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mills bomb/grenade info

Z

zeus73

Member
hello ive just joined the forum in the hope of finding out more information.
im looking for some information about a mills grenade i recently was given as a gift, its the typical cast iron body with no markings on it, the base plug has the following stamped on it, no5 mk1 FALKIRK `7/16, the pin and ring pull dont look original and the only things inside are a firing pin and a very rusted spring, the filling screw will not budge no matter what i do . does this sound like a typical grenade or is it a fake???

also was wondering were i could get hold of any empty 26.5mm flare casing from?? tried everywhere with no luck. thanks
 
Hi Zeus,

it sounds ok to me, especially if things are all rusted and usually its not easy at all to get the fillers out as they are glued in with something called Pettman cement. The more you try ime sure you will damage the threads. If there is only a striker and spring, its possible the centre tube has rotted away, this does happen in the ground as aluminium does corrode easily in some conditions. Also, people usually dont try and fake rusted grens, only mint ones and your base plug sounds fine.

Some pictures would as Darren says help but it sounds ok.

Andy
 
If the centrepiece has rotted away it's likely that the Falkirk plug was added later. It may have had an aluminum plug that also rotted away and perhaps the brass plug has been added for completeness. Does it have a lever? If so does the pin go over the lever or through it? It sounds to be a genuine battlefield relic where maybe some other bits have been added.

John
 
real deal

Hi Zeus, I agree with John and Andy, There is noway it is fake and probably a battlefield find. I'll bet anything she displays nice as the Mills grenade is as classic as they come. Would love to see a picture of it. Oh yeah welcome to BOCN...Dano
 
Hello,
I love Mills bombs. I agree with everyone else here, sounds all good and genuine to me. A lot of Number 5 bodies had no markings on them whatsoever and others had foundry marks which don't reall identify anything to us. Not worth removing the filler screw, these are usually very tight and you will probably end up damaging it, best left alone,
Rob
 
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