US "MK II" Hand Grenades: Mislabeled, or Straight up Fakes?

[Wot no sugar]

Well here is a question that is bugging me. I had bought a "WWII MK II Fragmentation Grenade" for little money a few years back. It's been a decoration for a few years and I have just gotten around to authentication. The RFX stamping I've found means it isn't actual WWII, but what I can't figure out is does this mean it is a post-war practice grenade, or a recently produced fake? Kinda getting both messages here, and nobody really seems to discuss it. Same goes with the lemon and baseball grenades you can get for a few dollars.

[Walkwolf]

If you can post some photos of each, it is possible to determine exactly what you have.
'RFX' MKII style bodies have been made for a long time. The best way to tell an
original Practice body is by looking at the size and shape of the hole in the
base. Genuine Post-war Practice grenades were painted light blue.

Another way to tell is if the fuse lever is rather short with a sharp, angled bend to it.
These are original fuses (unless marked 'DUMMY') made for the 'M69 Practice'
grenade. Original, WWII era fuses will not fit these repro RFX bodies.
All the ones you usually see for sale at $15-$30 are fakes
- unless you get lucky !

Here is a link to a great site about handgrenades -
Inert-Ord.net - A Varied and Detailed Display of Collectable Military Ordnance


Below:
- Genuine WWII 'MKII' grenade and fuse,
- Green repro 'RFX' body with genuine fuse I've had for 20 years ($12),
- Repro 'M67' baseball grenade with genuine Practice fuse,
- Genuine 'M61' body with an incorrect but original Practice fuse :

[Walkwolf]

More.........

- Genuine 'MKII Practice' body with a repro WWII style fuse,
- Genuine BLUE 'MKII-A1 Practice' body and fuse - 1950's :

[Bill T]

Excellent collection of Grenades Steve, and an awesome link too.....never seen that site.

[Walkwolf]

Thanks Bill - it is a great site with tons of other types of grenades as well.
I was searching the net for info on some of the ones above when I found
'inertord'. ( Ed - the webmaster - is a really nice guy.........! )

[AZPhil]

That is a outstanding link!!!
Thanks for the Pic's and for that website!!!
Semper Fi
Phil

[Wot no sugar]

Yeah, the MKII is definitely a reproduction. The fuze assembly is the same as in your second picture, and the fragmentation grooves are nowhere near as defined as any of those originals. The baseball hand grenade is equipped with a fuze type M228 so that makes me think reproduction, and it just plain looks off. Seems too round to be real actually. Now, both of these grenades have areas where it looks like a grinder was taken down the side of them. Is this a dead giveaway for a fake as I don't see any real ones with such a problem? I am a complete newbie to ordinance.

[Walkwolf]

The M228 fuse is correct for the M69 Practice 'baseball' grenade. These short-lever
fuses are found on most all repros. Original fragmentation bodies are well made
and have no hole in the bottom - this is only seen on Practice bodies and on all
the fakes. ( Early and pre-WWII grenades have a threaded hole in the base )

You'll find the rough, unpainted repros at any Army Surplus store, and I guess
they are made in China today. Dealers sometimes sell them at shows for
display pieces and do very well because genuine hand grenades
can be expensive.

The 2nd one pictured is a better quality repro that you don't see anymore,
and I've noticed in the last few years, that the fuse bodies of current
repros are now made of plastic.........