VB Rifle grenade

[pzgr40]

I am busy with the cutaway model of a French WW1 VB rifle grenade, and I have to make a replica detonator. My question, what material was the detonator made from? Aluminium or copper.
The brass closing screw in the base -locking up the detonator- is missing. Has anyone got a spare one?
Thanks in advance,
Regards, DJH

 

[sgdbdr]

VB had a commercial detonator named "détonateur n° 7". It was made of red copper or brass

 

[Millsman]

I am busy with the cutaway model of a French WW1 VB rifle grenade, and I have to make a replica detonator. My question, what material was the detonator made from? Aluminium or copper.
The brass closing screw in the base -locking up the detonator- is missing. Has anyone got a spare one?
Thanks in advance,
Regards, DJH[/QUOTE/

Just so happens that I have a spare empty det tube with the screw in the base.



Happy to send if you pay the postage.

 

[pzgr40]

That would be great. I can than finish my cutwaway model and change it into a posting on the BOCN
I'll send you my details per PN

 

[Millsman]

That would be great. I can than finish my cutwaway model and change it into a posting on the BOCN
I'll send you my details per PN

Great I'll check out the postage.

John

 

[pzgr40]

I got this tube. Thanks for that John, and I was able to take out the base plug. It has a coarser thread than the thread in the brass tube in the rifle grenade itself. Does anybody know why? I know there is the French and the US version, but do they differ. Or am I missing parts?
Thanks in advance,
Regards, DJH

 

[MINENAZ16]

Hello,
On your picture the tube with small holes is used on smoke and practice VB (no holes on tube for HE VB)


HE

 

[pzgr40]

Is the practice or smoke more rare?

 

[MINENAZ16]

Is the practice or smoke more rare?

To be precise smoke VB (called "fumigène d'instruction") was also made for practice (the other practice is empty).
Not easy to say about rarity. We often found VB in France as these very effective rifle grenades were used during ww1 and ww2 but top paint is always missing, so dificult to make the difference. I found about twenty rusty VB in the same place last year and I considered HE ; I don't know why one of these was broken in two parts, I saw the grenade was empty with the drilled brass tube inside (so practice or smoke practice with missing filling).


Maybe you can make two different cutaway !


Prac smk tube :



Prac VB :




Prac smk (from a 30's doc)