New Made Item: This is a full size steel and resin replica of the 1915 No. 3 Mk II Rifle Grenade. The Hales Grenade was the solution to the common problem of the grenade exploding in front of the rifleman. If the grenade flopped out of the gun in front of the soldier, instead of being launched towards the enemy once it had been primed, there was nothing he could do to stop it from exploding.

Frederick Marten Hale, in 1915 designed a fuse that could not explode until it was in the air at speed, it worked by a wind vane that once turned it would prime the grenade and trigger the fuze, which had an impact graze type, if it fell out of the rifle without travelling at speed through the air it could not explode.

The manufacture of these grenades was difficult and expensive at the time, but for the safety and confidence it gave the user, it was worth it. The No.3 model used a complicated wind vane assembly that was difficult to manufacture and not always reliable leading to simpler subsequent models. The spring clip (not fitted on this replica) held the grenade in the rifle until fired when the collar would drop back allowing the airflow to unscrew the wind vane thus releasing the firing pin for detonation on impact.

This is a SUPERB resin and steel replica Grenade, it might be resin but it feels and looks like metal! Amazing. Cast from a silicon mold of an original de-milled WWI grenade to exacting precision, it has all the detail of the original. One piece body steel stick base.

Excellent alternative to carrying an expensive original into the field, or add it to your WW2 collection as valued display piece. Color is grey resin and finished with a coating of graphite to provide that authentic metal sheen. The naked eye won’t be able to tell the difference.

Totally inert and cannot be converted to an explosive device.