Grenade Tips
Airsoft grenades are a source of constant joy and sadness. Clearly it is not the same to clean a room without even having to set foot in it, than to be eliminated and respawn without having fired a single shot. It's the magic of these little gadgets that change the balance of the game with a simple bang! But even so, after years of playing with them, we have reached important conclusions that have been included in our list of commands as players and which we share with you in this article as "tips to keep in mind when playing with hand grenades”.
Choose the casing according to the time you need
With the APS Hakkotsu Thunder B grenades—one of the most popular in this hobby—we will be able to choose between different types of casings that offer, on the one hand, a different level of decibels when exploding, and on the other, a different time from when the grenade is activated until it explodes; something very interesting to take into account, depending on how we play the game.
Pineapple
Noise level: 115 db
Time to detonation: 4-6 seconds
Cylinder
Noise level: 110 db
Time to detonation: >4 seconds
Flash Bang
Noise level: 125 db
Time to detonation: 4-6 seconds
Shocker
Noise level: 100 db
Time to detonation: 1-2 seconds
Use them as stomach protectors, just toss one at the bottom to prevent indigestion
Grenades are to be used as a pre-emptive measure. Is there a door? Grenade. A window? Grenade. You hear someone in the hallway? Grenade. You don’t hear anything? Great… well in that case, perhaps it’s best to keep quiet. But in the rest of the scenarios, they work just like stomach protectors; you toss one in your mouth right before a heavy meal and avoid many problems afterwards. The same applies here; the cost of the casings allows grenades to be used freely, and although it is always preferable not to lose them, compared to other models on the market, it will hurt less if after the act, we do not manage to retrieve them.
Two for the team, one for you
When dealing with a room in which you want to throw a grenade, you should never lose sight of the door as someone could appear while your handling the grenade and eliminate you right before you have the chance to throw it inside. That is why it is recommended that the first man stays covering the door and the second man grabs him by the back of his vest, or first line, when throwing the grenade. Although in some cases we will find that there is no second man, either because we have been left alone or because the rest have been eliminated. In those cases, it is always good to keep at least one grenade on hand (grabbing one from the back can be very cumbersome).
Tape to prevent the pin from being released, or the ends from opening
You won’t be the first to have the grenade pin slip out in their equipment gear and blow themselves up or, even worse, wipe out the entire team. To avoid this from happening, you have two options, open the ends of the pin to make it more difficult for it to slip out, or put tape (as in Black Hawk Down) around the pin so that it does not move. But in this second case, the more tape you put on it, the longer it will take you to have it ready to use, so maybe you should think twice about using this method.
Mark the tube, not the casing, with an identifier.
Yes, the casing is the largest part where it could best be seen, but once the grenade explodes, the part that will remain intact will be the tube. This is why in order to mark them and prevent anyone from taking yours "by mistake", it is better to mark the tube—Or even the lever, as this way the mark will be visible even with the case on. It can be simply a bit of coloured tape or your identifier engraved with something sharp.
Place fake visible wires and transparent wires along with the grenade
One of the funniest functions of these grenades is not to throw them, but to secure them somewhere in the battlefield (a door frame, a box, a piece of furniture...) and use a cable so that a reckless player activates it without noticing as they pass by. But of course, we are not the only ones who know this. That’s why we like to set up the tripwire that comes without a grenade on either end to build up a feeling of paranoia and delay the opposing team, and then, place clear string (fishing line) with the grenade later on when they’re no longer aware.
Ultimately, be generous. Quoting a phrase from the Bible, Luke 6:30, "Give to everyone who asks you." Grenades are to be used, and if you finish the game and haven’t used them all, you are not doing it right. It is better to throw a grenade in an empty room than to respawn with the grenade in your pouch. So keep calm and… fire in the hole!