How to empty US grenade.

[Jean-Loup]

I was just wondering what I should do if someday I find an active US grenade. As far as I know they are pretty safe. What would I have to do to empty it? Unscrew the top, and empty the powder; but what about the detonator and stuff?
Or should I just leave the grenade where it is? Any opinions?
JL

[Johnnie]

If you find a live grenade, U.S. or otherwise, I highly recommend you don't touch it and notify the authorities. As far as U.S. grenades go, there was no "powder" in them, the casings were filled with explosive, and the fuse screws into the top.
Seriously, this type of live ordnance, even when new, is bad news to play with. God knows how unreliable they would be after 60 years exposure to the elements. And they can still go "boom".
Best regards,
Johnnie

[SteveR]

I was just wondering what I should do if someday I find an active US grenade. As far as I know they are pretty safe. What would I have to do to empty it? Unscrew the top, and empty the powder; but what about the detonator and stuff?
Or should I just leave the grenade where it is? Any opinions?
JL

Friend;
Unless you have had extensive training in explosive devices. I would leave it alone. Trying to cut your teeth on live ordnance is risky business at best. I would suggest that you contact the local police to haul it away. Nothing is worth your life or good health. REMEMBER Grenades were made to KILL !!!!
If it is WWII it has had damn near 60 years to develope a defect.
The cap in the grenade (top part) is made of copper with a sulfuric acid primer in a thin glass holder inside the copper cap that is broken when the lever pops off that eats thru the top of the copper cap setting off the expolsive in the grenade body. The pin holding down the arming lever is steel and rusts accordingly. The pin will rust away just enough to realease the lever and the spring (while steel and rusty also) will pop that sucker and you are in deep sh*t. If the damned thing starts smoking throw it and hit the dirt. (WWII US grenades are supposed to have have a 5 second fuse but don't count on it) The resulting explosion will go up and to the sides at an angle if you can get more than 5 feet away you maight survive the impact of the explosion with only ear damage.. If you are lucky.
If the screw on the bottom is gone and the explosive is gone it has probably been disarmed BUT the explosive cap can still be in it. Be CAREFUL!!!
It is always YOUR CHOICE. BUT MY BEST ADVICE IS LEAVE IT ALONE.
Steve Ray

[W Petz]

US Handgrenades

All,

I agree with the majority. Stay away from any item that contains explosives...I have had training in that area and therefore have DEACTIVATED a few US pineapples that were found in original containers via farmers. Those that have been sitting in the ground for 60 years can be unpredictible to say the least...better to be safe than sorry. You don't want to wind up like those two Luxembourgers that blew themselves up last year. One lost his head over his stupidity. Bill

[J.von Canon]

Report/safeguard/stay away

I was just wondering what I should do if someday I find an active US grenade. As far as I know they are pretty safe. What would I have to do to empty it? Unscrew the top, and empty the powder; but what about the detonator and stuff?
Or should I just leave the grenade where it is? Any opinions?
JL

Hi;
There was a similar thread last year about a German grenade found in Europe.
Report this item to the appropriate authority(bomb squad/police);
Make CERTAIN the person you report this information to passes the word(telephone receptionists sometimes don't pass the word);
If anyone else knows where it is -make sure they are informed to stay clear(especially curious kids,who are often the victims);
I'm very familiar with explosives,booby traps,etc.-and I would'nt go near it.
Monitor this thing until it is blown or disarmed.Usually the pieces will be given away if you request them(if important to you.)

[Mauser]

Stay well away from it !

You are either a very brave man or totally foolish to even contemplate an attempt to disarme Unexploded Ordnance in a leathal state. If that baby goes bang you can be sure to be hit with hundreds of small, sharp pieces of metal in all directions.

Stay away from it !

P.s You can buy safely disarmed Mk2s on E-bay for around £40 - 50,with out the risk of ending up dead or mutilated

[Jean-Loup]

It looks like there is a concencus here. I would have agreed with you right of from the start if I didnt live in France. But since I know plenty collectors here that have found grenades and emptied them with no problems, it makes me think about how dangerous it realy is, if you know what to do. I know that sometimes between reputation, legend, training, word of mouth and reality, there is sometimes a difference.
I wouldnt mess around with any fired shells, etc. But I would consider that with a pinned grenade, at worst, you can throw it away if there is ever a problem.(having placed yourself in an appropriat area first)
I live in a mountanous region, and US grenades can be found in virtually mint condition, witch is why I am pondering on what to do if I ever find one(I wouldnt mess with one in a "lethal state"). About contacting the police; I dont really know if they would care. You have to understand that in some regions ion France, the ground is littered with explosifs...
I know the smartest thing to do is not touch any explosifs; but if one day I see grenade with pin and paint on the ground, I dont know if I will be able to resist the temptation, witch is why I was asking how to empty it.
Anyways, thanks for the opinions.
JL

[Ralph A]

2 cents worth (of powder)

No too long ago in South Carolina there was a gent who found a (US) Civil War era cannonball (Probably a 12-pdr) that he thought would be safe to disarm (remove the black powder). He was somewhat knowledgeable about such devices, and after all the thing was over 100 years old... what could possibly happen...

Boom.

I think even with a lifetime's experience with that sort of thing, I'de be leery of getting anywhere near it. Sure... maybe it's comparatively easy for an "expert" to deactivate new ordinance, but what has 60 years done to the thing?? If a 125-year old crude cannonball could go off, what can be said about a 60-year old pineapple grenade?

Leave it alone! We want you to be around, not "all around".

[W Petz]

BOOM your Dead

Jean-Loop,

Too many folks are maimed and killed by explosives. Most have no clue with what they are dealing with and how dangerous time and the elements can make the mechanisms that set those explosives off very unstable. Handling unexploded ordnance is like playing russian roulette. I'm sure you have read about many incidents in France. They occur more often than they should but as you said there is alot of it around. I remember reading one time about an off-duty Policemen with his son coming upon an unexploded artillery shell stacked at the end of a farmers field in the Verdun area. He kicked it and blew himself and his son up in the process. If you are searching for someone on this forum to agree or support you on handling explosives....I don't think you will find that support here. You may find it with your friends. Even experts get killed handling explosives. Bill

[SteveR]

It looks like there is a concencus here. I would have agreed with you right of from the start if I didnt live in France. But since I know plenty collectors here that have found grenades and emptied them with no problems, it makes me think about how dangerous it realy is, if you know what to do. I know that sometimes between reputation, legend, training, word of mouth and reality, there is sometimes a difference.
I wouldnt mess around with any fired shells, etc. But I would consider that with a pinned grenade, at worst, you can throw it away if there is ever a problem.(having placed yourself in an appropriat area first)
I live in a mountanous region, and US grenades can be found in virtually mint condition, witch is why I am pondering on what to do if I ever find one(I wouldnt mess with one in a "lethal state"). About contacting the police; I dont really know if they would care. You have to understand that in some regions ion France, the ground is littered with explosifs...
I know the smartest thing to do is not touch any explosifs; but if one day I see grenade with pin and paint on the ground, I dont know if I will be able to resist the temptation, witch is why I was asking how to empty it.
Anyways, thanks for the opinions.
JL

Dear Jean-Loup
If your are bound and determined to try to disarm a live 60 year old grenade follow these instructions VERY CAREFULLY.
After finding a live grenade, find a large stone, tree stump, log, whatever.
Set on the edge of the thing you have found to set on.
With the grenade in your right hand take your left hand put it behind your left thigh bend over, put your head CAREFULLY between your legs and KISS YOUR A$$ GOODBY. Then proceed with disarming of grenade. Also have burial insurance as there will be parts and pieces left laying around.
The Okie
Steve Ray

[david w]

Just my 2 cents worth, I am a retired Sergeantmajor with 24 years experience in handling explosives,1967-1991, grenades scare the crap out of me when they come fresh out of the shipping crate / leave the damned things alone / they are extremely dangerous / the fuse system is not fool proof when new and exposing oneself to one 60 years old is stupid
David

[R_Hessian]

Your life!

Jean,
Like other members of the forum I also have "tossed" a few grenades. I would say that you have been given very good advice about these things... leave the "Darn" things alone.

While they might look MINT, they have degraded on the inside! It's anyones guess as to how stable it still is.

A EOD Tec. more than likely would simply blow it in place.... Yes even a Tech would not take a chance!

In the '70's I lost a friend because he picked up a fired Morter round, it blew of his leg's and he lay there and bled to death...

We would like to enjoy your company on this forum...
Robert

[Frank De Smedt]

Finding ammo

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if you have the same problem of finding lots of ammo in the States?
Here in Flanders every year about 139 tons of ammo of witch 22,5 tons of chemical ammo are found.
http://www.focustv.be/CMArticles/Sho...48&sectionID=8

Jean-Loup, like everyone sayd "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF". If the grenade is really in good shape ask the bomb-squad to de-act it for you. These guys are normally also collectors and want make any problems of doing this for you.

To have an idea of what is found over here, watch
http://www.diggers.be/E/activiteiten/bommen/welkom.htm

Regards,

FRANK

[Jean-Loup]

Well, I guess I will just take a picture of the grenade if I ever come accross one. (But I noticed all the examples given to me of people blowing up in this thread concerned shells, not grenades)
Thanks for the advice, it might have saved my life. I will still look for grenades; but not for the grenades them selfs, fot the other junk that might be sitting around with them.
JL

[DaveJ]

I would think the first step is to contact someone that sells you fake items, and tell him you have an item he might really like to deactivate for his collection