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My First Mills Grenade

Darren

Darren

Well-Known Member
Hi Guys,
Thought i would show my first grenade that i have just purchased for my collection.

I do not really know much at all about grenades but it looks to be complete apart from the zinc filler cap (if anyone has a genuine one for sale please contact me)

From what i know of this particular grenade, it is a No36 Mk1 manufactured by Vadis?

Any other info from the experts would be great.

Cheers,
Darren
 

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hellofafirstgrenade

Hi Darren, Very nice No36 Mk1. The Mills grenades just have that ultra-cool look to them especially the No36. Congratulations on a great find. If you have trouble finding an original filler plug there are excellent repros available from Dugup and a plethora of other sources. I'm sure a member or two in here can help you out. You sure did pick a nice one for a first grenade. Careful because you may find yourself wanting (needing) more!!! Cheers...Dano
 
dano1917 said:
Hi Darren, Very nice No36 Mk1. The Mills grenades just have that ultra-cool look to them especially the No36. Congratulations on a great find. If you have trouble finding an original filler plug there are excellent repros available from Dugup and a plethora of other sources. I'm sure a member or two in here can help you out. You sure did pick a nice one for a first grenade. Careful because you may find yourself wanting (needing) more!!! Cheers...Dano
Click to expand...

Cheers Dano, as for wanting more that i do, i have my eye on another already.

Darren
 
go for it

Yeah Darren, A single grenade might get lonely and want some company to pass the time. the coolest part is that if you exercise a little patience some reallly nice grenades can still be had very reasonably. Patience may not come easy but will really pay off in the long run. Happy hunting...Dano
 
Great 36m Darren. Well done one finding a good one.
The ring pull looks like its a modern one but thats not to much of a problem. Keep your eye on specialist auctions for the filler screw. You never know, a good one might just turn up. But if you are not to fussy there are very good repros available as dano has pointed out.
Whats your next one? are you going to stick to mills bombs or go for the lot?:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
Cheers, Paul.
 
I have just one M36 and I love it. I too am looking for more but thankfully I am a very patient individual.
 
My eyesight is bad, is that a 1940 date on the base plug? Does it match the date on the internals?
Best wishes
Gsu
 
north south east west

Well Darren, you've raised a few eyebrows and have some of us wondering which grenade you'll tackle next. That's the rub because the possibilities are boundless. you can specialize or go for a general collection, and sometimes you just see one and it hits you "that's the one". you just never know. Whichever direction you take you can be sure to have a little fun along the way. Great hobby. If you collect within the wars they can tend to get a bit pricey but bargains are still to be had. for me the juice is in the hunt.. Great wishes...Dano
 
darren said:
...
From what i know of this particular grenade, it is a No36 Mk1 manufactured by Vadis?

Any other info from ....

Cheers,
Darren
Click to expand...

The base plug was made by the Stafford factory of English Electric Co Ltd and is from their first contract (25th July 1940) for 1 million. They made No 36 die cast plugs (base and filler) but not the actual grenades.

[Reference War Diary of The English Electric Company Ltd]
 
One question I have in regards to the correct colour/finish of the handle. My M36 is made by FW. I am wondering what the colour should be for the handle? Is it black paint, blued as a rifle barrel, or something else?
 
paul the grenade said:
Great 36m Darren. Well done one finding a good one.
The ring pull looks like its a modern one but thats not to much of a problem. Keep your eye on specialist auctions for the filler screw. You never know, a good one might just turn up. But if you are not to fussy there are very good repros available as dano has pointed out.
Whats your next one? are you going to stick to mills bombs or go for the lot?:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
Cheers, Paul.
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul,
I am very pleased with this grenade, as you say a nice one as a first and i was very lucky to come accross it.

I did think that the ring pull was a modern one but as you say not too much of a problem as i am sure that one will come along at some point. I would rather find a genuine filler screw so will hold off until one comes along.

As for growing the grenade collection for a few reasons i will just be sticking to Mills grenades.

Cheers,
Darren
 
Most of the levers ive seen have a gray coating ( maybe zinc)
Cheers, Paul.











pylon1357 said:
One question I have in regards to the correct colour/finish of the handle. My M36 is made by FW. I am wondering what the colour should be for the handle? Is it black paint, blued as a rifle barrel, or something else?
Click to expand...
 
Hi Pylon,

I wouldnt worry too much about colour, as Paul says, they have probably all had a coating of zinc, especially WW2 levers but i would try and remove all the rust[if there is any] and a good coat of beeswax polish will help stop any more forming.

Good luck with your collection.

Andy
 
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