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Practise bomb

Falcon

Falcon

Well-Known Member
A friend asked me to ID this item which I believe is the front part of a British airdropped practise bomb.

It is about 6 inches tall, no markings anywhere that I could see.

Am I correct?

Unfortunately I do not have the item here so can't look at it in any more detail.

If wrong, please could someone put me right.

Cheers,
Falcon
 

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Practice Bomb

I believe you are correct, that appears to be the nose of a British 11.5lb practice bomb. The small circle on the base end in the photo is where the lead filling was cast. If you heat it up, let it cool and then smash it open with a sledge hammer you can get loads of decent lead for fishing weights.

Or obviously you can keep it for your collection!
 

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BPBarky said:
I believe you are correct, that appears to be the nose of a British 11.5lb practice bomb. The small circle on the base end in the photo is where the lead filling was cast. If you heat it up, let it cool and then smash it open with a sledge hammer you can get loads of decent lead for fishing weights.

Or obviously you can keep it for your collection!
Click to expand...

The ring at the bottom is part of the tail. The screw is the revers end of the tail filling that held titanium tetrachloride. In front of the hanging loop the weight of the item is etched, inscribed in the item. 95% of these items were 8 1/2 lb bombs. To take the tail ring off, there is a small grub screw round the rim. unscrew and then unscrew the tail ring. this will then show the firing pin.
 
Thanks for the replies.

BParky: A relative of mine is a roofer, if I need any lead for fishing weights I can easily raid his scrap bin rather than destroy ordnance items. ;)

Jayteepee: The bomb is not mine, I was just identifying it for a non-collector friend.

BTW if anyone here is interested in it for their collection I can give him a call.
 
Nice one Andy, was that one ever dropped? The nose on it looks in fairly good nick. The one my mate has was wrecked, it looked like it hit the ground pretty hard.
 
Thanks Falcon. Yes this one was dropped it was recovered locally a friend of mine recovered it a few years ago, what's your mate want for it?
Andy
 
jayteepee_1999 said:
The ring at the bottom is part of the tail. The screw is the revers end of the tail filling that held titanium tetrachloride. In front of the hanging loop the weight of the item is etched, inscribed in the item. 95% of these items were 8 1/2 lb bombs. To take the tail ring off, there is a small grub screw round the rim. unscrew and then unscrew the tail ring. this will then show the firing pin.
Click to expand...

Note to self - less flipancy , more accuracy. My first post was supposed to be light hearted but there you go.

That is definately not a 8.5lber, you would not see the end of the filling plug in that position if it was and the suspension lug is the wrong shape (and not a band!). It is either a 10 or 11.5lber, the 10lb had a solid cast nose and the 11.5 a lead filling. The tail would indeed be filled with TT for daytime runs or gunpowder and magnesium turnings for night.

Hope that clears up my first post. This is a great site - don't want to annoy anyone.
 
Hi Falcon, No that's ok I think the postage will be more than its worth.
Thanks all the same.
Cheers
Andy
 
I think it is a fine bomb, but I am having a good day because the wife finally realised that the smoke detector was not the oven timer...Dano
 
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