grenades
- Thread starter m67
- Start date
The only time that I had the honor of throwing frags was during basic training, being a tanker I was disappointed at the results from detonation, sound was rather disappointing also. What really was surprising to me for the grenade type category would have to go to the Thermite grenade, I actually had to use a couple on a Type 69 that the Iraqis had abandoned, we threw one in the turret and placed one under the engine deck grill, the Thermites did a good job gutting that tank out from the fire, really nasty buggers.
IrishHitman
New Member
Improvs, West Belfast, 1997.
One that doesn't kill/injure the thrower (beware white phos!)
: Thrown many and conducted plenty of grenade practices. I remember being quite disappointed the first time I saw an M26 go off - just a very loud noise, and ugly orange flash and some smoke. The Hollywood war movies had prepared me to see a massive orange mushroom of flame and things being tossed around all over.
Then you get to see the targets and how many of them have got nasty jagged little holes peppering them (and strangely how some have escaped virtually untouched).
I threw one during Basic Military Training. In Singapore they are the Standard Fragmentation Grenade SFG78. Prefragmented body and also 2,200 steel ball bearings. The one I threw had a safety clip (or jungle clip) on top of the safety pin. Apparently the newbies report the safety clip is no longer there these days.One that doesn't kill/injure the thrower (beware white phos!)
Thrown many and conducted plenty of grenade practices. I remember being quite disappointed the first time I saw an M26 go off - just a very loud noise, and ugly orange flash and some smoke.
Then you get to see the targets and how many of them have got nasty jagged little holes peppering them (and strangely how some have escaped virtually untouched).
A few years later as a reservist I met an old classmate on the street and was shocked to see him pale and skinny like a bag of bones.
He said that he was an instructor to recruits during fulltime national service and on one during grenade throwing day, he stood up to take a photo of the blast. He was hit by one or two pieces of shrapnel or pellets that pierced his body. He was probably more than 20m from the blast.
He was hospitalized for half a year and several years later was the pale, skinny bag of bones I met on the street.
Sharp as a bowling ball your mate. He's lucky he didn't end up a Darwin Award recipient.
The Australian F1 grenade seems to be next to useless. One went off in the hand of a civilian tester a few months ago. He lost his hand, but that was all.
There are also a lot that fail to go off. I've spent many hours sitting patiently in the grenade bays waiting for the 30 minutes to pass before the demo tech can dispose of it.
Don't ask me how we ended up with such a useless grenade.
There are also a lot that fail to go off. I've spent many hours sitting patiently in the grenade bays waiting for the 30 minutes to pass before the demo tech can dispose of it.
Don't ask me how we ended up with such a useless grenade.
Definitely a candidate.
But like some other people also mentioned, the blast didn't seem at first impressive.
For me it was different. As my platoon waited our turns in a wooden zinc roofed hut BEHIND the raised throwing bay, something hit the zinc roof with a loud twack as one of the thrown grenades exploded. We must've been more than 50m away from the impact, and sited behind a raised knoll.
We had no illusions after that.
He was a recruit instructor - and he still didn't realise the fragmentation effects of a grenade? What kind of grenade practices do you guys run anyway - don't you explain the tabulated data on the weapon (ie the filling of the grenade, the fragmentation effects etc), also don't you bother putting out some sample targets? At the completion of a grenade practice they should be virtually matchwood - I'm struggling to understand how it was that he wasn't aware of what a grenade can do - I'm betting he decided to try his luck (smart boy that) trying to impress some recruits about how tough he was. Oh well, at least he was an excellent safety example to the other recruits - what can happen if you don't listen to your bay safety officers.
Please... The actions of one Darwin candidate cannot be used to justify your critiscism.
Furthermore, 18 or 19 year-old males in uniform doing really stupid things is hardly unexpected.
But I pity the career soldier CO of his unit. There goes the promotion, good record ruined for the entire career etc...
No, the actions of one individual can't, but an 18 - 19 year old bay safety officer? Who is furthermore an instructor of recruits? At least the CO will have a shot at another career - given that going on this trend he'd be what, 23 years old?
Duh...Now he's a "safety officer"?No, the actions of one individual can't, but an 18 - 19 year old bay safety officer? Who is furthermore an instructor of recruits? At least the CO will have a shot at another career - given that going on this trend he'd be what, 23 years old?
Man, can you stop letting your over-developed imagination run wild? Where did I say he was a safety officer?
I don't know where you want to take this but cut the crap and pack it up.
Yeah, righto, an assumption by me - I assumed instructor would mean he was instructing on the grenades, and therefore probably one of the bay safety officers.
Where do I want to take this? I guess I'm trying to work out how an 18 to 19 year old dopey enough to get hit by shrapnel taking a photo is in a responsible position as an instructor of recruits. I'm also trying to work out why this would end a CO's career unless he was one of the safety officers assigned to keep the recruit instructor safe (unlikely I'm guessing), or unless he ordered the instructor to take the photo. Where does the responsibility end? By this logic should not also the next highest in the chain have his career ended? How about the defence minister? As you pointed out, it was a young bloke having a brain fart... Why are you being so damn defensive about it?
I've just thrown a Spränghandgranat m56. (shrapnel grenade)
Fairly heavy. Weight is 580 grams and 190 gram pressed TNT.
The instructors pointed out that Sphgr 56 is powerful enough to be considered "a smaller, fairly powerful bomb". Might it be so? The blast sure was a "wow-experience".
Fairly heavy. Weight is 580 grams and 190 gram pressed TNT.
The instructors pointed out that Sphgr 56 is powerful enough to be considered "a smaller, fairly powerful bomb". Might it be so? The blast sure was a "wow-experience".
I have thrown/ used near enough every grenade the british army has to offer... i through like a girl, granade training is an enjoyable even for all inclueding the range staff... erm not .
Funniest story regarding this type of weopon involves a smoke... and the indervidual in question poping the spool and keeping hold of the canister after swapping hands like a fool and gassing the fire team.... well played that man
.Funniest story regarding this type of weopon involves a smoke... and the indervidual in question poping the spool and keeping hold of the canister after swapping hands like a fool and gassing the fire team.... well played that man
F-15 Eagle
New Member
I think the MK-19 is the best grenade launcher ever. It fires 40mm high explosive grenades at 400 rounds per minute. It will make light work against enemy troops, vehicles, tanks and anything else that comes up against it. That thing is a beast!
F-15 Eagle
New Member
Well it still fires grenades....I think....And has to do what with handgrenades?
I don't have any funny stories to tell, I just remember that everibody was scared to death on his way to the first live grenade of his life...
Be nice Waylander.
The first smoke I threw was during a uphill assault, in tropical forest of Singapore.
It hit a high tree branch, rolled back down the hill, and smoked us out.
Yes, it's stupid, and thank heavens it was ONLY a smoke. Imagine if it was a live grenade all of us would be casualties. Actually this is something to keep in mind whether you are throwing or firing grenades in a forest especially up a hill.