Original Item: Only One Available. This is a hard-to-find original Vietnam War-era U.S. 60mm M50A2E1 Target Practice mortar round, dated 1967 and fitted with an earlier M52A2 point-detonating fuze dated January 1954. The round is completely inert and has been demilitarized in accordance with current BATF guidelines, with a hollow body and inert fuze. This mortar round cannot be converted to an explosive device and is not available for export.

This is a hard to find 1967-Dated M50A2E1 Deactivated Mortar Round, for the U.S. 60mm M2 Mortar. This cartridge is fired in 60mm mortars M2 or M19 for use against personnel and materiel, providing both fragmentation and blast effect.

The complete round consists of a projectile body, a point detonating fuze and a fin assembly. The projectile body is of pearlitic malleable iron (PMI), and is threaded internally at the nose to accept the fuze and at the base to accept the fin assembly. The body was filled with Composition B high explosive.

The projectile body of the M50A2E1 is of forged steel and is filled with flaked TNT. This example is in very good condition, with stenciled markings in yellow on the body:

60MM
COMP. B
CTG, M49A2

The body also retains original arsenal markings stamped on the side

F.A. 2-3 1967 60MM TP M50A2E1

This denotes a date of 1967. The fuze is correct and is marked LOT-10P-38-644 1-54 FUZE PD M52A2..

The M50A2E1 complete round consisted of the projectile body, point-detonating fuze, fin assembly, ignition cartridge, and removable propellant increments. In service configuration, the target-practice projectile normally contained an inert filler to reproduce the proper weight and ballistic performance of the corresponding service ammunition, together with a small black-powder spotting charge to make the point of impact visible during training.

The M2 and M19 60mm mortars remained important U.S. infantry support weapons through the post-WWII period and into the Vietnam era. Practice cartridges such as the M50A2 series allowed crews to conduct realistic live-fire training while conserving high-explosive service ammunition and reducing the destructive effect at the target area.

This example is particularly interesting for the combination of its 1967-dated M50A2E1 TP body, 1954-dated M52A2 fuze, surviving M49A2 / COMP. B stencil, and completely inert configuration. The conflicting stencil and stamped model designation provide an unusual feature worthy of further study, while the clearly dated projectile places the round squarely within the Vietnam War period.