81mm M43A1 ammo box

[chcole1]

I found this cleaning out my late dad's art studio. This isn't what I collect but this seems like a WW2 box. If I remember right, light blue signifies "inert". 

 

Any info someone can share about it would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Chris

 

 

[Kaptainssurplus]

That is a crate for 4- M43A1 TP (target practice) rounds, circa WW2. There will be a date on it somewhere by the lot number. Also blue doesnt mean inert, blue color never means inert. Blue means training/target practice. Which can be live and still contain explosives, powder, etc. Also there is the color blue with brown, which means low explosive. Bronze/gold is the color for inert. 

[chcole1]

I plan to sell it. Any idea of value? 

 

[Dirt Detective]

Looks like you have a post WWII crate,  looks to be 1952.  Crates with Hinges held in place with 3 screws like this are post WWII.

[viking4zero]

A good example of a blue round that still has a dangerous level of explosive is the M918 TP  round for the Mark 19 grenade launcher. The one pictured has been deactivated and is inert now. I remember seeing one of these directly hit a tree and create a quite visible explosion.

In the 80s and 90s I was an Artilleryman, we often fired a blue round called a "litre" round that had 4 holes that would emit smoke, so the impact would be visible. I don't think the army uses them now.

[917601]

On 2/17/2021 at 7:42 PM, chcole1 said:

I plan to sell it. Any idea of value? 

 

I have one similar, difference being a crate for the live HE round. Mine dated 1953, well marked, yours appears to be for training rounds, dated 1952? I paid about $25 a few years ago.