Original Austro-Hungarian WWI Alt Rohrhandgranate Inert Stick Fragmentation Hand Grenade dated 1917 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a totally inert BATF complaint Austro-Hungarian Rohrhandgranate (Pipe Hand Grenade) used during WWI, complete with an original label with a 1917 date. This is the rare alt (old) version with a ball-shaped head designed for fragmentation. The usual type found is the neu (new) type with the cylindrical head, which is the “high explosive” type.  It is totally inert, cannot be converted to an explosive devise.

Many of the early hand grenades in use during the first few months of the war, across all the combatant nations, were improvised explosive devices, tins full of bits of metal or anything likely to cause damage, often attached to handles for easier throwing. The Austro-Hungarian Army was no different, but by the spring of 1915, these improvised hand grenades were being replaced by not only the German Stielhandgranate, which the Austrians soon began importing in large quantities, but by other Austrian-manufactured stick grenades, and in particular the “Pipe” hand grenade.  This moniker refers to the cardboard pipe used as a handle for the grenade.

This first version of the Rohrhandgranate was designed very early in the war, with a round cast-iron body filled with steel balls, making it fairly heavy and unwieldy. The inside was filled with explosives as well, and was generally attached to a cardboard tube/pipe handle, again as opposed to the German Stielhandgranate with its wooden stick. We say generally because some photos we have seen appear to be Rohr grenades with wooden sticks, so we wouldn’t rule that out completely.  Nonetheless, because the handles were generally made of cardboard, you simply don’t find many around today.

The ignition system was similar to the German Stielhandgranate, with a seven second delay fuse, and, other than the Stielhandgranate the Rohr grenade would become the standard Austro-Hungarian grenade of the Great War, though this was mainly the lighter new version with the cylinder warhead.

This example was recovered from a glacier region in Italy at the northern part of the Austro-Italian front, hence its remarkable condition, It retains its iron head with belt hook, original; cardboard handle with 1917 dated paper instruction/information label and original twine ignition cord to the interior.

It is offered in very good totally inert condition. Ready to display!