It's a small hand grenade, it is missing that pin that you pull in order to arm it and it's been around for almost 5 years. Is there any chance it may blow? I keep it on display as an ornamental piece and someone else has kept it before me. So...is there something to worry about?...
2007-09-18 11:49:05 · 19 answers · asked by Gentziana 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
I have a doubt whether it is a *real* grenade or just a dummy. It is the pineapple type but there is no detonating device (pin, safety pin); it's made from one piece of metal (the top -fuse- does not unscrew) and there is no orifice through what should be the fuse for a pin.
2007-09-19 10:00:29 · update #1
The fuse should screw out, check it to see if it has a long chrome blasting cap protruding down into it. If it is a short blasting cap that is burnt and damaged at the end, it has already gone off and is not a danger now. If it is a long and intact blasting cap, it could be a danger. Check the type of grenade, is it baseball or egg shaped? Or more like a Can of soda pop? If it is a can, what are the colored markings on it? If it is grey and has red letters, it is probably tear gas. Yellow markings and letters on an egg or baseball shaped grenade mean High Explosive. Blue means training dummy. Check the bottom, if it has a hole in it that allows you to view the inside of the grenade, it is a dummy grenade and is only dangerous if you drop it on your toe.
Since it's missing it's pin and hasn't gone off in 5 years, it's probably a training dummy. especially if it is colored blue.
2007-09-18 12:00:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
If the pin is missing, we presume that the lever is missing also and that the priming cap has been struck and failed to ignite the fuse, or that some part of the system is missing.
If any cap, fuse, or explosive fill remains, the grenade may be very dangerous and could stay that way for a century or more. If you want to keep it, show it to a competent gunsmith, who may be willing to disarm it for you. If it goes to the police, you won't get it back, and it's not worth having back anyway. Don't risk your life on something like this that you're not sure of. You can bet the gunsmith won't.
A problem with old explosives is that some of them contain up to 20% nitroglycerine, which becomes unstable if it "sweats" out of the other materials. This can happen to grenade fill, rifle and pistol propellants, dynamite, and many other explosives, and it happens with time and heat. This is a good reason not to shoot old cartridges. Many rifle cartridges normally develop pressures of 40,000 pounds per square inch or more,.and if the powder has sweat out nitroglycerine or if the cartridge case is at all corroded or embrittled (which happens with old steel cartridge cases), you may get high pressure gas and pieces of the cartridge or pieces of the gun itself right back in your face, which is very likely to at least leave you blind.
2007-09-18 13:27:18 · answer #2 · answered by senior citizen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Old Grenades
2016-10-29 03:44:14 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Old ordinance is unstable. The fact that it is missing the pin is frightening. It is possible that the spoon (that handle that is held in place by the pin) hasn't lifted do to a bit of paint or grease making it stick. If it were to get bumped and pop up you would have at most three seconds to get down.
You should not touch it. Call the police and have the bomb squad come remove it.
2007-09-18 12:44:26 · answer #4 · answered by SpaceMonkey67 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well ... if it's missing the pin then chances are it's been disarmed, but what if it hasn't? A 50 year-old grenade can kill you just as dead as a freshly minted grenade.
You should contact your local police department and ask them about it. They should have an explosives expert tucked away somewhere who could reliably answer your question.
2007-09-18 11:55:50 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
About as Dangerous as a New Undetonated hand grenade!!!
2007-09-26 04:45:45 · answer #6 · answered by bob J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, you might want to get rid of it. If the pin was still in, it would be better... but now there's still a chance that the chemicals inside might go off. Maybe call your local fire department and ask them for more details? Maybe they could drain it for you and you could keep the shell or something.
2007-09-18 11:53:32 · answer #7 · answered by Ellenaj 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
ALWAYS CONSIDER UNKNOWN ORDANANCE AS **LIVE**, WHATEVER YOUR SUSPICIONS. I am being deadly serious, it may be a dummy, but it is not worth risking you and your family and your neighbours' lives with anything military. I would have a military expert look at it. As soon as possible.
This is exactly the same as always considering an unknown weapon as loaded and made ready to fire - I.E POTENTIALY LETHAL.
Thanks.
2007-09-22 12:12:56 · answer #8 · answered by Michael W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have a permit to keep live grenades? I would be more worried about the legal ramifications of having it, especially if it does go off and hurts or kills someone. But if it's drilled out and empty, then you have nothing to worry about.
2007-09-18 11:58:51 · answer #9 · answered by Yo it's Me 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
if it is missing the pin, then it cant be armed, and it cant go off without being armed, but where did you get it? it sounds like its one of those fake paperweight grenades, i doubt it has any explosive inside, but...if you suspected it might be dangerous for a minute, why do you have it? are you one of those people with no common sense? sounds like it
2007-09-18 12:26:18 · answer #10 · answered by Johnny Guano 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋