US Practice Grenade for review

[JosephC]

I picked up this grenade at an antique shop; it was labeled 1968 practice grenade. I find it a bit unusual because it is solid body except a straight drill down from the top with the coarse thread for the fuse. It weighs two pounds while my WWII grenade weighs 1.25 lbs. The fuse is dated 12-68. there is no ring and a nail is used where pin goes. A rubber washer is on it. I can not find any markings on the grenade body - no numbers and no RFX. Any ideas on this grenade? Is it unfinished? Is it a cast fake? Were grenades that were made specifically as practice grenades made this way? Thank you, Joe.

[JosephC]

some additional pics

[JosephC]

fuse

[Morlok]

Is the material on the inside the same as the rest? I have seen repros that were filled with JB Weld, the bottom ground smooth & the top drilled & tapped just like yours. The shape doesn't look quite right to me, but I am no expert!! A strange one indeed!! Either way, you could always paint it & use it as a display filler!!

[doyler]

Basic surplus store knock off.The rough cast body is indicitive of the cast copies made for sale as a novelty.There were tons of the spent fuzes and this is a way to market and sell them.Inert ordnance and munitions of this era are typically painted a light blue.

 

Nice for a paper weight but not a real practice grenade.

[Mitter2k1]

The originals have RFX cast into the body correct?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

 

[JosephC]

it is solid and the hole in the top is machined; does not look like jb weld. The diameter of the threads is the smaller diameter - not the larger diameter of today's knock offs.

[doyler]

_{Still going with a knock off.The opening at the top is off set and not centered.Casting flaw in the bottom as well.These would be threaded to fit the fuzes.}

 

_{Good site for grenades}

 

_{This link shows the M67 grenade and practice with fuze}

 

_{http://www.inert-ord.net/usa03a/usa3/m67/index.html}

[doyler]

Fuze type

 

• M228 fuze. The M228 fuze is used with the M69 practice grenade to replicate the fuze delay of the M67 fragmentation hand grenade. The time delay element is a powder train with a 4- to 5-second delay burn. In some cases, however, the delay element may vary from less than 4 seconds to more than 5 seconds due to defective fuzes.
  
  This is a training unique item; not used in combat.
  
  Type Classification Date: 1971. Unit cost: $4.16 (Fiscal Year 2005).