WW2 RG-42V Grenades

Here are the RG-42V grenades I have. These from what I have read and learned were made from the VPGS-41 rifle grenades, but Lex's site say they were also made without the HEAT cone inside. The grey one on the right with "Trotyl 11-44", the top comes off, and it has the HEAT cone in the bottom of the grenade. The grenade with shipping plug, I can also see the cone inside by looking into two holes punched in the top with flashlight.

Has anyone seen one of these grenades that "does not" have the HEAT cone?

Did they really make these grenades with and without the cones, or were they all modified VPGS-41 grenades with cones?

Is there a known meaning of the "brown stripe" painted at the top of the grey grenade second from left? could this be maybe what kind of filling it had? If so, what filling was a brown stripe? does anybody know?

There were also grenades without a cone and also small variants in the outer shape.

Grenademan, not all of them are ex-rifle grenades. Some were factory built as hand grenades just utilizing machinery of the rifle grenades.

EOD said:

There were also grenades without a cone and also small variants in the outer shape.

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Hi, OK, thanks for info. I do see a small difference in a couple of these I have.
But I guess the only way to tell if they were made as hand grenade with no HEAT cone, is either have one that someone inerted crappy, like the one I show that top comes off, or to be able to look inside of it somehow.

I would imagine the ones with "no cone" are a little more scarce than the rifle grenade version?
Do you know if they made many of the no cone version?

Maybe I will cut the tops off carefully with a dremel tool to have a look :wink:

I wonder if the "hand grenade version" had some added fragmentation layers of steel coiled inside like the RGD-33 and RG-42 cans have inside them? then maybe there would be a weight difference between the two different types?

Grenademan2005 said:

Nice exrifle grenades, Steve, one with stencils after 60 years in the ground.

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Thanks Miguel, the one with stencils is my favorite, even though grenade is a little ugly around the top.

The ground the grenade was found, preserved the stencil very nice. It must have maybe been a "clay soil" ground of some type. I have heard this clay soil will preserve items very good even after 60 years in ground. I wish all items came from this ground-soil like this!!

Grenademan2005 said:

Yes, in Russia under 70-80 cms you can find clay and it doesnt allow oxygen to touch the items buried in the clay, for this the awesome preservation. The problem is the oxygen.

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Ahhh OK, I did not think about this, yes, oxygen is needed to for items to rust.

"Rust" = Iron "Oxide"

Kilroy was Here said:

Hi, OK, thanks for info. I do see a small difference in a couple of these I have.
But I guess the only way to tell if they were made as hand grenade with no HEAT cone, is either have one that someone inerted crappy, like the one I show that top comes off, or to be able to look inside of it somehow.

I would imagine the ones with "no cone" are a little more scarce than the rifle grenade version?
Do you know if they made many of the no cone version?

Maybe I will cut the tops off carefully with a dremel tool to have a look :wink:

I wonder if the "hand grenade version" had some added fragmentation layers of steel coiled inside like the RGD-33 and RG-42 cans have inside them? then maybe there would be a weight difference between the two different types?

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This is very difficult to answer without examining plenty of these. Unfortunately I am not in the position to do this.

EOD said:

This is very difficult to answer without examining plenty of these. Unfortunately I am not in the position to do this.

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Yes, it would be if you do not have them to examine :tinysmile_twink_t2:
OK. I looked very carefully inside one RG-42V I have with 2 small holes punched in the top, and it has the layers of sheet steel rolled inside like RG-42 and RGD-33's have inside them. It's the thicker type rolled sheet metal inside, not the very thin steel like in the RGD-33.

I weighed all four RG-42V grenades I showed, and the one that the top comes off is 125gr, and the other three are all exactly 260gr.

So the one grenade that is missing frag coils is 125gr, and this gives a "base" weight of just what the body of the RG-42V weighs. So then it appears there is 135gr of added shrapnel coils inside the RG-42V "hand" grenades (if in fact these 4 I have were "made" as "hand" grenades, which now I think they were)

But were these shrapnel coils also inside the VPGS-41 rifle grenades? :dontknow: or no shrapnel coils because of the VPGS-41's intended HEAT use against armor?? :hmmmm: I'll have to look for some drawings or diagrams what was inside them.

Seems the VPGS had no frag coil, but also no proof that there were none such since modifications were always an option.

Here a table made by "Jhonni" in Russia. He compiled some variations, so seems there might have been one with frag coil:

EOD said:

Here a table made by "Jhonni" in Russia. He compiled some variations, so seems there might have been one with frag coil:

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They definitely they had a frag coil...........


Ahhh Yes, I should have looked at Eugene's drawings. Thanks for scanning and posting his and other drawings. He'll probably show up here when he see's this, and correct everything I've said and that I'm thinking and theorizing.
:crossedlips:

OK, by Eugene's pictures, the bodies used for the hand grenades had frag coils inside them, and the HEAT cones were a modified shape like in one of my pics. All 4 of mine obviously do not have the other cone part at the top for the special fuze and the rifle rod. Three of my grenades, including the one I can see the frag coils through the holes on top, are the same weight, so all were made specifically as hand grenades with frag coils inside.
My examples definitely have the frag coils inside them, except the one with top removed, but I'm sure they were there at one time, and taken out by whoever inerted it.

That's interesting to know, I thought all were just "left over rifle grenades" with the top cone for rod removed. But now I think about it more, and they had to make a top with a different fuze-detonator well. Probably just a modified RG-42 type top that they crimped on same type tooling.

In fact they probably just modified the VPGS-41 tooling to just make the "hand grenades" after they decided to stop using the VPGS41 "rifle" grenades. :banghead: duuhh

They did stop using the VPGS-41...right? or Did they make both types until end of war? :dontknow:
I think I read the rifle grenades did not work well so they stopped making the VPGS-41 grenades early on? One of mine has November 11- 1944 date, so they were for sure making the hand grenade versions in late war period.

I think what my diagram is not fully right and have mistakes!! And this is my old diagram (above)!
Need more work with this theme.. If i'll get a new info --> i'll write you guys!
Steve!! Very nice models!!
VPGS41 hadn't an internal frag coil.. if only RG-42V.



http://trizna.ru/galerea/albums/userpics/hand_grenade_RG_42V.jpg
http://trizna.ru/galerea/albums/userpics/normal_hand_grenade_RG_42V.jpg
sorry for my mistakes! i'm is not ideal and on this time correct my diagrams (every free day)!

Cheers!!

Eugene.

jhonni \ said:

I think what my diagram is not fully right and have mistakes!! And this is my old diagram (above)!
Need more work with this theme.. If i'll get a new info --> i'll write you guys!
Steve!! Very nice models!!
VPGS41 hadn't an internal frag coil.. if only RG-42V.

sorry for my mistakes! i'm is not ideal and on this time correct my diagrams (every free day)!

Cheers!!

Eugene.

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Hi Eugene, no problem, I do not see many mistakes, you do good work. OK, yes, only the RG-42V had the internal frag coils. This is what I had thought. I can see the frag coils inside one of mine looking through the 2 holes that have been drilled into the top when it was inerted. Three of my RG-42V are all the same weight also, 260gr. so I think they all have the frag coils inside. The coils from the 11-44 grenade are missing :tinysmile_cry_t:

Merry Christmas to you