So What Do You Think?

[CarlS]

The item pictured below came into the 2017 Dalton Show and was quite the talk of the show.  It is supposed to be a CS trip mine used to mine trails and roads by attaching this device to a tree, gate, etc. and then stretching a line from the friction primer across the path where a passerby would set it off.  Note the bolt has matching rust to the shell and goes through the shell to mount it.  It is rusted in place.  The fuse and friction primers are add-ons.  The shell is a real sabotless Mullane by all appearances.  It was reportedly found in Petersburg.  A few people remember seeing such a device in a book somewhere but no one could recall any details.  Anyone else that was at Dalton remember any details to add?  Anyone seen one before?

[Dave the plumber]

since the bolt goes all the way through, and the shell is buried in the dirt, I would think the powder charge would be compromised by ground or rain water

[rommack]

Gate Weight !

[CarlS]

In theory (not my theory) the bolt was to connect the device to a post or wall some small distance off the ground and then explode in the vicinity of the victim when the wire was tripped.

[emike123]

I agree with Ronnie -- gate weight!  This piece has shown up at subsequent show(s) for more than 3x the original price so someone thinks it is more than that.

[speedenforcer]

what I was thinking. if it is a weight then the friction primer was added later to make it to appear to be something it wasn't

[CarlS]

So its purpose is to blow the gate open?   

[pipedreamer65]

Agreed, I think it is contrived.  The bolt appears period or near that, but I seriously doubt it was made to be fragmentary or anti personnel device. 

[divedigger]

on page 128 of Chuck Jones's fuse book is a fuse from a 3" Read with wood sleeve and the remains of a friction primer

[divedigger]

corrected page number, I had left out the 1, my mistake

[Dave the plumber]

the dealer selling this thingey, was set up right behind me at the Marieatta show. I mean two foot away, literally. I must have heard him use his sales pitch and explain it to people two hundred times over the weekend. So many times, matter fact, i'm like brainwashed and I could repeat the metrics of this in my sleep !!
 At the end of the show, he had it in has hand, turned to me and said, 'you should buy this, it's really  rare".  I turned and ran !!

[speedenforcer]

At the end of the day it is still a Confederate shell. If he would put a reasonable price on it, remove the friction primer an the bolt.