AIRSOFT GRENADE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week everything you wanted to know about Airsoft grenades.
Various types of grenades will be covered, “frag”, Smoke, flashbang, and home built.
Today is Airsoft frag grenades, obviously the frag (as in fragmentation) is normally a plethora of balls opposed to shards of hot metal.
Airsoft grenades used on the field come in different flavors. Gas and pyrotechnic are the most common. Paintball grenades are also used at greaseball fields that allow airsoft. Another type is toy and/or dummy grenades
and at one time where quite common however they are being phased out for actual purpose built airsoft grenades.
Depending on the fields you play at some will allow grenades others wont. Yet others will restrict the types of grenades allowed. Also familiarize yourself on the rules, even if your not carrying a grenade. For the MacGyvers out there, If you have a home made version odds are it wont be allowed on the field. Most are made way to powerful.
Label your kit. Most grens out there these days are reusable, and not cheap. Many cost around $100. Write your name and phone # / email address on it. You would be surprised how many get returned this way. I can speak from personal experience on this one. It also helps with any disagreement as to who is the rightful owner. “I recognize that scratch” doesn’t really get you far in an argument. If your the paranoid type, also label it a second time in a location that isn’t easily noticeable just in case some A-hole decides to alter the markings.
Understanding Grenades. A grenade can get to places the rifle cant without exposing yourself, Into building, bunkers, trenches and the like. The problem is they are double edge swords. Once the pin is pulled it can tag out both sides if not careful. Make sure you take cover after throwing. Ive seen a grenade thrown, bounce off a tree and return to the thrower. Ive seen grenades thrown into a building only to see members of the same team not knowing what was going on and follow behind the gren before it went off.
Also make sure that your team knows what exactly GRENADE!!!!! means. Not the literal definition but what it means to shout it. The US army will yell GRENADE!!!!! when an enemy has thrown a gren in their direction. The Canucks will shout GRENADE!!!!!! when they are throwing, alerting teammates to get down.
Quite a important difference. Both make sense as each army is trained differently as to how to use the device.
In the early days of Airsoft, before the construction of purpose built airsoft grenades the only way to simulate a tag out was by the use of toy or dummy grenades purchased at the local surplus or dollar store store. Usually the gren was thrown and the Referee would count to five, whoever and I do mean whoever, was within the predetermined
“blast” radius at “5” was called out. This approach is a little problematic as the argument would always start as to what exactly the blast radius is and if the five second count was to quick.
Paintball grenades where discouraged in my circles. People got out of greaseball for a reason, get away from the grease-balls. The paint grenades where very problematic to start out with and rarely worked properly. If you have a choice between no gren and a greaseball one, go with none.
Which leaves us with actual airsoft grenades. Most work by charging up the gren with red gas or by a pyrotechnic charge Pull pin, throw and enjoy. Here are a couple demonstration videos of the various grenades out there
Deepfire M26A1
TLSFX
A Tornado reusable airsoft grenade and a video in use
Finally if you happen to find a real grenade dont play with it. They are dangerous. I know what a revelation. Here is Deep Digger Dan out with a metal detector and what did he find??? that’s right a ww2 grenade.