VTG Blank Fire Grenade Review

[Azathoth]

Review VTG Blank fire Grenade

*malp*





I bought about 18+ months ago in a group order with a couple of mates. It didn’t feel quite right to
Write a review without extensively using the damn thing.

So after personally using this thing for over 150 times with 9mm and about 30ish times with 12ga, Its fair to say its been put through its paces. Between the three of us that got this thing we have used our VTG grenades for over 1000 throws of 9mm and close to 100 12ga uses.

The grenade timer is a reliable 2.5 seconds. We have never had any issue with premature detonation. The grenades function at all temperatures ranges +30c down to -20c before wind chill. As long as you properly affix the housing where the blank sits to the grenade body, and the primer is struck it will go off, unless you have a bad primer/blank.

Grenade is also very tough. I lost it at a field for a month, and a rather large dog used it as a chew toy for time until I had it returned. You cannot say the same for the ThunderB, I’ve seen those things go off in people’s hand causing serious injury, seen them blow apart spraying bits of metal from the busted core, seen them never go off, and of course no one wants to touch them. You are lucky if you are a regular ThunderB user to have ONE survive a full calendar year of regular use.

I have had a about a dozen failures to fire; all of them have been caused by either:

1. User induced by not sufficiently tightening the blank to the grenade
2. Full submersion in water
3. Primer was struck but failed to fire. That’s what you get for surplused 9mm blanks

It cost us each 220 dollars for the grenade and a box of 960 blank 9mm back in 2013, and extra pins. I don’t recall how the cost was broken down between the blanks and the grenade, but I believe it worked out to be a dime a blank $96 bucks, and a home brew adaptor (pictured) for 20 bucks, which puts the grenade at about 100 dollars give or take. That was back before the exchange went to garbage and the cost has gone up. No idea what you are going to pay nowadays.

Volume has been tested by other users, I don’t have a decibel meter but the volume is less than a ThunderB although the tone & timber is definitely firearm like (duh). This has been shown on the Airsoftology video. Keep in mind decibel is a logarithmic scale:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyNWh-6UDeo

Issues:
When purchased we also asked for the 9mm adaptor. This adaptor did not correctly fit the 9x19mm cartridge. Instead the adaptor was actually designed for some kind of oddball 9mm used in the movie/prop industry which name escapes me at the moment. We took the grenade to a machinist and we had an adaptor made that fits Canadian surplused 9x19mm blanks. Cost us each an additional 20 dollars.

FYI Canada as far as I can tell is the only NATO country to surplus 9x19mm blanks. This makes the grenade super cheap to use. It’s quoted at 40cents USD in the Airsoftology video,

As you would expect you need to occasionally clean the grenade. The threads for the blank of the grenade will accumulate carbon buildup, the 9mm adaptor will get ‘fused’ to the larger 12ga cover. Use whatever you want to remove the carbon build up, Windex, Alcohol etc. I’ve cleaned it twice since owning it, but if you don’t clean it like my idiot brother in law (after 100 throws including 12ga) then expect to have problems taking the thing apart.

PROS:
- Price per through is ridiculously cheap compared to all other noise making alternatives
- Utterly Reliable
- Consistent sound volume
- Carrying reloads is easy, use a live fire mag moron proof!
- You can run whatever pistol blanks you want just need to have an adaptor made that will fit.
- Great excuse to break in live fire pistol mags
- Works as a dog chew toy
- Great *malp* way to recreate your favorite Archer quotes/scene *malp*

CONS:
- Price, Upfront cost is high
- Shotgun blanks not ‘safe’ unless everyone is running earpro


Shout out to team spartan ops in Edmonton for being stoopid enough to forget to hold the spoon down EVERYTIME they tried to do a grenade breach. Been a long time since I literally ROFLMAO'D. Which I had that on Camera. *malp*

[MultipleParadox]

Thanks for the review
Any idea if your package was inspected by cbsa and let through? Or if it just went without proper inspection?

I take it that one would need a Pal to buy proper blanks?
Any ideas if Ramset.22 charge would fit in any ways?

Edit:
Also, wtf is *malp*? :P

[c3sk]

Originally Posted by MultipleParadox

Also, wtf is *malp*? :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tekhh7Iy-sM

[lurkingknight]

this is also of mild interest to me. Are the 9mms fire safe, as in, could they ignite dry grass, curtains, etc?

[Foxer2373]

Originally Posted by lurkingknight

this is also of mild interest to me. Are the 9mms fire safe, as in, could they ignite dry grass, curtains, etc?

The flash is totally contained no flash out, just a smoke vent hole. We have tried everything possible to get them to ignight something... No dice.

You do not need a pal to buy blanks, Hero outdoors and many other places have them for sale.

Biggest problem you will have is finding someone who will ship them to Canada, there is no direct distributer for them.

Yes if you do not hold down the release lever it will go off, it will be load and if will cause laughter by all wearing eye pro.

[JayGus]

Originally Posted by Foxer2373

Yes if you do not hold down the release lever it will go off, it will be load and if will cause laughter by all wearing eye pro.

Mhm..and if you don't have fancy comtacs or sordins..."Malp"

[Azathoth]

Originally Posted by MultipleParadox

Thanks for the review
Any idea if your package was inspected by cbsa and let through? Or if it just went without proper inspection?

I take it that one would need a Pal to buy proper blanks?
Any ideas if Ramset.22 charge would fit in any ways?

Edit:
Also, wtf is *malp*? :P

Not inspected by CBSA. No need for PAL to buy blanks. As you can see in the picture the striker is in the center. 22 is rimfire you would have to machine some kind of adaptor to set off a .22

Originally Posted by lurkingknight

this is also of mild interest to me. Are the 9mms fire safe, as in, could they ignite dry grass, curtains, etc?

I put firestarter sticks in the path of ignition of the blank. Never got a set off with 9mm,

Originally Posted by Foxer2373

Yes if you do not hold down the release lever it will go off, it will be load and if will cause laughter by all wearing eye pro.

You mean EAR pro.



EDIT:

The model that I have is glow in the dark. In hindsight I should have bought day glow orange, or blaze blue.

[Ricochet]

I do like the idea behind this product, it's very cool. I hope they release a BB flinging model though.

[MultipleParadox]

So I took the plunge and decided to risk part of a paycheck and ordered 2 along with 9mm Pakistan adapters

Package has been "dispatched", let's hope for the best

Also, regarding sound output, I remember reading it's at 69db with 9mm
This would make it *much* safer than thunderb

Originally Posted by Ricochet

I do like the idea behind this product, it's very cool. I hope they release a BB flinging model though.

Just got this stupid idea:
Replace the top cap with a pipe, drill BB channels all around it, find some way to have the BBs stay in there, throw like a German potato masher :P

[Zack The Ripper]

I'm gonna wait for your update.

If this all goes well I might take the plunge to buy one. As long as importation seems flawless and the thing doesn't catastrophically fail when detonating.

[BioRage]

I would consider one, but considering all CQB fields restrict thunder B's and sound devices from public games, I don't haz a use for it. However those who MilSim quite often, I can see where it comes in handy.

[Zack The Ripper]

Originally Posted by BioRage

I would consider one, but considering all CQB fields restrict thunder B's and sound devices from public games, I don't haz a use for it. However those who MilSim quite often, I can see where it comes in handy.

-Nightfall
-Deltastone games/events
-Private games/events
-U.S. games/events

Plenty of use for them.

[BioRage]

Originally Posted by Zack The Ripper

-Nightfall
-Deltastone games/events
-Private games/events
-U.S. games/events

Plenty of use for them.

Yeah... that's what I meant, for those who milsim, I don't haz timez for them no moars D:

[MultipleParadox]

Azathoth:

Did you order yours from their main site? If so, how long did it take to reach you approx.?

[Azathoth]

Originally Posted by MultipleParadox

Azathoth:

Did you order yours from their main site? If so, how long did it take to reach you approx.?

Two weeks If i recall correctly.

Originally Posted by MultipleParadox

So I took the plunge and decided to risk part of a paycheck and ordered 2 along with 9mm Pakistan adapters

Package has been "dispatched", let's hope for the best

Also, regarding sound output, I remember reading it's at 69db with 9mm
This would make it *much* safer than thunderb




Just got this stupid idea:
Replace the top cap with a pipe, drill BB channels all around it, find some way to have the BBs stay in there, throw like a German potato masher :P

First it's 120db and thunderB is 122. And as stated in the review the DB scale is not linear (link provided).

As for putting BBs into a channel to be expelled from the blank that is one of the most retarded things I have every read on this forum that rival melded springs. I don't know if you are serious or joking so a little slack is given

9mm Blank has sufficient charge in it to cycle the action of a firearm. Brandon Lee was killed in the filming of the movie "the crow" when a blank cartridge was used in a firearm when a bullet (the projectile) was lodged in the barrel.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_%28cartridge%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Lee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_grenade