Looking for info on hand grenade

[notfoundagain]

I was wondering if anybody could tell me what era or how old is this hand grenade? Also, is there any way to confirm that it is not explosive (the bottom is sealed)? Thanks!

[maxine*j]

All I can tell you is that the design is an Mk-2 fragmentation grenade from the Second world War.   Whether it's real or fake, about to blow your arm off or is just a paperweight, I can't say.

Info here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mk_2_grenade

You should be able to learn something by Googling the fuse number.

[argon38]

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@notfoundagain wrote:
Also, is there any way to confirm that it is not explosive (the bottom is sealed)?

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Seriously? Take no chances. Call the police right now and let them dispose of it safely.

https://www.quora.com/I-found-a-WW2-era-grenade-in-my-deceased-grandfathers-traveling-chest-How-do-I...

[newnewnewmann]

If you don't know, you should treat it like a live grenade. Like gun safety, assume it's loaded and dangerous.

A brief Internet search found this;
The M213 refers to the Detonating Fuze and is designed for use with the M67 fragmentation grenade. (the M67 is round so your fuse was probably transplanted)
If it's been made a dummy on purpose, the spoon should be BLUE. If it's an old pineapple grenade, the bottom will be hollow.
Yours could be a dummy that was plugged with lead...or maybe not.

If it were me, I would be calling the police or the bomb squad, no kidding--They in turn should call a military EOD unit.

[sonomabarn67]

But, but, what's it worth???

[maxine*j]

I hope you noted my restraint in not answering, " Also, is there any way to confirm that it is not explosive," with, "Yes, pull the pin."   You see, I can be tasteful and refined in my answers.     

[notfoundagain]

Thank you. I will see that they are properly disposed of by experts ASAP.

[afantiques]

The fuse assemply should simply unscrew from the top. Once it is out the main grenade is pretty inert. The fuze works by the flap (with the numbers on it) flipping when the pin is released and the  stop lever detached, and hitting a small blank cartridge which ignites material in the tube which creates the delay. Merely pulling the pin is harmless, the hand lever stops the fuse from firing until the lever is released, so if you do not let the lever fly off you can just re-insert the pin.

It is impossible to detonate a real grenade by unscrewing the fuse assembly.

I am pretty sure this is a desk ornament.

[18704d]

"It is impossible to detonate a real grenade by unscrewing the fuse assembly."

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Isn't that true for "normal' grenades?

I thought explosives got unstable over the decades?

Thanks,

Lynn

[argon38]

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@afantiques wrote:

The fuse assemply should simply unscrew from the top.

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All good in theory... but in real life people drop things, break things, mishandle things, even when they know exactly what they're doing and are trying extra-hard to be careful (sometimes especially then). OP is sensible to leave it to the professionals.

[sonomabarn67]

And there was the ordance diffuser who was the world expert until...a few years ago he drilled into a civil war cannonball and it exploded, killing him.

[afantiques]

In general this is untrue. The problem is with explosives such as dynamite and gelignite which have nitroglycerine absorbed into an inert material, or a relatively stable one abd with time the nitroglycerine can 'weep' from the stabiliser, making a normally fairly sage to handle explosive as sensitive as pure nitro. Not go off as soon as touch it unstable but  fer more unstable than the normal product, and especially sensitive when frozen.

Formulations of other nitro-explosives do not have this problem, so amatol or TNT  which need a gaine to detonate in their normal state are pretty safe.

Dropping a grenade while removing the fuse assembly would be about as dangerous as dropping a round of pistol ammunition. Not dangerous.