Original British WWII Mills Bomb No. 23 MKII Rifle “Rod” Grenade Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice BATF approved totally inert example of a No. 23 MkII “Rod” Grenade. The No. 23 Mk 1, the hand/rifle-grenade had a base plug drilled with a threaded hole for a rifle launching rod. The No. 23 Mk II had a new-style iron base plug that was easier to tighten with the fingers without the need for a spanner. The No. 23 Mk III was a new-style body with a larger filler hole plug and more solid -lever lugs/ears but retaining the Mk II style plug. This wonderful example is not complete (Missing Spoon Assembly) and some of the original paint. It is totally inert, and cannot be converted to an explosive device.

Not Available For Export

The body of the grenade is marked A. We have unfortunately not been able to find any information on this maker. The cap on the bottom reads:

I. L. & Co
No 23 MkII

The base caps were made by different manufacturers than the body, and this one is made of zinc and marked with multiple stamps. It also is the MkII variety, which is why it had the smaller threaded hole in the center: This rod-type rifle-grenade had an effective range of about 150 yards (140 m). The operating procedure was to insert the Mills bomb rod down the barrel of a standard rifle, put a special blank cartridge (Ballistite cartridge) in the rifle’s chamber, place the rifle stock on the ground, then pull the Mills bomb’s safety pin, releasing the safety lever and immediately fire the rifle. If the soldier did not launch the grenade quickly, the grenade’s fuse would time out and explode.

This lovely example comes ready to display!