Milkor Y2
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 305 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.30 kg
- Introduced
- 1983
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Milkor Y2 is a South African 40mm six-shot multiple grenade launcher and the original member of the Milkor MGL family. Designed by Andries Piek around a spring-driven revolving cylinder, it was demonstrated to the South African Defence Force in 1981 and accepted into service under the designation Y2 in 1983. Firing the full range of 40x46mm low-velocity grenades from a hand-held, shoulder-fired weapon, it lets a single operator place six aimed rounds on target in a few seconds out to roughly 400 metres.
Engineer Andries Piek reportedly worked out the Y2's spring-driven revolving-cylinder mechanism in the early 1980s, giving a single South African soldier the sustained 40mm firepower that previously required a whole squad of grenadiers.
The Y2 is the SADF service designation of the original Milkor MGL Mk 1, widely credited as the world's first mass-produced multi-shot 40mm hand-held grenade launcher. Later export and improved models (MGL Mk 1L, Mk 1S, M32) descend from this design.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Milkor (Pty) Ltd
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- South Africa
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1983
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 305 mm
- Overall length
- 778 mm
- Weight, empty
- 5.30 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 7.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Revolving
- Firing mechanism
- Double action only
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Rotary
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Black
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 76 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 664 J
- Effective range
- 400 m
- Maximum range
- 800 m
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.
Spring driven revolving cylinder
Six shot cylinder
Collapsible stock
Armson oeg sight
Double action only trigger
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 261 machine guns | 5.30 kg | 10.50 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 778 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 305 mm | 605 mm | Among the shortest tenth |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 6 | 50 | Among the smallest capacities |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the Milkor Y2
How much does the Milkor Y2 weigh?
The Milkor Y2 weighs 5.30 kg (11.68 lb) empty and 7.00 kg (15.43 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Milkor Y2?
The Milkor Y2 is chambered in 40x46mm Grenade.
How many rounds does the Milkor Y2 hold?
The Milkor Y2 holds 6 rounds, fed from a rotary magazine.
How long is the Milkor Y2?
The Milkor Y2 is 778 mm (30.6 in) long overall, with a 305 mm (12.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Milkor Y2?
The Milkor Y2 is made by Milkor (Pty) Ltd (South Africa). It was designed by Andries Piek.
When was the Milkor Y2 introduced?
The Milkor Y2 was introduced in 1983.
How does the Milkor Y2 operate?
The Milkor Y2 uses a revolving action, and its firing mechanism is double action only.
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 Defence Force
- 1983
- South African National Defence Force
- 1994
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
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-y2' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "milkor-y2", "name": "Milkor Y2", "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": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "ZA", "year_introduced": 1983, "barrel_length_mm": 305, "weight_empty_g": 5300, "action_type": "revolving"}