Always Assume It's Live, Loaded, or Potentially Dangerous

[ActionJackson]

Anyone with a little training knows that you always treat a gun as if it's loaded, even if you know for a fact it isn't. The same is true of old grenades. Following is the sad story of a dad and his kids rummaging through grandad's old stuff. I'm assuming that dad found the old grenade and decided to see what would happen if he pulled the pin. Well, he found out. Both kids were injured, but the father was killed.

Indiana Father Dead After Old Grenade Found in a Grandfather's Belongings Explodes​

Indiana Father Dead After Old Grenade Found in a Grandfather’s Belongings Explodes

An old family heirloom turned deadly...

washingtonengager.com

 

[1srelluc]

 

[ABikerSailor]

Well, I guess he found out the hard way that pulling pins on grenades isn't the best thought to have outside of a war zone.

A friend of mine had kinda the same thing happen, only the results were a lot better. Seems that his son had found some of his old 'Nam stuff squirrelled away in a box in the attic. He started pulling stuff out of the box, and there was a grenade that Butch had stowed in a knapsack. Fortunately, Butch was there when his son was going through the stuff, saw what he'd had in his hand, and calmly told his son to give him the grenade.

Also fortunate was that his son was a full grown adult, and knew the danger of grenades. He did ask if they could take it out back and blow it up though.

Butch told him no, and also told him that those weren't things to screw around with.

Sorry to hear that the father in your link lost his life. But, as the saying goes "fuck around and find out".

Guess the father and his kids found out the hard way.

 

[odanny]

Yea, I can only guess that he didn't know pulling the pin and releasing the spoon on a WWII grenade makes it go boom-boom.

 

[fncceo]

 

[1srelluc]

This happened in Richmond back in 2015.

140-Yr.-Old Cannonball Kills Civil War Fan

Va. Collector Died While Disarming 19th-Century Ammunition In His Driveway

www.cbsnews.com

Experts suspect White was killed while trying to disarm a 9-inch, 75-pound naval cannonball, a particularly potent explosive with a more complex fuse and many times the destructive power of those used by infantry artillery.

Biemeck and Peter George, co-author of a book on Civil War ordnance, believe White was using either a drill or a grinder attached to a drill to remove grit from the cannonball, causing a shower of sparks.

Because of the fuse design, it may have appeared as though the weapon's powder had already been removed, leading even a veteran like White to conclude mistakenly that the ball was inert.

The weapon also had to be waterproof because it was designed to skip over the water at 600 mph to strike at the waterline of an enemy ship. The protection against moisture meant the ball could have remained potent longer than an infantry shell.

 

[1srelluc]

I dug a unexploded Yankee 3" Schenkl that had hit a limestone outcropping and broke into several pieces.

Even after 140 years once the black powder dried it would light though it's potency was much diminished. In other words it burned fast but did not flash.

It still had 60-odd lead shrapnel balls of about 32 caliber in it.

Like this one but in a couple more pieces.

 

[JGalt]

"Although the identity of the individual responsible remains unconfirmed, speculations point towards the youngest child as the likely culprit."

What kind of idiot would hand a small child a grenade? Most grenades you can buy at surplus stores are inert practice grenades with a hole in the bottom. Even if you did find a vet's bringback without the bottom drilled out, the BATF still considers that a "destructive device." They also consider working fuses with the spring and striker still intact, destructive devices. Most every time you see a practice grenade at a surplus store, the spring and striker has been removed and the bottom drilled out. I've seen undrilled cases bring up to $250 at gun shows when you can find them

The fuse is also screwed into the grenade on most every US or Japanese one I've seen too. It would be pretty easy to unscrew it, dump out the black powder or composition B, and detonate the fuse by itself. But you're still dealing with unstable explosives that's al most 80 years old, not to mention the old and unstable fuse train and tetryl booster charge.

I seriously wouldn't fuck with one of those if I ever found one, like they say, "Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is not your friend." I did find a WW1 artillery booster once at a garage sale for $1. The lady had no idea what it was and after researching, I found out what it was. I called the County Sheriff's Department to come out here and dispose of it for me. They sent the head of Emergency Management, and a shitload of deputies. Finally an armored truck came out, picked it up, and hauled it off to be detonated.

 

[ABikerSailor]

"Although the identity of the individual responsible remains unconfirmed, speculations point towards the youngest child as the likely culprit."

What kind of idiot would hand a small child a grenade? Most grenades you can buy at surplus stores are inert practice grenades with a hole in the bottom. Even if you did find a vet's bringback without the bottom drilled out, the BATF still considers that a "destructive device." They also consider working fuses with the spring and striker still intact, destructive devices. Most every time you see a practice grenade at a surplus store, the spring and striker has been removed.

The fuse is also screwed into the grenade on most every US or Japanese one I've seen too. It would be pretty easy to unscrew it, dump out the black powder or composition B, and detonate the fuse by itself. But you're still dealing with unstable explosives that's al most 80 years old, not to mention the old and unstable fuse train and tetryl booster charge.

I seriously wouldn't fuck with one of those if I ever found one, like they say, "Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is not your friend." I did find a WW1 artillery booster once at a garage sale for $1. The lady had no idea what it was and after researching, I found out what it was. I called the County Sheriff's Department to come out here and dispose of it for me. They sent the head of Emergency Management, and a shitload of deputies. Finally an armored truck came out, picked it up, and hauled it off to be detonated.

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While I'm sure that they wouldn't let you come with them to the range to watch it being blown up, did you at least ask for a video?

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Always Assume It's Live, Loaded, or Potentially Dangerous​

 

[JGalt]

While I'm sure that they wouldn't let you come with them to the range to watch it being blown up, did you at least ask for a video?

Nope, I didn't get to see that. Also found an old doctors bag that had morphine, stimulants, and depressants in it from the 1960's. I didn't mess with any of that shit, just called the Sheriff's Dept. to come pick up the drugs.

No telling what you're going to find at garages sales and estate sale.

 

[1srelluc]

What do you think of my doorstop?

M2 mine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ABikerSailor]

Always Assume It's Live, Loaded, or Potentially Dangerous​

Not only is it live and loaded, but there is a HIGH probability of weapons grade toxic materials in there.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Not only is it live and loaded, but there is a HIGH probability of weapons grade toxic materials in there.

COVID is a cowards bioweapon.................lob some fully filled diapers onto Marthas Vineyard...........let see how fast they burn that place down.

 

[Woodznutz]

Always Assume It's Live, Loaded, or Potentially Dangerous​

I thought the subject was drunk drivers.

 

[JGalt]

I thought the subject was drunk drivers.

That could also apply to my wiener: Live, loaded, and potentially dangerous.

 

[Woodznutz]

That could also apply to my wiener: Live, loaded, and potentially dangerous.

My wiener* has been disarmed thanks to a diagnosis of prostate cancer and radical prostatectomy.

* Actually, more like a large bratwurst.

 

[braalian]

That could also apply to my wiener: Live, loaded, and potentially dangerous.

When they’re that small, they usually aren’t dangerous.

 

[JGalt]

When they’re that small, they usually aren’t dangerous.
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I'm not even gonna ask how you know anything about my wiener. Are you a meat-gazer?

 

[braalian]

I'm not even gonna ask how you know anything about my wiener. Are you a meat-gazer?

Just a guess. But apparently I was right!