Why are US Lemons so rare?

[EODGUY]

The US government never has made up a large number of inert items of any ordnance for training or display so that option is slim. Even when they did, they are normally drilled with inerting holes and handled roughly so that in a short time they are really in bad condition. They are a very difficult grenade to find and I think will stay that way.

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Early 50s put them in the Korean followed by Vietnam. Another reason is no one is doing relic hunting in those two countries.
That I know of.
Regards,
John

[inertordnance]

It is a real challenge to locate Inert Examples of US M26's with Korean War Era production date(s), I have only observed approx. 2 -3 examples in the past 25 years. Most vets that I have spoken with were being issued Mk2A1's during their tours in Korea.

[GTR003121]

My thought on the scarcity of the M61, etc. has been that they are difficult to inert. I doubt we will see many more than are already out there.

Sorry to see your post got edited Bob, but I saw it last night/this morning before I knocked out.

This is a good point too. I have a couple that are missing the basecaps, but the bodies are perfect, no evidence of them being taken off. I guess maybe the caps were sacrificed in order to spare the bodies.

Thanks for the input!

[GTR003121]

Btw Bob and Frank, beautiful examples! I always enjoy seeing other's Lemons!

My earliest is a 6-53 dated M26.

[EODGUY]

I do not have a fielding date for the M26, but my guess is that it may have been around 1949 or 1950. The T1012 impact fuze was developed for the M26A2 in a program that began in June of 1951, and was rolled into the T1012E1 program in February of 1959. No one ever said US development programs were fast!!! The T1012E1 was adopted as the M217, Standard A, in September of 1960. My point is that the M26 (originally the T38E1) had reached the point of having an "A2" version produced by the beginning of this fuze program in 1951. I know it was common to have several mods of the same ordnance item in development at the same time, so the M26, M26A1 and M26A2 may have all been in the works together.

[V40]

It was adopted during the last year of Korea. The M26 was adopted by most services as a fragmentation grenade, M26. Its performance was much more powerful than any Mk.II"s's ability to do the same damage than any other item that they would of used MK.II's would of been used on.
It also had(s) the tetrol booster around the bottom of the inside of the grenade. What they were using for explosives I have know idea. It was something that required a booster to work. Could I be right?

Mark

[GTR003121]

Here's a pic of my 6-53 dated M26. I had to use the flash to bring up the markings better. Its a Lone Star piece, LS-14-238. You can see the font/text is of a different variety.

[EODGUY]

Mark, Do you have something that says the M26 was adopted in 1953? Doesn't make sense to me when the TIR's I have on the fuze development talks of the M26A2 as early as 1951. They would not use the M designation until it was adopted. Prior to adoption it would have been the T38 series. If you have something that pins a date on it then I need to do some more digging. Bob

[vinnyw]

My brother inlaw brought one back from viet nam,he said the EOD guy just through it in some boiling water and bored out the bad stuff.
vinny