British Ordnance Collectors Network
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
M24
- Thread starter avenger
- Start date
It looks to me like it had the crimp around the head opened up and then resealed, but you're right, he should make sure it feels empty first. Glad you brought it up.
Thanks guys!
I'll be sure to check on the disarmament. I have a 3 year old, so I can't take chances on that. I agree, the crimp was probably opened, and reapplied. In this case, it looks to have been reapplied very well, preserving the look of the canister. I don't have it purchased yet, but I've put in to do so if it's still available. I'll know more in a day or two I'm sure.
I'll be sure to check on the disarmament. I have a 3 year old, so I can't take chances on that. I agree, the crimp was probably opened, and reapplied. In this case, it looks to have been reapplied very well, preserving the look of the canister. I don't have it purchased yet, but I've put in to do so if it's still available. I'll know more in a day or two I'm sure.
I'm surprised, but I managed to get this one. I expected it to be gone to a new home already. Well, it is now! 
Turns out they did in fact go in by undoing the crimp and removing the head. The dealer says it's just really hard to tell because they did such a good job recrimping it. So, it's fully inert.
Turns out they did in fact go in by undoing the crimp and removing the head. The dealer says it's just really hard to tell because they did such a good job recrimping it. So, it's fully inert.
I'm surprised, but I managed to get this one. I expected it to be gone to a new home already. Well, it is now!
Turns out they did in fact go in by undoing the crimp and removing the head. The dealer says it's just really hard to tell because they did such a good job recrimping it. So, it's fully inert.
That's really great, congratulations! I wish it was mine!
I've seen others inerted like this one, but from what I've seen it's less common than by cutting into the detonator tube area, which is easier. I've heard that this was sometimes done with a machine, which would explain why it looks so good. I don't know how you could do this by hand without ruining it. If this was taken as a souvenir from the factory that produced it, they could even have used the same machine that did the original crimp. I wonder if anyone else on this site can shed some light on this? I don't know that much about it.After I posted the comments above, I looked again at the pics, and I see tool marks from it being opened, so I think it was actually done by hand by someone who was very careful and did good work. The other examples I've seen that were done by hand looked terrible.
There are also rack marks on the handle from it being inside a grenade case. This grenade really is a great find, I think.
Last edited:
jeeeensy
Well-Known Member
Hi, Its very hard to re crimp them without the closure tool. most that are opened this way most never go back properly, there is a disc that the fuse well is fixed to and this sits it the crimped area ,so its hard to get them back in place and re crimp. not impossible but difficult. The filler is a hard preformed compound wrapped in paper, then inserted into the can then the fuse plate and well fitted then the bottom part, then crimped in place.
Here is one on my early Mint ones that was deact via two very small holes in the fuse base plate. typically on a mint item you want to preserve as much as possible.
Here is one on my early Mint ones that was deact via two very small holes in the fuse base plate. typically on a mint item you want to preserve as much as possible.
That's really great, congratulations! I wish it was mine!
After I posted the comments above, I looked again at the pics, and I see tool marks from it being opened, so I think it was actually done by hand by someone who was very careful and did good work. The other examples I've seen that were done by hand looked terrible.
There are also rack marks on the handle from it being inside a grenade case. This grenade really is a great find, I think.
Attachments
You definitely got into the good stuff Jeeeensy. I've seen the photos of some of your collection. Very nice stuff. You've clearly been working on acquiring these for a while. So...how did they get the hard explosives to come out through those little holes?
I was looking for a single good example for my collection, and I can say with some confidence that they just don't come up often in great condition. That said, this grenade arrived and I took some photos.
The printed white text "VOR GEBRAUCH SPRENGKAPSEL EINSETZEN" meaning "Before use insert detonator" is all there and very readable. Just below it in black, and a little harder to read, I believe is "SK 239". The top of the canister sports "RR564 1938" for Richard Rinker, and the stick has a matching designation. Also on top of the canister is a fantastic W.a.A 562 waffenamt, and two such identical "562" stamps can be found on the stick. Without question, this grenade is complete as the day it was new, and as it was when it was first inspected for service with all parts matching.
The grenade has been interted by opening the crimp of the canister, and was surprisingly well done considering this process usually chews up the crimp in an ugly way. And, the upside to this method is that we get to see the detonator well still intact.
The canister weighs 127g on its own. The stick, canister, and pull cord together (everything basically) weighs 344.2g. The top of the stick that the canister screws onto has just the slightest amount of wiggle to it, which I'm betting is quite normal.
While I've studied M24's in the pursuit of this one, this is the first time I've held one. They are a lot bigger than I expected. I can see the advantage of their design when using/throwing one, but carrying them in the field seems like it would be quite clunky and maybe even at times get in the way in critical moments. It's not the stone sized object a person thinks of when they imagine a grenade, but rather they truly earn their moniker "potato masher".
Now just need to find a fuse to screw into it.
You've clearly been working on acquiring these for a while. So...how did they get the hard explosives to come out through those little holes?I was looking for a single good example for my collection, and I can say with some confidence that they just don't come up often in great condition. That said, this grenade arrived and I took some photos.
The printed white text "VOR GEBRAUCH SPRENGKAPSEL EINSETZEN" meaning "Before use insert detonator" is all there and very readable. Just below it in black, and a little harder to read, I believe is "SK 239". The top of the canister sports "RR564 1938" for Richard Rinker, and the stick has a matching designation. Also on top of the canister is a fantastic W.a.A 562 waffenamt, and two such identical "562" stamps can be found on the stick. Without question, this grenade is complete as the day it was new, and as it was when it was first inspected for service with all parts matching.
The grenade has been interted by opening the crimp of the canister, and was surprisingly well done considering this process usually chews up the crimp in an ugly way. And, the upside to this method is that we get to see the detonator well still intact.
The canister weighs 127g on its own. The stick, canister, and pull cord together (everything basically) weighs 344.2g. The top of the stick that the canister screws onto has just the slightest amount of wiggle to it, which I'm betting is quite normal.
While I've studied M24's in the pursuit of this one, this is the first time I've held one. They are a lot bigger than I expected. I can see the advantage of their design when using/throwing one, but carrying them in the field seems like it would be quite clunky and maybe even at times get in the way in critical moments. It's not the stone sized object a person thinks of when they imagine a grenade, but rather they truly earn their moniker "potato masher".
Now just need to find a fuse to screw into it.
Last edited:
Super example! Congratulations. With regards to the maker mark, I've read that if the RR mark is alone that the item was indeed made by Richard Rinker. However, if the RR is followed by another number then it's not actually Richard Rinker but another company. At that time there were only a couple of companies allowed to make munitions by the Treaty of Versailles so to hide the fact that other companies were manufacturing munitions they continued to use the RR initials but with extra numbers as a means of deception. Once the war began the new code system (three letters) was no longer trying to hide the number of companies making munitions but instead the codes were meant to hide the locations of the factories. I've read this in numerous threads so can't verify that this definitely true but it really does make sense.
Last edited: