Airsoft grenades. (MASSIVE PICS WARNING)
 

So a buddy of mine has a bunch of shop tools and wood working equipment in his basement. I was showing him an airsoft grenade, and we got the idea to try and make our own. Here the the results. They sure aren't pretty, but they do serve their purpose well. Plus, it's extremely easy to set up tripwires with these things. They've yet to be painted, and the pins are wierd, but it works. :cool:

Two grenade sitting side by side:

http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=CIMG2155.jpg

Single grenade:

http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=CIMG2156.jpg

The inside of one:

http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=CIMG2157.jpg

The pin:

http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=CIMG2158.jpg

Loading holes(if you're too lazy to open it up):

http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=CIMG2159.jpg

http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=CIMG2160.jpg

So the durablity is in question, and it's certainly fugly as hell. The pins are made of copper wire, and is basically melted together where the loop meets. I put some electric tape over it. We'll be putting some cold weld on it to hopefully improve the durablity, and are thinking of varnishing the wood. Comments (positive, negative, ideas) are welcome.

WOW!!!!!! They look pretty dodgy to me.

The nicks on the side of one of them are from me blasting it with a few BBs from my P90. It held up pretty well. We've also tossed it around some, it seems to be ok. I doubt this'll ever be something to bring to a game, though.

How do they throw bbs? Source of propulsion?

Looks like the go "BLAHHH" and vomit the BBs out. Sorry, that's the best I know how to describe what I think is happening.

Looks like the BBs are thrown by the spring-loaded clam shell snapping open?

LOL, he's right. Nothing fancy going on here. Basically, the pin holds the thing together. When you pull it out (Which produces a nice grenade pin pulling sound :D)basically, all you're doing is holding it together with your hand. The spring is really, really strong, so you just hold the thing pretty damn hard until you throw it. By the time it hits the ground, the spring pushes the two halves apart and the BBs fly everywhere.

Err.. so if you were to not throw it hard enough, it would pop open near your head? Interesting. Would be fun to get hit with a solid block of wood during a game too ;)

haha props to make this and being creative but hahah i cant help but laugh looks like something made 10 years after the discovery of gunpowder

Hahah yeah, it would hurt. Another problem is that if it lands the wrong one, the majority of the BBs would just get launched into the dirt really hard. Like I said, it's more useful as a mine then a grenade, with a tripwire.

I dont get how it would launch BBs "really hard"... don't they kinda just... fall out? I don't see anything that would push them out.

LOL! Yeah, it does. I haven't decided on paint yet, so we'll just keep that ancient times look for now. Maybe I'll turn it into some kind of franken-mine instead.

Well, when the spring pushes it apart, the piece actually snaps all the way back. Usually this would push the BBs out, but I have no idea how it would behave upside down....I'm almost tempted to try and set it off like that.

You could devise a way to make methos a coke combine when the pin is pulled. Everyone likes to get coke on their camo.

Good idea, now make it bigger fo ra claymore style.

Home made, spring powered claymore = FTW.

Haha, Airsoft IED's.

Oh thank god, I saw the first couple pictures and thought "No fucking way I'm going to get hit by a chunk of wooden shrapnel"

best of luck though, I'd be interested in seeing how they end up

FYI: You really only need a "Pic" warning if the pictures are posted here, not just as links.

Ok, so today we tested it as a tripmine. We tied the string onto the pin, and the other end onto a survival knife we planted into the ground. We've found that it actually works much, much better as a mine then a grenade. We'll be making square bases for them soon, so they won't fall after opening.

For anyone in the nearby area, we're thinking about giving a few of these away, just to see what other people think of our dumb toy.

Airsofters^, that is. We're not sitting at the mall with a box of these.

Awwwwww :(

Can u guys make a video of it firing, so that we can get a better idea of its power?

It'd be more effective with another spring screwed in between the hinges.. It'd give it a much snappier open.

Also, if you want to send one to me I can think of ways you can improve it.. (I'm pretty damn handy with make-shift... and not so makeshift airsoft stuff, IE, I've created a 100% reliable fully functioning mortar... and I currently have a shoulder mounted launcher in the works :D)

We've also got a spring power mortar...but it requries a signficant amount of force to use, so you have to be strong. I'll take pics next time we work on it, as it's at his place. We've nicknamed it the ghetto blaster. It takes about 150 BBs at once.

Mine runs off of compressed gas... and after seeing how much flame is selling the lance co's for... I think I may aswell perfect my internal gas system.. and sell 'em on ASC... for significantly cheaper than the lance-co "Bike-pumpers!"

Just to ask again, what propels the bb's to hit people?

the magic of gravity

Good old kinetic enegery Aqua thats how. The BBs are flung at the target, just like last time when we took off all our gear and walked around and waved at people all friendly and when they let us up close we flung BBs at them with our hands.

I'll get some video next week, for whoever wanted it. I've designed a new system where the grenade actually splits apart on contact with a hard surface.

Did you get a kill? :D

Yep, four kills.

I still don't get the 'massive pics warning' since there are no pictures actually posted... I'unno.

The "bike pumpers" as you refer to them were intentionally designed that way. The first individual to develop them Blastyman from EAR built them that way to emulate the crew served aspect. After WP and GULO used them to great effect at the Edmonton WCAN in 2004 ( Co-incidentally the largest game ever held in the country) with Charlie Tango and I in a forward observation position calling in fire correction, as the crew running the tube took turns charging the system/ loading/correcting aim/firing. For those guys it was an exhausting but brief interlude, but a outstanding success with only 3 out of the 20 or so fired downrange landing off target. If you were to ask those guys to this day about it they would probably tell you it was one of the best moments of their airsoft experience. That was definately awesome, especially considering that the EAR host had the airfield we were tasked with shelling cordoned off and pre rigged with small pryo that they would simultaneously set off when the rounds hit to simulate the impact, very cool.

For a lot of people Milsim isn't about convenience, which explains why some people weigh their guns with lead just to get them close to the real weight and why some people carry full load outs at all times. Those "bike pumper" mortars fall right into that category, it takes three men to transport a real 81mm mortar in the field, if you want to adhere to any sort of realism in airsoft why not utilize three players to man the weapon system? I guess it's the old story, the same one argued time and again the Hi-cap players vs the 30rnd mag set, each has it's own merits and place in the game.


If I decided to produce a mortar that ran on Co2 it would be a simple matter seeing as I have considerable experience with Co2 systems having built numerous weapons sims that use Co2 as propellant, but the people that buy them tend to be hardcore Milsim players who appreciate the fact that there is some physical exertion involved in as well as the increased fire power aspect. Thats my two cents anyway. Apologies for the thread jack

and how!

What's the difference between this, and throwing bbs and a chunk of wood at someone?

I guess it's a step up from the straws at Wendy's.

hahahhahhaa been there done that

Nah, with straws you have the accuracy, range and fps. With this grenade, you just have bulk. And a potential law-suit.

I'm starting to think maybe the age limit should be upped a little higher than what it is now...

Your age limits ain't savin' you now...