Going Out With a BANG - Part 2

In Part 1 we discussed Airsoft Pyrotechnics. To add realism to Airsoft games, these provide a weaker version of the "real steel" smoke grenades and flash-bangs, that are used in real life situations by law enforcement agencies and the military.  Like fireworks, these are activated by an igniter of some description and emit smoke, light or bangs until the chemical mix is used up and they burn themselves out.

In this post, we are going to cover the subject of Reusable Grenades.

These are grenades which go bang (rather than the smoke or flash type) and as the name suggests, they can be used again and again. Their main advantage is a lower "through-life-cost", although some initial investment is required to buy the hardware.

There are many types and variations but they all commonly use some form of explosive cartridge or propellant, loaded in the grenade, to create the bang.

Some players feel that reusables are also more realistic-looking than their cheaper pyro counterparts.
The main disadvantage is that once your grenade has gone bang and you have achieved your desired "kill", you have to go and retrieve the unit. Sometimes this isn't easy in the heat of battle and occasionally they do go missing or get lost in the undergrowth. If you are careless, the high replacement costs do not necessarily make them a cheaper option.

For the purpose of this comparison, we are going to focus on grenades requiring an initial outlay of less than £100.

Reusable grenades can be powered by gas (usually Carbon Dioxide or Propane) or primer cartridges.

In terms of detonation, some work on impact (by striking a hard surface such as a wall or floor inside a building) and some work on a timer basis. It should be noted that the impact type often need a hard surface, so they aren't always a good choice if you intend to play on grass, the forest floor or soft indoor flooring such as carpet tiles or crash mats.

This blog post will also concern itself primarily with grenades that you throw. There are also grenade launchers and mines which although related, are a slightly different subject and probably best left for another day.


PART 2

OHSHIBOOM - IMPACT BFG

The OSB Shock is a relatively new Blank Firing Grenade or BFG, designed by a couple of British Airsofters.
This is an impact grenade and so has to strike a solid surface. It can work with either shotgun blanks or 9mm blanks and is available in a wide range of colours.

The head is designed to wobble on its mounting and it can be a bit fiddly to get the safety pin in. The makers suggest using a coin or expended blank to help.

Cost: £65 - £78

TRMR - IMPACT BFG

The TRMR or Tactical Reloadable Maritime Ready is a real steel device designed for use by maritime boarding crews countering piracy and other bad guys at sea. It can withstand being submersed in salt water and can carry a range of munitions from the real stuff down to Airsoft blanks. The UK supplier, JD Airsoft offers shotgun primers for airsofting use.

Although still an impact grenade, intended to be thrown on to a ships deck,  one of the advantages of this design is its simplicity. There are no pins to lose or spoons to worry about. The unit opens into two parts, allowing the blank to be inserted. It is then armed by just twisting the two halves. Reloading is therefore easy and rapid re-deployment can be achieved.

Some users have stated that it's easy to get the material of your gloves or skin caught between the two halves if you are a bit enthusiastic with the twisting, so care is needed. However, on the plus side, they say the mil-spec quality provides a solid, well engineered product.

Cost: £80

THUNDER-B TIMED GRENADE

These grenades use CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) 12g cylinders and they work on a timed basis once the pin is pulled. These are more cost effective than the BFGs and they operate like a real grenade in that you have to pull the safety pin, release the spoon and throw them. They usually detonate about 3-5 seconds after release.
As shown in the photograph above, you can buy them as a kit comprising of one mechanism (one striker head, cylinder cover and pin) with 12 disposable plastic outer shells. The mechanism is reusable but you will destroy the plastic shell  with each detonation and have to replace the CO2 cylinder each time.

The Thunder-B grenades are very loud (130dB) and you will need to be very careful of damaging peoples hearing if you plan to do CQB in confined spaces with them - they are possibly better for open air games. I have also heard comments about them being a little temperamental.

Cost: £40 for 12 plus approx £7 for the 12 x CO2 cylinders

TORNADO IMPACT GRENADE

These are powered by the same type of gas as you would use for a GBB Airsoft weapon and scatter around 200 BB's at your enemies with each detonation. They are reusable and you just have to charge them with gas each time and load the BB's.
These aren't very loud when compared to the previous type of reviewed grenades but the BB's disperse typically around 5m from the detonation point. If you believe the reviews you see on You Tube,  they should also explode on softer surfaces like grass . The trigger mechanism takes a little time to reset and the process is a bit finicky so this is probably best done in the safe zone rather than the field. You need to ensure you don't lose the pin and keep them scrupulously clean for reliability.

Cost: £80

Note: There is also a timed version at the same cost.

SWAT BFGX IMPACT GRENADE

This is another BFG. Its very simple to load - you simply unscrew the top, insert the blank (9mm), replace the cap, take the pin out and throw !!

This SWAT model is made in the UK and needs a drop of 1-3 feet on to a hard surface. Once discharged, the pin is easy to get back into the cannister. The BFGX needs to be struck on the nose end and I've heard reports of these not going off if they land on their side. It's also worth attaching the removable pin to a lanyard connected to your body (not supplied with the unit) - this will avoid you losing the pin.
An ejection tool is usually included with each BFGX to help you get the spent cartridge out.
Don't let these get wet or lubricate them as this will affect reliability.

Cost: £80



NOTES:

1. Unless it expressly says so, the costs shown above excludes the gas or blanks required for detonations.

2. Costs are taken from various UK retailers at time of writing and are designed to provide a comparative guide. You may pay more; you may pay less.

3. Reusable grenades are quite expensive compared to primary devices. Its worth sticking reflective tape on the outside to make them easier to recover in low light and dark corners (if you use a torch, the light should reflect off the tape !!).

4. Timed grenades aren't much use if the enemy can see you about to throw it - they will try to run - use an impact grenade instead !!
It's better to use the timed type if they do not see you. As the timed type don't need to be dropped on to a hard surface, you can stealthily roll them into a room and catch everybody unprepared.

5. Do check with your Airsoft site to see if you will be allowed to use specific grenade products. It can vary.

6. Give some thought as to how you will use your grenade - will you always have two hands available ?
If your Airsoft rifle or SMG is not attached to you on a sling, will you be able to activate your chosen grenade type, one handed ??

After reading this brief description of the different types, its worth drawing up a short list of the models that appeal most and then watch all the You Tube reviews online in order to hone your opinion, before placing orders.

Happy Hunting..

Going Out With a BANG - Part 1

Pyrotechnics (or Pyro's as they are affectionately known by "softers" everywhere) is an interesting facet of the hobby. Although not directly connected to the Airsoft weapons themselves, they are used to enhance game-play and the Airsofting experience.

In the real military world, explosives generally take the form of a measured explosive charge. Many explosives are pretty inert until they are matched with something like another chemical substance or a form of detonator.

In Airsoft we have a more basic range of non-lethal things that fizzle or go bang. Prior to Airsoft, I thought of the word pyrotechnics as being primarily related to fireworks, distress flares or the things that special effects guys use on movies or on stage.

The Airsoft industry has developed and adapted a range of pyro's to meet the growing need for realism.

These range from smoke grenades, through to thunderflashes that go bang and on to fragment grenades that spray BB's or dried peas around them when they explode.

The main conundrum with these is juggling the need for realism and effect with the requirement to be safe. Airsoft is about fun - there is no point having pyro's that are so powerful, they pepper you with BB wounds like buckshot or make your ears bleed with the percussion.

Here is a guide that I made for my own education which sifts and sorts the various types of Airsoft pyrotechnics available in the UK where I live and play Airsoft.

Part 1 covers pyrotechnic devices which are designed to be used only once.
Part 2 which will come at a later date, will cover devices which can be reloaded and reused.

PART 1

DISTRACTION

Flash Pyro's make a bang and sometimes a little light. Many sites count these as having the same effect as a grenade and will impose an imaginary kill radius. For example, you might consider yourself hit if one of these goes off 5m or less from you.

Examples:
Mk5 Thunderflash - loud bang (typical 120dB at 10m range) using a friction igniter
Flash Grenade - white flash and  loud bang (typical 120dB at 5m range) using a friction igniter

Typical cost £2-3 each

FRAG GRENADES

Sometimes also called a Ball Grenade, these explode and shower clay BB's or dried peas all around.
Some products are bio-degradable.  Grenades tend to use either a friction igniter where you have to strike the inside of the cap (striker plate) across the fuse on the top of the main body or a ring pull igniter.
Typical range of 4-5m. Most sites will impose a kill radius of 5m, irrespective of whether you get "fragged".

Typical cost £3-4 each

THERMOBARIC

By definition, "real steel" Thermobaric devices typically use the surrounding Oxygen to "stoke" the chemical reaction. Thermo = Heat; Baric = Pressure. In Airsoft these low power versions are typically used indoors in a CQB environment as they produce more of a thud, but they have the benefit of a bright flash.
Apparently, they're ideal for room clearing. The igniter is also of the friction type.
Some manufacturers also produce a multi-bang version which provides the initial thud and flash followed by some thunderflash bangs which are similar to a Mk5 response.

Typical cost £3.50 each or £5.50 for the multi-bang.

MULTI-BURST

These are more expensive than the Thermobaric devices mentioned above, but they have a realistic spoon pull, just like the real thing and provide smoke, flash and multiple bangs. Again these are primarily designed for room clearing in CQB. They are about £12 each, so more for the hard-core or wealthy Airsofter.
Just to confuse the issue, it is also possible to buy the standard Thermobaric in this cannister type (i.e. with the spoon) but the cost is still over £10 each.

Don't confuse multi-burst and multi-bang.

SMOKE GRENADE

Smoke Grenades are designed to provide cover and effectively smoke screen you from the other team. Some sites also use the coloured ones as poison gas and if you come into contact with the smoke as it drifts downwind, it can be regarded as a hit. Alternatively and to save confusion, some sites just use a kill radius to define a poison gas hit.

There are different colours, intensities and ignition types available on the market.

It is often crucial to make smoke quickly, especially in the heat of battle when an assault or escape is needed and different models have variable make smoke delays and different burn duration times.

Be aware that smokes can be single or twin sided. The single side ones vent smoke from just one end while the twin side devices vent smoke from both ends. Normally the twins start smoking quicker and are more intense in their smoke generation.

You can also buy burst smokes which erupt smoke very quickly and some high output ones which are designed to bridge the gap between a standard smoke and the real military ones (e.g Enola Gaye EG18).

As well as the standard friction cap igniters, It's also possible to get wire or ring pull igniters.

Typical cost £2-5



On July 4th 2013, CE marking came into force and now any new pyrotechnic product has to be CE marked before it can be sold in Europe

CE marking means that samples of the product have to be physically tested by an independent body who declare that it:

* Conforms with the declared design
* Contains only chemicals that have been declared in the design
* Is safe
* Functions correctly and safely even after being submitted to thermal and mechanical stresses.

Some manufacturers and importers have been obliged to modify their products to get them CE approved.

From a safety point of view, it could be a good idea to check for a CE mark before you buy, especially if the price seems cheaper than expected. Also, different skirmish sites have different rules for pyro's, so always check they will allow you to use your chosen device before you waste your money.

COMING UP in Part 2 - Reusable Grenades