Sometimes, subtlety takes a back seat and you need to go loud. And nothing goes loud like an airsoft grenade. Grenades and flashbangs are an efficient and viscerally enjoyable way to disorientate and take out a whole group of enemies at once.
How to Use an Airsoft Grenade
Airsoft grenades fall into three camps: pyros, gas grenades and blank firing grenades. Pyros are the most common and use a fuse ignition to ignite the primary content of the grenade to make a bang.
Depending on the type of pyro, you get different results. In frag grenades, the primary content is a form of firework which ignites quickly when the fuse reaches it. This creates a loud bang which can disorient those nearby. Often, these small explosives are surrounded by soft projectiles, such as bbs or powder, to simulate the fragmentation of a real grenade.
In the case of smoke grenades, the primary content is known as ‘smoke composition’ and consists ordinarily of potassium chlorate, lactose and a colouring dye. This mixture burns producing a thick smoke for up to 2 minutes.
Gas grenades use a compressed CO2 system to create the explosive pressure, just like your under barrel grenade launcher. These grenades are filled with gas and then stored with a locking pin, like a real grenade, to hold down the ‘spoon’. When you're ready to throw, simply remove the pin and throw the grenade towards the target. The grenade, now armed, releases the compressed gas incredibly quickly upon impact with a hard surface. Alternatively, releasing the grenade begins a clockwork ‘countdown’ which triggers the gas release after a pre-determined time.
Blank firing grenades use blanks, as in ammo blanks. As such, they are very loud. Blank firing grenades can range from using small 9mm handgun blanks to larger shotgun 12 gauge blanks, depending on the noise volume required or allowed. These grenades work using a similar method to the above gas grenades and close to the operation of real grenades. The pin holds the spoon in place, which in turn locks in place the ‘impact’ or ‘timer’ mechanism. When the timer mechanism or impact mechanism is tipped, a firing pin strikes the primer on the blank round and initiates the gunpowder reaction.
Rules for Airsoft Grenades & Pyros
Depending on your game site, rules for grenades may vary so always check ahead of time. Some sites, for example, require that grenades have no contents. This means that no one can be struck by flying debris. Instead, it is ruled that anyone within a certain distance of the grenade is considered hit for the purposes of the game. While less realistic, it is a little safer than the unpredictability of flying bbs. Other sites set a cap on the size of blanks (and thus the loudness) of blank firing grenades. This again is a safety consideration, but it is also neighbourly for anyone nearby. The primary rule across all sites for grenades is this: Don't drop it!
