Original U.S. Vietnam War Era Rare M26 Lemon Practice Grenade with M205A2 Fuze and Original Husk - Dated 1968 - Inert

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

This is a hard to find Vietnam War Era M26 "Lemon" practice grenade offered in good condition with its original husk. This example is well-marked on the body:

RFX55
P7

And on the fuze:

FUZE M205A2
PAL 1-04
10-68

This denotes a date of October 1968. The original husk is marked:

1 EA. GRENADE BODY
HAND, PRAC. M30, INERT
LOT LS-26-1

A great practice grenade, ready for further research and display!

The M26 is a fragmentation hand grenade made by the United States. The M26 is a fragmentation grenade developed by the United States military. It entered service around 1952 and was used in combat during the Korean War. Its distinct lemon shape led it to being nicknamed the "lemon grenade".

Fragmentation is enhanced by a special pre-notched fragmentation coil that lies along the inside of the grenade's body. This coil had a circular cross-section in the M26 grenade and an improved square cross-section in the M26A1 and later designs.

The M26 was developed as a result of studies on the Mk 2. Unlike its previous counterpart, its M204A1 fuse creates no tell-tale smoke or sparks when ignited and its powder train is almost silent while it burns down. Its Composition B filler was considered safer than the flaked or granular TNT filling used in the Mk 2.

The M26 series was created after World War II to meet criticisms of the Mk 2. The original M26 replaced the Mk 2 Fragmentation Grenade as Army standard issue in Korea.

Massive World War II production left the Mk 2 as limited standard issue with the US Army and US Marines throughout the 1960s and the US Navy until the 1970s. The M26A1 / M61 was the primary fragmentation grenade used by American forces in the Vietnam War.

The M26 series (M26/M61/M57) was replaced by the M33 series grenade (M33/M67) at the end of the Vietnam War.