[RightWhale]

It was probably not a grenade but an artillery round, anti-aircraft.

[Donald Meaker]

Good point. the old 40mm Bofors Pompom was widely used as antiaircraft round in WWII. Probably the propellant burned, but the warhead didn't go off (it is designed not to until a certain number of rotations after launch.)

Still, without a barrel around it, he is lucky it wasn't worse.

I think that National Guard armories have a progam that encourages ordinance to be reported, and they can arrange for someone to come and Xray it to see if it is a hazard.

Be safe! A finger is a poor trade for the coolness of a paperweight.

[familyop]

"It was probably not a grenade but an artillery round, anti-aircraft."

Thanks.

If it had been an old 40mm grenade, it's likely that only the primer would have gotten him (bad enough, for sure). The grenades have to twist (e.g., after firing through the short, rifled tube) in order to arm. I was an M203 grenadier for a few years, and that's why it caught my attention.