Grenade Launchers - Good, Bad or Stupid ?

[georgehutchison]

Funny how threads get you going. tonight I thought it would be a great idea to use my 40mm shells to blast out a soft projectile as a gernade launcher. After carving down some of the kids rubber balls i finished them with electrical tape to shape them and add some weight for distance. They fit very snug into the end of my madbull and the first few test shots flew fast, hard and straight. Thinking how crafty i was now i could shoot these into a open window from 25 feet. I started to wonder if it would hurt to get hit by it so I enlisted my son to help me with my experiment in the basement. (he loves to shoot me).. Well i covered my hands over the important parts doned the googles and instructed him to shoot me in the chest from 15 feet. Well needless to say it stung alot more than i thought it would. he thought it was funning watching me hop around cursing under my breath. thought I would share this funny story as i need to remove a lot of weight before i would fire these at friends. Can you say 4" bruise owww.

[coach]

Kuro_Neko, the AGX is mounted a bit too far forwards as I mocked it up for the picture. For a game, it'd be mid point or whatever is a comfortable grip position.
You're excited about your 120's? Should get you behind a king or cherry. (204/108's on CO2)

I was playing around one time with my multipurpose nades, the two silver ones in the picture about with the big opening. Charged it with propane and dropped one of my nieces mini beanie babies in the front end of the launcher. No BB's loaded but lets just say that I can't find that beanie baby anymore. So if anyone what to launch foam projectiles, it's possible but just make sure that it fits snug or just some wadding.

[Kuro_Neko]

Finally got around to getting a Photobucket account. Here's my Baby:



Kuro_Neko

[Gerkraz]

Unless you're planning on using it with a grenade-like projectile, I think they're pretty stupid. If you're using grenade rules for it, then it's fine, but otherwise it's just a glorified shotgun...

Sure, it's a BB-shower, but why don't you just aim your gun and fire it normally?

People say they look badass? I can't really say I agree with that. The only thing I think when I see a grenade launcher on a gun is how much heavier it is, for not that great a function.

I've seen them used and I can't say I was impressed. In my opinion, it's not worth the money.

[dzik]

I originally felt the same was as Gerkraz; that is until i found myself in a situation where I could have used a grenade launcher. I flanked around a defensive position and came up behind a squad of 5, there was no way to shoot all of them with the same series from an aeg. A grenade would have taken out the majority of the squad with one shot, and the aeg would have finished the rest. I ended up shooting three before i got taken out. Clearing buildings with a grenade launcher is also very efficient and useful. It's a matter of the player, for some its a necessary tool for others eye candy.

[Kuro_Neko]

Originally Posted by Gerkraz

Unless you're planning on using it with a grenade-like projectile, I think they're pretty stupid. If you're using grenade rules for it, then it's fine, but otherwise it's just a glorified shotgun...

Sure, it's a BB-shower, but why don't you just aim your gun and fire it normally?

People say they look badass? I can't really say I agree with that. The only thing I think when I see a grenade launcher on a gun is how much heavier it is, for not that great a function.

I've seen them used and I can't say I was impressed. In my opinion, it's not worth the money.

Forgive me if I'm making incorrect assumptions but Gerkraz, if your only experience was me firing those little 18 round'ers in three or four degree weather that day then you might not have an accurate idea of what they're capable of. Of course that's all the experience I have too but with a higher bb count and especially warmer weather I think they would work much better.

The problem with grenade like projectiles is that there's no way to get them to explode while keeping them safe enough to be shooting at people (it's been discussed at great length here on ASC by people with much the same opinion as you, they haven't managed to come up with anything yet). The honor system is great but I don't know if it's going to stand up to the imaginary blast radius of a solid projectile. Not to mention the problem of recovering the projectile afterward. I fired my solid slug off last game and missed. I had alot of trouble recovering the slug after that miss and that wasn't even in the heat of battle or into brush.

You ask, why not shoot normally. Well yeah, for those little 18 round'ers that makes some sense. But for the 120 or 240 round'ers, that's like a mid and hi cap respectively in a second. It'd take you alot longer to fire off that many rounds firing normally, and then you only get a stream rather then a spread. There's a reason why alot of people hunt with shotguns rather then solid slug rifles, it's a hellofa lot easier to hit something, especially a moving target. Are they worth the weight gain? That's a matter of opinion. Personally I think so, obviously you don't. To each their own.

A glorified shotgun they might be but you can't say they wouldn't be damn useful in room clearing or ambushes. *shrug* They are expensive, the grenades more so then the actual launcher, but they have their uses. Many of the same arguments except weight could be applied to GBB's but everyone keeps buying them. Yeah, AEG first definitely. Then sidearm. Then if you have the money think about a grenade launcher as a distant third. They're maybe not for everyone but they aren't useless. And, at least in my opinion, they really do look badass. =^_^=

Kuro_Neko

[Gerkraz]

It might be useful, but I'd rather spend the money on some Tornade grenades, since they would actually be even more useful.

An M203 costs more than 2 AI grenades which are, in my opinion, way better at clearing rooms.

[coach]

Originally Posted by Gerkraz

Sure, it's a BB-shower, but why don't you just aim your gun and fire it normally?

because with an m203, ricochets count as a hit. ricochets with your gun do not count!

[panzergrenadier]

Originally Posted by coachster

because with an m203, ricochets count as a hit. ricochets with your gun do not count!

Also with a real M203... you're not firing straight at the target... you gotta lob it... that's why they use leaf sights and not iron sights...
Grenades are area effect weapons... there's shrapnel and a concussion... kills they have an effective danger radius of 300 meters... so essentially a shower, if used correctly will shower bbs down on the enemy similar to a grenade going off on the ground...

[coach]

Originally Posted by Gerkraz

It might be useful, but I'd rather spend the money on some Tornade grenades, since they would actually be even more useful.

An M203 costs more than 2 AI grenades which are, in my opinion, way better at clearing rooms.

I'm guessing you haven't played opposite of Betsy yet?

Put it this way, I was in the 2nd floor of the drug lab at flag raiders and Duckman unloaded Betsy from about 100'. Aim was with little arch and we were pelted with hundreds of BB's. I could feel them hit the wall I was taking cover with. I'm pretty sure he had them near 800psi on CO2. If he had only aimed higher and got them to fall through the open roof, about 5 of us would have been hit. Not sure if he got anyone through a window though.

[coach]

Originally Posted by panzergrenadier

Also with a real M203... you're not firing straight at the target... you gotta lob it... that's why they use leaf sights and not iron sights...
Grenades are area effect weapons... there's shrapnel and a concussion... kills they have an effective danger radius of 300 meters... so essentially a shower, if used correctly will show bbs down on the enemy similar to a grenade going off on the ground...

no lob man. the XM108HP and XM204HP on CO2 shoot pretty far with no arch!

[panzergrenadier]

Originally Posted by coachster

no lob man. the XM108HP and XM204HP on CO2 shoot pretty far with no arch!

Yeah but you get more of a Kill/ danger radius if you lob em...and more range
as far as I understand... the showers sorta have the same principles of the Theory of Machine gun fire... longer distance, more spread, more chances of hitting many targets with a burst or 2

*EDIT* The main point I'm trying to make (as I believe you are as well Coachster) is that M203s/showers are worth it if used properly

[coach]

Originally Posted by panzergrenadier

Yeah but you get more of a Kill/ danger radius if you lob em...and more range
as far as I understand... the showers sorta have the same principles of the Theory of Machine gun fire... longer distance, more spread, more chances of hitting many targets with a burst or 2

*EDIT* The main point I'm trying to make (as I believe you are as well Coachster) is that M203s/showers are worth it if used properly

you are correct. when I say no lob, I mean no lob is needed to take out a target at 100'. of course a lob that showers down on a squad in the distance is better but the giggles that come out of people when the hear or see an m203 fired is hilarious. no matter what side you're on, an m203 volley brings on the best in people. there's also usually at least one person, dumb enough to volunteer to take a hit in the back for demo purposes too!

[Kuro_Neko]

Hey Coachster, What bb weight do you recomend for standard propane powered grenades, .20's or .25's?

Thanks,
Kuro_Neko

[Viperfish]

Ill give insight from a different angle as well.

I run a TM M203, these guys are a little different then the other 203s cus mine uses shotgun shells rather then big 40mm shells and mine is spring rather then gas.

mine is basicly a TM shotty, its pump action and fires 3 bbs at a time. and i get 10 shots out of one shell. this may not be as good for coating an area but it does work very well as a backup weapon. I found myself using it when i was in a firefight and ran out of BBs, it was faster to sue teh shotty to get myself to cover then to sit there and change mags.

The unit also costs a hell of alot less then a gas 203. however i did have to do some mods to the mounting kit to mount it on my gun.