 700 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.10 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 1
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Matte black
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 76 m/s
- Effective range
- 80 m
- Maximum range
- 400 m
- Rate of fire
- 12 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Single shot break open action
Floating firing pin drop safety
Retractable stock
Convertible 37 38 40mm bore- Less lethal munition capable
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 755 shotguns | 2.10 kg | 3.25 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 678 shotguns | 700 mm | 1150 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 782 shotguns | 390 mm | 711 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 777 shotguns | 1 | 3 | Among the smallest capacities |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the Milkor 40mm Stopper
How much does the Milkor 40mm Stopper weigh?
The Milkor 40mm Stopper weighs 2.10 kg (4.63 lb) empty. It is the 9th lightest of 755 shotguns in the catalogue.
What caliber is the Milkor 40mm Stopper?
The Milkor 40mm Stopper is chambered in 40x46mm Grenade.
How many rounds does the Milkor 40mm Stopper hold?
The Milkor 40mm Stopper holds 1 rounds.
How long is the Milkor 40mm Stopper?
The Milkor 40mm Stopper is 700 mm (27.6 in) long overall, with a 390 mm (15.4 in) barrel.
Who makes the Milkor 40mm Stopper?
The Milkor 40mm Stopper is made by Milkor (Pty) Ltd (South Africa). It was designed by Andries Piek.
When was the Milkor 40mm Stopper introduced?
The Milkor 40mm Stopper was introduced in 1981.
How does the Milkor 40mm Stopper operate?
The Milkor 40mm Stopper uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- South African Police
- 1981
Provenance
Confidence in this record
75%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/milkor-40mm-stopper' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "milkor-40mm-stopper", "name": "Milkor 40mm Stopper", "manufacturer": { "id": "milkor", "name": "Milkor (Pty) Ltd", "countryCode": "ZA", "foundedYear": 1981, "website": "https://milkor.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "updatedAt": "2026-07-19 22:59:14", "version": "ceaf645c6707c44829b53d34134020f4253a9ea4edcf42390cff067fe8d700d0" }, "category": { "id": "shotgun", "name": "Shotgun", "description": "Smoothbore firearms designed to fire shot or slugs" }, "country_of_origin": "ZA", "year_introduced": 1981, "barrel_length_mm": 390, "weight_empty_g": 2100, "action_type": "break_action"}