No.23 MkIII

[ben2000]

Hi All,

Received this today, a ww1 No.23 MkIII Grenade. It is in relic condition but i like it. The base plug shows it was made by Dobson & Barlow of Bolton Lancs, but unfortunately the date of manufacture has vanished :tinysmile_angry_t:

Are these MkIII's rarer than other ww1 mills? I only wonder as i would maybe like to clean it up even better, i already have a nice relic No.5 from John (Millsman) but as i dont know where this was found etc im tempted to restore it a bit. But won't if it's slightly rarer.

Thanks,

Ben.

 

[gothica7]

Hi Ben,

nice gren. First, does it come apart? Has it been deactivated? Cant tell from your pictures.

The No 23/3 is one of the most rare of the Mills variants as it wasnt in service long before it was replaced by the No 36. For a while they were in service together. It was replaced by the No 36 which used a gas check[circular threaded disk inserted into a cup discharger] instead of a rod for launching which was much better for the rifle.

I would certainly stop the rot but whether to restore or not will be up to you. Good examples are out there but pricey ime afraid.

Good luck with it.

Andy

 

[ben2000]

Hi Ben,

nice gren. First, does it come apart? Has it been deactivated? Cant tell from your pictures.

Yes, the base plug and filler cap unscrew, the steel internal piece (which i can't seem to unscrew) appears to have been drilled (i'll post a couple more pics in a min) and the whole thing is inert. Thanks for the info Andy, i shall bear that in mind :smile:

 

[ben2000]

Pic with base plug off & Filler unscrewed

 

[gothica7]

Thats great Ben.

The centre tube will probably be made of aluminium but could have been brass and sometimes they are drilled through to get at the contents. Should show just 2 holes, one central one for the striker and spring and a single smaller slot for the detonator.If the filler screw unscrews[very lucky there] i would have thought it would have been emptied through it.
If you do restore it, we would all like to see the pics on the forum.

Good luck

Andy

 

[gothica7]

Yes, its been drilled in the deac process. The tube may come out but you will need some form of tool to get it out. You can make them yourself if you can do metal work or know someone who can or buy one when they occasionally come up on eBay or SA.

Andy

 

[ben2000]

Yes, its been drilled in the deac process. The tube may come out but you will need some form of tool to get it out. You can make them yourself if you can do metal work or know someone who can or buy one when they occasionally come up on eBay or SA.

Andy

Thanks for the info Andy, I'm pretty handy at making things so i may be able to make something myself :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[Infanteer]

Can you fellows teach me something? Is there a way to differentiate between No23 MkIII and No36 bodies? Without the baseplug it looks the same to me.

 

[pointblank0]

Can you fellows teach me something? Is there a way to differentiate between No23 MkIII and No36 bodies? Without the baseplug it looks the same to me.

Er, no. I don't think so. I think the changes were to the base plugs.
Similar to the no5 bodies and 23 mk1 and 2 bodies. All the same with different strikers, levers, pins, base plugs, centre tubes etc, depending on changes made and dates the were made.


As with that grenade shown, I would leave it as it is if it were mine, looks great like that.

 

[Snufkin]

The only difference between the No.23 Mk III and the No.36 Mk I was the base plug.

The No.23 Mk III used the same design of base plug as the No.23 Mk II, to allow it to be fired from a rifle with a 5.5” rod. The No.36 Mk I used a modified base plug with a flat face, onto which was screwed a gas check disc for use in a discharger cup.

Both types saw service in parallel, from the latter half of 1917 until the end of WW1. Thereafter surviving stocks of 23 Mk III were revised to 36 Mk I by having their base plugs changed. This in part explains why surviving examples are less common than other variants.



Tom.

 

[ben2000]

As with that grenade shown, I would leave it as it is if it were mine, looks great like that.

Thanks, i think i will. :tinysmile_fatgrin_t Just been down the road and bought some Hammerite to stop the rust.

Has anyone got a spare pin/ring i can purchase for it?

Ben.

 

[gothica7]

Thanks, i think i will. :tinysmile_fatgrin_t Just been down the road and bought some Hammerite to stop the rust.

Has anyone got a spare pin/ring i can purchase for it?

Ben.

Hi Ben,

pm me and ile send you one for nowt.

Andy

 

[Millsman]

A couple more for the mix. One from Elmbank and the other Munitions and Light castings - Grimsby (11/17).

John

 

[ben2000]

Cleaned up

Hi All,

Cleaned it up a bit. Removed all the rust and painted and coated it in a clear sealer. It now looks just like the No.5 i already had. Thanks for the pin Andy

Ben.

 

[Infanteer]

Thanks, i think i will. :tinysmile_fatgrin_t Just been down the road and bought some Hammerite to stop the rust.

Ben.

I see you changed your mind about leaving it as found Regardless, it's still a nice find.

So, since the bodies are the same for the No23 MkIII and No36 there would be no way to know if a complete No23 MkIII is original. I guess the value would all be in the baseplug. Thanks guys.

 

[navyman]

No 23.

Hello Ben,
Here's one of mine, it was in very bad condition when I got it and have been tidying up the section a bit when I have some spare time. I was baffled by the three holes in the centre tube, it hadn't occured to me that this was simply for emptying it! I won't try getting the tube out as it's too fragile, I've already had to clean and fill the splits to try and stop the corrosion
The tool was knocked up on the lathe, it works fine for most stuck tubes, after a good soak in WD40, and doubles for re-cocking the striker.
Cheers,
Guy.

 

[ben2000]

I see you changed your mind about leaving it as found Regardless, it's still a nice find.

Well i decided to leave it as a relic rather than restore it. I needed to stop the rust and once that was done it needed to be coated in something to stop it ever rusting again so did the same process as the No.5 i bought from John.

I have a better condition No.5 on it's way to me with only light pitting, so that one i might restore fully.

P.s i like the sectioned one Guy