Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Große Gewehrpanzergranate anti-tank rifle grenade intended for use with the 30mm Schießbecher grenade launcher fitted to the Karabiner 98k. Designed to give the individual German infantryman a portable means of attacking armored vehicles, the Große Gewehrpanzergranate used a shaped charge warhead and became one of the principal anti-tank rifle grenades employed by the German Army. This example retains its sheet metal warhead body, Bakelite lower section with intact rifling grooves, and internal shaped charge housing. Its exterior shows substantial battlefield type age and corrosion, while the visible stencil markings have been recently restored for display.

This grenade is totally inert and contains no explosive material. Unloaded or dummy grenades, artillery shell casings, and similar devices, which are cut or drilled in an BATF-approved manner so that they cannot be used as ammunition components for destructive devices, are not considered NFA weapons. This example is in total compliance and is NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

Known in German as the:

Große Gewehrpanzergranate

the grenade was a HEAT, or High Explosive Anti-Tank, projectile developed for use with the German Schießbecher rifle grenade launching system. It incorporated a tapered shaped charge warhead approximately 45mm to 39mm in profile and was intended primarily for use against armored vehicles.

The shaped charge principle concentrated the explosive force into a high velocity jet capable of penetrating armor. Unlike conventional kinetic projectiles, its effectiveness was not principally dependent upon striking the target at extremely high velocity. The Große Gewehrpanzergranate was rated for approximately 70mm of armor penetration, making it a significant improvement in the anti-armor capability available to an individual rifleman.

The grenade consists of a sheet metal warhead body fitted with a nose cap and a Bakelite lower shaft. The internal shaped charge housing remains present inside the warhead on this example. The base fuze would originally have been housed within the Bakelite section, but the fuze is absent.

The Bakelite lower body remains intact and displays an attractive aged color. Its external rifling grooves are also clearly preserved. These grooves were an important part of the Schießbecher system and distinguish German rifle grenades intended for the launcher from simpler fin stabilized or smooth bore grenade designs.

The Schießbecher, literally “shooting cup,” was a 30mm rifled grenade launcher that could be attached to the muzzle of the Karabiner 98k. Rather than simply launching a projectile from a smooth cup, the rifling within the launcher engaged corresponding ribs or grooves on the grenade body. This imparted spin to the projectile and was intended to provide a more consistent and stable trajectory.

A special blank propellant cartridge was used to launch the grenade. The system allowed an ordinary infantry rifle to serve as a grenade launching platform without permanently altering the basic weapon, giving German infantry units access to anti-personnel, anti-armor, and other specialized grenade types.

This example is in fair, heavily pitted condition. The metal surfaces show substantial corrosion and loss of the original finish, consistent with long term exposure and age. The surviving Bakelite portion is much better preserved and remains intact.

The exterior stencil currently reads:

44 cdo 38k

The original stencil was heavily worn and has been restored recently for display. The visible lettering and numbers should therefore not be regarded as untouched surviving wartime paint, although they reproduce the marking that remained discernible on the grenade.

The combination of a surviving original warhead body, intact internal shaped charge housing, complete Bakelite lower section with rifling grooves, and restored wartime style stencil gives this example considerable visual and technical interest. The absent fuze, heavy pitting, finish loss, and modern restoration of the exterior markings are fully disclosed.

This is a strong display example of one of the more recognizable German WWII rifle launched anti-tank munitions. Its connection to the Karabiner 98k Schießbecher system, surviving Bakelite rifled body, internal shaped charge housing, and heavily aged exterior make it particularly appealing for a German WWII infantry weapons, inert ordnance, anti-tank weapons, or rifle grenade collection.