A Different Airsoft Grenade ?

This blog has reported on the different types of pyro and grenades before, but this grenade has just come to our attention. We would start off by saying that if you expect your grenades to explode with an 130dB+ ear shattering thump and send banks of smoke reeling across the battlefield, read no further. However, if you like to play Milsims which use a stated kill zone radius and where the game is not totally dependent on the sound level alone, then this could be of interest.

The grenade is available in two shapes, the more modern M26 "Lemon" one as shown above and the older pineapple shape reminsicent of the MK2 US hand grenades.

What it provides is a reasonably realistic, re-usable grenade that will sound with a "crack" when it lands on your enemies. The "crack" is designed to be loud enough so that anybody in that kill radius will hear that it has activated and will be able to see it land, so they can decide whether they are in its kill zone or not. It is activated by landing on any surface and isn't fazed by soft grass or mud.

How Does It Work ?

The body of the grenade is plastic and very lightweight. This is advantageous in that if you are throwing the grenade, it is unlikely to hurt anybody based on its weight alone (more chance of the spoon having somebody's eye out). If you want something a little more hefty for added realism, the body is hollow and could be filled with sand.
The quality of the external finish is okay - the body has a few moulding marks so it isn't as good as some resin replica's, but in some respects, its "horses for courses". Hey, it goes bang !!

The metal spoon and upper part of the unit simply screws on to the top of the plastic body. The body is just for show really and unlike the real thing, has no practical purpose - the mechanism is all up top.

If you remove both pins and lift the hinged spoon, you will see the back end of a spring loaded hammer.

THIS IS A CLOSE-UP - Although my grenade is new, there was a bit of light surface rust on the hammer, but I wasn't too bothered. The grenade is going to get thrown around anyway!!
You need to get your thumbnail under the hammer and swing it out and up against the force of its spring.

When the hammer is as far back as it can go and under tension, you insert the little "L" shaped pin which is supplied with the grenade and called a Detonator Stay, through the housing to hold the hammer in place (stopping the spring bringing it down again). In the photo above, you can also see the supplied 5mm M.G. Caps (PF Caps) on their card. The grenade comes with 50 of them and these give the grenade its bang. Note the familiar grenade pull ring also visible in this photo.
Where the hammer has swung up out of the way, you can now see something resembling a firing pin protruding from the centre of the upper housing.

Next you place one of the little green plastic PFC caps over the firing pin, so the red/brown coloured material inside the cap sits on the firing pin itself.

 CLOSE-UP:

Close the spoon down and insert the grenade ring to make the unit safe and secure.

You can remove the Detonator Stay but be careful as the ring can easily fall out. It might be a good idea to wrap a small piece of insulating tape around the end of the ring pin so it prevents this if you are moving around. (NB - I think I will leave the Detonator Stay in as well, as an added precaution when carrying these around in pouches).

When you are ready to use the grenade, hold the spoon against the body of the grenade with your fingers and pull out the ring with the other hand. Unlike real grenades, the spoon is not spring loaded. The suppliers instructions actually tell you to slowly ease the spoon outwards until its about 30-40 degrees from the vertical plane of the grenade. You will hear one click as you start to ease it out and then another as it moves into the primed position (there is a little retainer on the inside surface of the spoon that catches the hammer as it starts to travel down to strike the firing pin through the cap). If you now toss the grenade, even the most gentle landing force will force the spoon out, allowing the hammer to strike down and the grenade to "explode".

Actually, I found it was more realistic to just pull out the pin, with my fingers holding the spoon in the safe position and then throw the grenade conventionally. The force of landing still moved the spoon sufficiently and the grenade detonated.

When I opened the parcel that came in the post and first saw the M.G Caps, I was a little disappointed. They reminded me of the percussion caps that I used as a child with my toy guns. However, when I actually used them, my spirits lifted.
Not as loud as a Mk5 pyro, they are used in the replica guns used by re-enactors etc and they do flash and smoke a little on detonation and send a clear message to the intended recipient of your grenade. I'm no expert, but they seem a lot safer than normal pyro, especially if you are wearing eye protection as you should be in Airsoft.

I can't find the spare caps on Ebay, but you can buy them from the supplier of the grenade for £8.50/100.

All in all, I can see a potential for milsims and look forward to using them in mock anger !!

The price is £27.50 including 50 bangs and 2nd class postal delivery in the UK.