Description: The body, unlike the type 91 or 97, has no longitudinal serrations, but does have five transverse despressions. On one side, fitted top and bottom, are two rings which could be used for carrying or for anchoring. The lead cover is screwed on to the top of the grenade and is grooved to provide a grip for easy removal. The thumb cover release holds the cover on and must be depressed before the cover can be removed. When this is depressed, the cover can be unscrewed is one and one-half turns, thus ex-posing the firing string which is attached to a friction igniter.

Operation: The thumb cover release must be depressed, and then the cover must be removed. When the firing string is pulled, it draws a sanded string through a match com-position. The ignition of the match composition will ignite the black powder delay train.

Figure 173 – Type 23 Hand Grenade.