40mm Grenade Questions

ZeroSignal

I've seen a lot of talk recently about the 40mm MOSCART grenades and want to know more about them and which ones would be right for me. Unfortunately, I can't find much info on search engines or on Boards so maybe you guys and gals can enlighten me?

I have no idea which ones I should get, if any. I've seen one or two in action and they have very short range, however I've heard that the lower capacity ones have longer range at a loss of spread. Does anyone know of any reviews or videos for the different capacities? It would be nice to find the right balance between spread and range without having to shell out for the launcher and some grenades and potentially get the wrong ones.

As an aside, anyone know anywhere I can get a cheap GP-30?

NakedDex

Simply put, 40mm grenades are shotgun blasts. They're neither accurate nor ranged. In the real world they're an excellent force multiplier and an effective tool in fight against enemys in hardpoints and heavy cover. In airsoft they're what you switch to in a panic or what you let off as you enter a doorway.
In other words, regardless of what kind you get, they're of little use. The main benefit of them is the intimidation factor. Like Claymore mines, their presence is enough to cause a worry, despite everyone knowing their limitations.

With that said, some nutters do love using them (like me) and various grenades will certainly give you different effects. My general rule of thumb is "the more rounds, the shorter the range", that meaning your average 36 round grenade will have a further effective range than a 120 or 200 round one. Bigger is not always better. Conversely, the smaller capacity grenades won't have as much spread because of their capacity limitations, and physically smaller grenades will have a small gas chamber, offsetting the benefit of the lower capacity.

Brand wise, Madbull has always been king. Apart from having the best performance, they also have the most innovative range. The pinnacle of their range, performance wise, is their CO2 grenades. More expensive than regular grenades, and requiring a CO2 charge adaptor for the capsules, they're by far the most powerful of all grenades by any maker. Their larger gas tank, combined with CO2 pressures, mean you can up the capacity if you wish and still enjoy good performance. However, they really shine on the lower capacity models and on the 8mm versions, with great range and impact. In a pinch, they'll run on good old fashioned Green Gas too, albeit with less admirable results.

For the budget conscious, the POM grenades are of reasonable quality (Available from ehobby). They won't break the bank and you won't cry if you drop them. They're arguably more sturdy than the metal ones due to the elasticity of the polymers used in the body, and they're less susceptible to changes in outside temperature. To further praise them, they're light and cheap. A nice starter pack of general purpose 'nades.
Also on the budget range, though higher up the scale, are Madbulls Stinger pack. These low capacity, low profile grenades are a steal at current prices. For their size they pack a good punch with decent spread and range. Don't rely on them for anything past 10 yards though.

Kings Arms grenades are a mixed bag. Some are decent, some leaky. The performance is average and the leaky ones can usually be fixed by replacing O rings that have dried out in storage.
Since you're looking at the GP style lanuchers, it should be noted that King Arms do the proper VOG grenades to suit them (although they'll use any grenade).

Classic Army grenades suit CA launchers. End of. I've tried them in half a dozen other launchers and the tolerances don't work out at all, they're just a bit too big to fit. I haven't tried the G&P M203 with them though, and being this is the same design as the CA203, they may fit that. Most I've come across are prone to leaking from the fill valve too.


Go for a mid-sized grenade. Anything above 120 is pointless (and useless unless you're on CO2). A solid performer is the Madbul M433. It has a 48 round capacity but a big enough tank to push it's payload a solid distance. For a bit of "oomph", you could also do worse than look at their M381 grenade. Roughly the same size as the M433, but with an 18 round capacity. That means more gas for less rounds, which means more range and much more power.


Personally, I recommend the Madbulls every time. I have a few of each of the above so that's all from experience. I use the POMs for my MGL and the Madbull CO2s in everything else. The reason for that simply is that my MGL needs twelve grenades and I'd prefer not to spend my hard earned cash on a dozen $100 pieces of aluminium. I have a life...



Edit:
Also, MOSCART is shorthand for Mosquito Molds Cartridge. It's a term coined by Mosquito Molds themselves, like calling a skylight a Velux or a vacuum cleaner a Hoover. They don't do much in the shell line anymore but the name is lingering around. You won't find much in the line of reviews or videos if you search for MOSCARTs, so try 40mm grenade/shell instead.

ZeroSignal

Excellent post. Thank you very much for taking the time to write that. The ones I'd be interested in are the POM ones you talked about (because I'm poor).

I'd still be interested in seeing a few demonstration videos of the different capacities but I guess I'm just going to have to politely ask anyone I see with a GL to waste some gas for me.

I definitely want to be able to take out more than one person in a pinch so I guess I probably wouldn't want to go for a 48 rounder? I'm thinking middle of the road like the 96 rounder. I don't mind having to lob them but I'd rather not have a literal "shower" of BBs that might not be felt at certain ranges.

Oh, I just used the term "MOSCART" because it's on practically everything that I've seen that's a 40mm grenade. I thought it was a technical term like AEG or GBB. I'll see if I can edit it out of my title in case it causes confusion. EDIT: Ah ha! It worked!

NakedDex

The Madbull 48 rounder I mentioned is more than enough for anyone. Anything approaching 100 is just plain useless unless you're using it in 20C-25C temperatures or you're using CO2. The benefits of "going big" are far out-weighed by the benefits of keeping it efficient.

It only takes one round to make a hit on a person, 48 is enough to take out a room of them. That particular one will just be more useful in open environments also.

ED E

After Richie linked this: http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/other-gun/grenade-launchers/ultra-force-40mm-grenade-launcher-pistol.html I'm tempted to get some 40"mikemikes". Any opinions on the D-Boys ones, specifically these: http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/d-boys-18rds-m381-40mm-cartridge.html ?

Damo 2k9

Afaik, MIA have the ak grenade launchers in the shop, im sure i seen them in there before

NakedDex

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

After Richie linked this: http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/other-gun/grenade-launchers/ultra-force-40mm-grenade-launcher-pistol.html I'm tempted to get some 40"mikemikes". Any opinions on the D-Boys ones, specifically these: http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/d-boys-18rds-m381-40mm-cartridge.html ?

The DBoys grenades are relatively new. I've no experience with them to tell one way or the other but, from looking at them, they're the spitting image of the Vanaras grenades which are actually not bad. Gas efficiency isn't great and they're relatively low range/impact. They're solid enough though. I might take a punt on one just to test.

I've had an eye on that pistol launcher for a while too. They're a rough copy of the old CAW ones which are discontinued (I'm a tad obsessed with odd launchers). I do want one but previous experience with DBoys launchers is telling me to wait until someone else confirms they've upped the quality in a major way. The two DBoys M203's I have here that are nothing more than glorified paperweights are testament to poor quality of previous versions.
If a couple of good reviews come out for them I may order a pair.


Yeah that's right, I said a pair...

ED E

Yeah, I hate 203s myself, but ELGMs, M79s and the above, yum. Wish I had the dosh for a pair and the nades to run them.

Thanks for the info anyways, no doubt somebody will post up about them soon enough.