Abstract: The present wire cutting device, intended for cutting bomb wires, has a barrel with a wire-receiving slot which is open at one side of the barrel. A blunt-faced dielectric piston in the barrel is explosively actuated to sever from the wire the complete length of the wire segment extending across the barrel at its wire-receiving slot. The explosion gases escape through the slot behind the piston and blow the severed ends of the wire away from the barrel and away from each other. Different explosive attachments are provided for detachable connection to the barrel to provide a manually-initiated percussive charge or a time fuse-initiated charge or an electrically-initiated charge.