Mills No23

[Bonnex]

''

...
Did they ever make the Hearn type plug in brass?

Andy

I dont know but I suspect that cast-iron was an important feature. Dave or Tom might know if any other materials have been found.

 

[Andysarmoury]

Back to my plug i have had a look under a magnifying glass and i cant see any file marks at all and it looks like it never was stamped, but where the date is there is evidence of file marks, but like john said its ether 1/17 or 11/17
Andy

 

[gothica7]

Hi Andy,
more likely to be 1/17 as i reccon it would be a 23/3 by November 1917. Ime sure there would have been a makers name around the thread hole but its been filed away which is a shame.

Andy

 

[Andysarmoury]

Thanks Andy, it is a shame, i have another one which is completely rusty with every thing on it typical,
Cheers
Andy

 

[Snufkin]

Back to my plug i have had a look under a magnifying glass and i cant see any file marks at all and it looks like it never was stamped, but where the date is there is evidence of file marks, but like john said its ether 1/17 or 11/17
Andy

Cast iron Hearn-type plugs made by one foundry for another grenade maker were likely to have the model type and date pre-cast in, with the maker's name ultimately stamped in by the grenade maker - see the first example below made for Asa Lees & Co. The maker's monogram is here very feint, as earlier pointed out by Bonnex.

At the end of the manufacturing process, the face holding the anvil would often be buffed flat on a large emery wheel, and it is quite likely that if the face of the boss was particularly rough it would get the same treatment, resulting in any pre-stamped date being partially erased. This seems to be the possible scenario with the plug from Andysarmoury, although tampering during the last 90 years cannot be ruled out.

The second image below shows a 1/17 23 MkII plug, unmarked by maker. The date here appears to be stamped after manufacture, rather than pre-cast, and there are a couple of indecipherable marks around the rod hole - I'd hesitate to identify them as a maker's monogram. I'd be pleased if anyone else can...

The third image shows a 4/18 Brown and Green 23MkII plug, which is at the opposite range of the date spectrum to Bonnex's JAS 23MkI made by B&G.

Did they ever make the Hearn type plug in brass?

From a DMRS report 11/16: "Trials carried out with a new pattern cast-iron baseplug for Mills pattern grenades having proved very satisfactory, this pattern has been approved, and will replace all other patterns as soon as possible."

Enter the No.23 MkII... (D.G.M.D/G/721; Hand and rifle grenade, No.23, MkII/L; approved 21/11/16.)

I am obliged to Snufkin for his research on this and will not steal any more of his thunder.

Thanks Norman, far from stealing it, you helped seed the storm.


Tom.

 

[Andysarmoury]

Thanks Tom, that sounds about right i can live with that, and nice plugs.
Cheers
Andy

 

[millsbomber]

Here's a picture of a No23 Mk2 with the markings a round the rod hole, i may have been mistaken before in saying that the markings on Andy's had been removed, before this thread come out i had never seen so many base plugs with no manufactures markings......Dave