I always heard M-80s were equivalent to an 1/8 stick of dynamite; obviously we all heard something different. I do remember vividly though that the fuse on an M-80 was located on the side—not the top.

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:

I DO miss the old days sales of Cherry Bombs, Ash Cans and the M80.

You left out silver salutes! My favorites, but only because I once scored a half gross of them. Gawd did I raise havoc with them. And like the local bums (homeless now) I scavenged the gutters for cigarettes that had gone out for whatever reason. Sticking the fuse in one, it gave you 5 to 15 minutes before the earth shattering blast.

I had some evil tendencies in my youth. One so fused and dropped into a garbage can resulted in the contents lifted out. Yes, I was bad and didn't pick up the mess. Except for a few times to impress some easily impressed young girl.

Well now, I bet she has keriophobia — the fear of candles!

Its a good thing it was not a stick of dynamite or a M-1200 like they used to sell at the reservations.

“dynamite” is now a rather broad term that could refer to many different types of explosive charges, including sticks of old school NG or AN based dynamite, with various binders or fillers.

Most of these will burn when a flame is applied, though it can take some effort. If they were already primed with safety fuze (could be mistaken for a wick) and a detonator, you would get a result similar to what this woman experienced, though likely much bigger.

It’s hard to say if these were fireworks or actual Class 1 explosives without seeing some photos of the damage. If an actual full-size (can vary) stick of HE went off in your hand, you would likely not survive.

Probably in a box labeled, "Acme".