Piat

Unregistered · 07-12-2008, 01:16 AM

Thanks Guys,
A PIAT round would hold a lot of WP make one awful mess. I don't know if the damned thing would shoot it far enough away to make me feel comfortable. I think the PIAT is one intersting piece of hardware and came at a good time for the Brits.

Spotter, Does the 2" training round have a tracer, spotter or smoke element?

Ade, Those repo look pretty good. Can you actually fire the Polish ones?

Polski, That round is in good shape.

Copdoc

**spotter** · 07-12-2008, 08:46 AM

Hello copdoc,no the subcal practice shot as with the full size practice piat,contained NO tracer or spotting charge, i dont think they needed them due to low velocity and range

jmatchlock · 07-12-2008, 08:51 AM

Ade, looks like you have a great deal of nice things -and in good condition - Jay

**copdoc** · 07-12-2008, 12:02 PM

Thanks Spotter. Now I wish I had the sub calibre tray. The practice rounds would be easy to make if I could work out a load for the launching cartridge.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 07-12-2008, 12:26 PM

Hi Copdoc, the Polish made replica's could work I think, the cocking spring was certainly powerfull. Wish I had a pic of one to show. The pic shows British made ones done by a friend of mine, which are really cosmetic copies.

One word of warning regarding any live PIAT round, although unlikey to be found, I am sure "Spotter" being in the trade of EOD, will endorse. The filling for these I beleive has a cyanide base? I heard a story from a Dutch friend regarding a guy who ground dug several rounds and he unscrewed the heads and smelt the filling, which he commented smelt of almonds. He was taken seriously ill due to that and had a long stay in hospital.

Hi Jay, thanks for the kind comment.

Cheers, Ade.

PS. The pic I have shown shows my friend Sgt Don Turner, seen here on the right, training new guys on the PIAT in Palestine in 1945/6. I asked Don what the target was, but he could not remember.

**copdoc** · 07-12-2008, 12:57 PM

Thanks for the info Ade. I have never seen a live PIAT round on this side of the pond, although I am sure a few were brought back and may still be in closets. It's kind of scary to think how much dangerous stuff is out there.

Some polymers give off hydrogen cyanide if actually burned insted of heated.(usually double boiler) What kind of explosive was used in PIATs?

I appreciate someone pointing out specific dangers. A few months ago a young man an posted a pic and said look what I bought for $3 at a yard sale. Fortunately he was not hurt. We gave him his $3, a police patch and a police flashlight and he was happy. It was a phenolic body M25 CN grenade. He is a very smart young collector but everyone told it was inert because it was light. It is gas but has a ver significant dispersing charge. The young man was appreciative. It will be going to EOD. It is not evidence so I will get a pic later. This might help someone else.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 07-12-2008, 01:04 PM

Hi Copdoc, I don't know the actual filling used. I am sure "Spotter" will be able to put us right on this?

Ordnance items have to be treated with the upmost respect. If you don't know, don't touch!

Cheers, Ade.

**Gary J** · 07-12-2008, 01:04 PM

I know there was a cluster of PIAT bombs found South of Driel in 2006 .. Seems like the farmer had inadvertently cut a drainage ditch through an old Polish forward position.

G.

**spotter** · 07-13-2008, 11:30 AM

Hello everyone ,firstly ,I am not EOD i am civilian and work alongside an EOD regt as an explosive ordnance searcher (EOC explosive ordnance clearance) we do the finding and excavating of explosive ordnance,we then identify it as explosive or non explosive ordnance then the EOD personnel blow it up and get the glory,i have become a bit of an anorak as i like to know exactly what im finding ,,but i am not EOD or qualified as such .

OK now ive cleared that up back on topic
The Piats i have seen /found have usually been marked TNT or 808 ,
TNT is a fairly stable explosive and insensitive to friction or sharp blows which made it ideal for use in a military environment.808 refers to Nobels 808 which is basically a desensitized gelignite .a good amount of information on TNT can be found here
Trinitrotoluene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Im a bit confused with the cyanide poisoning as ive dug quite a few piats in various states of decay and never smelt almonds ,

**copdoc** · 07-13-2008, 02:09 PM

Good info on the 808. I did not know what it represented. On this side of the pond we call "gelignite", "blasting powder" or sometimes "blasting gelatin". I don't think I have ever seen any production US shells loaded with it (but would be very interested if anyone has samples). It is the same composition as double base gunpowder.

I have not been a chemist in a long time but neither of these should give you a signifiicant amont of HCN generated from combustion. A lot of synthetic polymers do liberate HCN if burned. I mention this because I did not know if any PIAT rounds had synthetic liners etc. as a source of HCN.

Ade, if you can find out more from your Dutch friend it would be interesting.

Spotter, We were taught that some of the British shells from WWI had picric acid (2,4,6 trinitro phenol) both as a propellant and as an explosive. I have never seen any. Have you ever seen any and if so how are they marked.