Description
U.S. 120mm M5 TP-SR Mortar Round – Pocal Industries
This inert 120mm M5 TP-SR mortar round is a collectible from Pocal Industries’ military training-ammunition range. Its POL marking connects it with the Pennsylvania manufacturer known for specialized mortar practice cartridges. The M5 belongs to the history of equipment used to prepare heavy-mortar crews for field service, making it a useful addition to a training-ammunition collection.
Identification and Features
TP-SR means Target Practice–Short Range. The designation identifies the round’s original training purpose, while M5 is its model and 120mm is its caliber. An official trace record identifies a POL-marked 120mm M5 TP-SR as a Pocal Industries product from Scranton, Pennsylvania. That combination supports the manufacturer identification for this example.
- Model: M5 TP-SR.
- Caliber: 120mm.
- Manufacturer: Pocal Industries.
- Country of manufacture: United States.
- Reported marking: POL.
- Original role: Short-range mortar practice.
- Current status: Inert collectible.
Function and Contents
Short-range practice ammunition was developed to give mortar personnel realistic training within a smaller range area. It allowed crews to work with ammunition suited to their weapon class while keeping practice distances below those of normal service rounds. Pocal’s later Nammo practice-ammunition literature describes full-caliber projectiles with an impact signal that observers could see and hear. This training approach supported practical exercises without the fragmenting effect of a high-explosive service projectile.
Product History
The 120mm M5 TP-SR is documented in the international training-ammunition trade during the late Cold War. An official Trinidad and Tobago parliamentary record dated April 7, 2006 reproduces an Interpol trace report from May 20, 2004. That report identifies a POL-marked M5 TP-SR as Pocal-made and records a June 7, 1988 shipment for Venezuela’s Ministry of Defense. It supplies a dated reference for the model’s manufacture and export history, separate from the production date of this collectible.
Documented Applications
The M5’s documented application is 120mm mortar training. The traced export names Venezuela’s Ministry of Defense as the end user. A separate Venezuelan Army logistics inventory lists reuse kits for 120mm M5 instruction rounds, documenting support kits held in military ammunition stores. These records connect the model with organized military training and ammunition support, beyond its appearance in later surplus and collector markets.
Manufacturer History
Pocal Industries specialized in mortar training ammunition from its Pennsylvania facilities. Nammo’s own company history states that the Scranton operation has designed and manufactured mortar training ammunition since 1981. Nammo acquired the operation in 2013, continuing it under the Nammo Pocal name. The facility’s work includes precision machining, assembly, testing and inspection for military production. This background gives the POL marking a clear connection to a specialist American ammunition manufacturer.
Equipment History
The wider 120mm mortar class developed in both ground-mounted and vehicle-mounted forms. The U.S. Army’s March 2000 edition of FM 23-90 covers the ground-mounted M120 and the M121 carried in an M1064A3 armored mortar carrier. The carrier was based on the M113A3 armored personnel carrier, modified for the mortar and its mount. These examples illustrate the equipment class that created demand for heavy-mortar training ammunition, with instruction needed for both dismounted crews and armored units.
Weapon-System Background
A heavy mortar sends its projectile along a high, arcing path to support ground troops. In a conventional ground mounting, the barrel works with a bipod and baseplate. The bipod supports the barrel, and the baseplate spreads the firing force into the ground. Indirect fire depends on communication between the mortar position and personnel observing the area ahead. Training ammunition was therefore part of a larger system of weapons, sights, communications equipment and trained soldiers.
History of Use
Short-range mortar ammunition helped train the whole indirect-fire team. Mortar crews practiced their assigned tasks, forward observers learned to recognize and report impacts, and fire-direction personnel practiced processing information and communicating with the crews. Nammo identifies all three groups as users of its mortar practice ammunition. Army training doctrine also explains that limited ammunition budgets and range space encouraged the use of reduced-range training devices. The M5 fits within this history of practical preparation before service-ammunition exercises.
Condition
This M5 TP-SR mortar round is sold as an inert military collectible for display and historical reference. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
This round suits collections focused on American mortar ammunition, Pocal manufacturing and military training equipment. The POL marking is a useful identification detail for a reference display, especially when paired with period training publications or examples of other practice-ammunition designs.
- U.S. mortar ammunition collections.
- Pocal and Nammo history displays.
- Heavy-mortar training exhibits.
- Military museums and reference collections.
Approx length 23", Approx width 5", Approx height 5", Approx weight lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
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