Original German WWII M24 Training Stick Grenade by Richard Rinker – Dated 1936 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an extremely rare excellent example of a practice training M1924, M24, or Stielhandgranate 24 (“stalk hand grenade”)  German Stick Grenade, often called a “potato masher”. 

This 1936 dated excellent example was recently acquired from a large ordnance collection in the U.S. The bottom cap unscrews to reveal the original spring loaded interior. The original porcelain bead is unfortunately missing.  It still retains some of the original red paint on the warhead of the grenade, and it has maker markings on the head.

The side of the head bears manufacturer code ЯR / 1936, which corresponds to the earliest style marking for manufacture by Richard Rinker GmbH, Menden, Kreis Iserlohn. Richard Rinker GmbH was founded in 1910, and was situated in Menden in Iserlohn. It specialized in the production of castings, especially of building hardware made of brass. It was one of the few companies allowed to produce explosives after WWI, and was the original designer of the M24 stick grenade. In the mid-1930s the production was switched to light metals. They were still in production in 1991, manufacturing heaters under the name BAUFA-Werke Richard Rinker GMBH.

Training grenades are nearly impossible to find as by early 1943 production of practice grenades had stopped.

In WW2 the stick of the German M24 (Model 24) grenade provided a lever, significantly improving the throwing distance. The Model 24 could be thrown approximately 30 to 40 yards, whereas the British Mills bomb could only be thrown about 15 yards. The design also minimized the risk of the grenade rolling downhill back towards the thrower when used in hilly terrain or in urban areas. These grenades were extremely useful for clearing out entrenched infantry positions.

As grenades were disposable, encountering them on the market is very rare, especially with the original pull string and weight, making this an excellent opportunity to acquire one to complete a WW2 ordnance collection.