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opinion wanted on no36

X

xPANZERx

Well-Known Member
Hi here are some photos of a mills i'm considering buying the seller has listed it as a ww1 training grenade, but i don't know if its a proper training variant or if it has been modified post war. I would really appreciate getting a second opinion before I make an offer on it.
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I'm not sure what this is. The bttm plug is a No. 36. Which would not have been developed yet. Is that a screw under the lever? Filler plug! Anyway, The striker pin is not right for No. 5 ( which I believe would have been the correct grenade for that era. But, I'm a beginner & hesitated to chime in so I could be wrong. BUT, I do have a copy of TGRM on British grenades. There are some REAL Mills experts here & I'd wait to hear what they say
Tim
 
Yes there is a screw below the leaver (which is a repro) which is apparently to prevent a det from being placed inside and i do aggre that the striker does not look right. I know they did make some no36 in ww1 but have never seen any here in nz so cant compare it to any thing i have seen.
 
Hi, I had one a few years back that looked almost identical. I think it is either a lighter or a lamp (the on/off botton would go where the screw is under the lever) made from original Mill bodies after WW1. Cheers
 
The plug and body are right but the lever is a home made job by the look of it. I've never seen a pair of screws in thos positions at the base of the lever area either. The striker looks more like a lighter modification. An off one and a shame to muck about with a rare WW1 36 body and plug.

John
 
Thanks for the advice, can anyone give me a suggestion as to a reasonable price considering the modifications.
 
I didn't realize the 36 was made that early. I take it (by markings on base) this one was made in Oct. 1917? John was the entire grenade manufactured at that time or had they just started on components. I can't quite make out the marking in body. Who made them that early? Interesting , learn something new every day @ this forum :)
 
The 36 actually started life as the No 23 Mk III. It was first delivered to the front line from as early as June 1917 but mainly from September when they were more common. The No 23 Mk III adopted the Hearn type cast iron plug as standard, but the No 36 brought in the heavier cast iron plug whose shape lasted pretty well into the 1970's. The designation No 36 was brought in a little later and the two types ran in parallel nearly to the end of the war. Like the No 23 Mks I & II the Mk III and the 36 were designed to be dual use rifle / hand grenades.

John
 
Hi. I found some pics of the one I had. Someone had tried to make it look like a standard HE Mills. Cheers
 

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Hi John, I suspect they are turning up on the wrong side of the world to be a factory conversion. Cheers
 
Thanks for finding that one. I suppose some factories could have made these as presents to staff, possibly from reject bodies.

John
 
Hi. I wish my company would give me such a gift! If someone on BOCN buys it, please let us know what the threaded hole under the lever is for (refilling the lighter?). Cheers
 
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