Keith Posted April 10, 2019 Share #1 Posted April 10, 2019 It has letters "BB" on it. It has a spent fuse but not the type I am used to seeing. Any thoughts? Thanks. Check out my website of Military Relics and Collectibles: http://www.ourboysof98.comI try to update it by adding several new items each month, so keep checking back.Thanks,keith Link to post Share on other sites
dhcoleterracina Posted April 10, 2019 Share #2 Posted April 10, 2019 Keith, since there are no threading in the bottom hole I believe it is a WW2 era practice grenade. The fuse is mangled probably from someone trying to remove it. Link to post Share on other sites
Keith Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted April 10, 2019 Yes, you are right. I cleaned the mud/rust a little at the bottom hole and could see no threads. Thanks. Check out my website of Military Relics and Collectibles: http://www.ourboysof98.comI try to update it by adding several new items each month, so keep checking back.Thanks,keith Link to post Share on other sites
MAW Posted April 10, 2019 Share #4 Posted April 10, 2019 BB is for Burnham Boiler...a company in Zanesville, Ohio. Always interested in the 166th Infantry, 42nd Division, A.E.F. Quality WW1 studio portraits and real photo postcards of Distinguished Service Cross recipients; showing steel helmets; or other interesting content. Link to post Share on other sites
Garandomatic Posted April 10, 2019 Share #5 Posted April 10, 2019 Wow... never knew Burnham Boiler made practice grenades. Any chance the army had practice grenades made up from live bodies? I have two unfinished Burnham bodies, one made of aluminum that apparently does not exist, and two complete examples, and they are all solid-bottomed. Does anyone suppose that the army drilled a bunch to use for practice? Looking for the following: 452nd and 447th Bomb Group items Anything 12th Armored- especially uniforms 155th Assault Helicopter Company, Camp Coryell, or Ban Me Thuot Vietnam items[/center]WWII US Navy Uniforms from the Battle Off Samar: USS Johnston DD-557, USS Hoel DD-553, USS Samuel B. Roberts DE-413, USS Heermann DD-532, USS Dennis DE-405, USS John C. Butler DE-339, USS Raymond DE-341, USS Fanshaw Bay St. Lo, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, Kitkun Bay and Gambier Bay... Link to post Share on other sites
AustinO Posted April 11, 2019 Share #6 Posted April 11, 2019 Your fuze is in about the same condition as all of the M21 practice grenades I've dug. They just disintegrate over time, it originally would have looked like every other grenade fuze out there. Note that you can still make out some of the egg shell blue paint on the neck of your grenade. Link to post Share on other sites
Ray42 Posted April 11, 2019 Share #7 Posted April 11, 2019 Interesting, what is the size of the hole? I also have a BB grenade that may have been a practice grenade, however the hole is larger then the standard practice grenade hole. It would be interesting if this practice grenade also had a non-standard sized hole. Link to post Share on other sites
Keith Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share #8 Posted April 11, 2019 Interesting, what is the size of the hole? I also have a BB grenade that may have been a practice grenade, however the hole is larger then the standard practice grenade hole. It would be interesting if this practice grenade also had a non-standard sized hole. Ray, the hole measures about .580". If the dirt and rust were cleaned off it may be close to .600". I have another that has a lot of blue paint left on it. Only marking on it is a sideways "T". The hole in it measures .475"; about .100" smaller than the BB grenade. The only other thing that is different between the two is the BB grenade flutes or grooves at the fuse end do not run all the way to the top and taper to a point about 1/8" from the top while the T grenade's grooves run all the way to the top without taper. Also the BB grenade has a sharper shoulder at the top of the segments while the T grenade has a rounded shoulder. Hope this helps. keith Check out my website of Military Relics and Collectibles: http://www.ourboysof98.comI try to update it by adding several new items each month, so keep checking back.Thanks,keith Link to post Share on other sites
Garandomatic Posted April 11, 2019 Share #9 Posted April 11, 2019 A lot of those characteristics seem more or less unique to the Burnham pieces. If the hole is that different, seems possible it wasn't always a practice piece. Looking for the following: 452nd and 447th Bomb Group items Anything 12th Armored- especially uniforms 155th Assault Helicopter Company, Camp Coryell, or Ban Me Thuot Vietnam items[/center]WWII US Navy Uniforms from the Battle Off Samar: USS Johnston DD-557, USS Hoel DD-553, USS Samuel B. Roberts DE-413, USS Heermann DD-532, USS Dennis DE-405, USS John C. Butler DE-339, USS Raymond DE-341, USS Fanshaw Bay St. Lo, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, Kitkun Bay and Gambier Bay... Link to post Share on other sites
Ray42 Posted April 12, 2019 Share #10 Posted April 12, 2019 Ok, your's doesn't seem that far off from the m21, m21 normally have a .5625" hole mine had a hole of .625". The chamffing around the edge seems weird, I guess BB was just really bad at doing that. My guess is that it was a real HE that was converted to a practice one. Link to post Share on other sites
Garandomatic Posted April 12, 2019 Share #11 Posted April 12, 2019 Or that it was done by hand. Pretty easy for a chamfering tool to hog out irregularly. Looking for the following: 452nd and 447th Bomb Group items Anything 12th Armored- especially uniforms 155th Assault Helicopter Company, Camp Coryell, or Ban Me Thuot Vietnam items[/center]WWII US Navy Uniforms from the Battle Off Samar: USS Johnston DD-557, USS Hoel DD-553, USS Samuel B. Roberts DE-413, USS Heermann DD-532, USS Dennis DE-405, USS John C. Butler DE-339, USS Raymond DE-341, USS Fanshaw Bay St. Lo, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, Kitkun Bay and Gambier Bay... Link to post Share on other sites
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