Bidspirit auction | INERT WWI German Granatenwerfer 16

INERT WWI German Granatenwerfer 16 Spigot Round - Original relic condition German WWI Anti-Personnel fragmentation Round for the Granatenwerfer 16. This Grenade Thrower or ”Spigot Mortar”. These were used both for direct fire and indirect fire, and had a relatively rapid rate of ”throwing.” Developed from a weapon originally designed by a priest, of all people, the Granatenwerfer 16 bridged the gap between hand-thrown grenades and the light minenwerfers. Rather than having a hollow barrel into which the projectile fit, it had a simple rod with a firing pin built in. The grenade it fired had a hollow center shaft, which fit onto the firing rod. To fire, a gunner would adjust the spigot rod for the desired range, cock the firing pin, rotate the safety lever, insert a fuse into a grenade, slide the grenade on the launcher, pull the safety pin, and fire by means of a lanyard pull. Throwing a small grenade with a 400g (14oz) high explosive charge to a maximum range of about 300 meters (330 yards) , the Gr.W.16 with a practiced crew could maintain a rate of fire of 4-5 rounds per minute. This example retains elements of the fuze on the nose, the cast iron body itself, and a removable base that would have had sheet metal fins attached to maintain its trajectory when launched. Dimensions: 11.25” x3”. This would be a good candidate for restoration. A rare find indeed- Holy Moly! See photos.