Original Chinese Vietnam War ChiCom 82mm Type 53 Mortar Round with Good Markings - Missing Fuze - Inert

Original Item. Only One Available. Totally inert and demilitarized according to BATF guidelines with hollow body and inert fuse. This mortar round cannot be converted to an explosive device and is not available for export.

This is a great example of a Chinese 82mm Type 53 Mortar Round supplied to the Vietcong during the Vietnam War. Whilst the 82mm mortar was the standard caliber for communist forces the PRC and North Vietnam did produce 81 mm mortars mostly as copies of the American M1, with the PRC manufacturing 81mm fragmentation projectiles based on the American M43A1 ammunition. 82mm mortars (classified as 'medium' mortars) proved very popular as they combined high portability with firepower. Apart from the North Vietnamese copy of the M1, 82mm weapons in use were the Chicom Types 20 and 53 and the Soviet M36, M37, M37 New, M41 and M43.

This example has outstanding markings but is missing the fuze. The side is painted:

111 - 65
22
32
+

And on the other side:

53 - (Chinese character)
(Chinese character) - 42

The round measures roughly 11” tall. This mortar is a High-Explosive-Fragmentation (HE-Frag), percussion-primed, fin-stabilised, mortar-bomb copied from the Russian O-832 mortar-bomb.

A great example, ready for further research and display.