Anti-tank training mine

[Aragorn243]

Came home the other day and this huge box was sitting on my chair. I have no idea what's in it. It's heavy. I'm expecting some books from England but not in a box this big. Open it up and it's an anti-tank mine that I ordered a week or so ago. I had to laugh as this is the exact same thing that happened with that Russian mess kit I bought. I thought this thing was about 6 inches around which when I thought about it, I should have known better. It isn't an anti-personnel mine. No perspective in the photos. So I now have this huge mine I don't have any room for. I'll post some photos shortly.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Looking forward to seeing it...we used to train with those extensively and packed them around. We used two types, a US model and a UK model. Here's ours... US M 15 and the UK Mk 7

[Aragorn243]

I have the US model.

[Aragorn243]

Getting some laughs telling the story of the huge box the "little" mine came in.







Is there anything on this that is supposed to move, not the handle, that obviously moves. The top looks like it should turn but also looks like is all one piece.

[browningautorifle]

The top should flex in when stepped on but remember it was supposed to take about 400 lbs to detonate them. I have a feeling the weld has rendered that immobile. They told us a running man in full equipment could do it though. The top cap should unscrew and a detonator/firing mech is inserted. The side caps came out so you could screw anti lift/tripwire/detonators in them. Then if you tried to lift or move them one could set the whole field off. Or they could be command detonated, leave the pressure device out and wait until the enemy are fully within to command detonate the whole thing.

[Aragorn243]

OK, thanks for the information. I was able to unscrew the top cap with great difficulty and a small hammer and block of wood. Some rust inside but not terrible.

Now looking at it, the small knob with the arrow looks like it should move but is frozen up with some white corrosion, rust and paint. There is a "half moon" shaped thing on the bottom which appears it will only allow it to turn so far in one direction.

Is this accurate? Should I try to free it up or leave it alone. Obviously, I'd like for it to be "functional" but don't want to do something to it that it isn't suppose to do.

[browningautorifle]

The little knob in the center is for arming/disarming/safety as stamped and should move. Hard to say when it was moved last.

[Aragorn243]

That will be my task for today, freeing that knob. I also discovered that the push plate works. I can depress it a bit by pushing on the edges. Actually works pretty well.

[Aragorn243]

I figured this would take at least an hour or two but it was closer to 5 minutes. Some Remoil and my small hammer and it freed right up. Worked it back and forth for another minute or so and it works like new again. Took some photos showing what the various positions do No idea if this is how a real mine works or not as there are obviously pieces missing.















Seems to be a very wide margin of error also. Will it work if just inside the hash marks, does it have to be centered, does it have to be at the extreme? And what's with the "danger" section? Drop it and go boom?

[browningautorifle]

There's armed and there's safe and then there's neither. There's a two ended firing pin missing I think that drops inside. I remember it but not much more... Without it pressing it won't do anything. They're loaded with explosive when live so you could blow it with a detonator cap. Inside won't look the same as a live mine, it's training. Just the weight's the same.

Time to read this... M15 mine - Wikipedia.