How to

The calendar spring is now, so is the beginning of this year’s airsoft season (but does it ever end, though?). Players are back to their favorite woodlands and CQB sites, but there will also arrive a lot of newbies, who want to try the new hobby after the great season-start-discounts. And it’s great!

Airsoft is all about the incredible military vibe – the tactical equipment, uniforms, 1:1 airsoft replicas, the tactics and… pyrotechnics for the military simulation. The last one is one of the aspects, that can greatly change the final outcome of the game. However, pyrotechnics are dangerous and need to be handled properly with safety hazards. And that will be today’s topic of the talk.

Basic safety hazard of pyrotechnics

It’s common knowledge, that everything that explodes can do us smaller or bigger harm. If someone doesn’t believe in that, feel free to check the statistics from New Year’s Eve or 4th July. Most of the accidents wouldn’t happen without alcohol, that is true. You may say now, that it doesn’t affect airsoft, because no one drinks during the game. However, playing airsoft still involves a huge rush of adrenaline, which may lead to mistakes. This shows, how incredibly important are the safety rules for the pyrotechnics.

Let’s remember the basics – a triggered grenade (frag or flashbang) is needed to be thrown far away as quickest as possible. It’s not Call of Duty – “cooking” the grenade may lead to serious harm and end in the hospital. The other rule of thumb is not to hold the grenades too tight, because it will increase the damage to the hand during if it discharges prematurely.

When it comes to the flares and smoke grenades, – read the instruction before use. Some of them can be held during the smoking effect, and some not.

Leave unexploded grenades in peace! They may explode with a bigger delay than it is said on the package. Don’t try to ignite them again. If they still don’t explode after a while (like 5 minutes), then put them in water and utilize.

There are video clips on the internet, that show throwing back grenades during airsoft games. It’s a definite NO-GO. The health is more important than the score in the game, and the risk is too high.

The last rule applies strictly for the airsoft – think at least 4 times before you put the grenade in one pouch or the another. If they have the ring-pull – it can’t be vulnerable for the environment like bushes, sticks or other elements of the equipment. It’s best to secure the ring with electric tape or put the airsoft grenades upside down in the pouches.

Eye and skin protection

Don’t play with the pyrotechnics without proper safety gear. Tactical gloves can prevent burning the hand with flames, and the material will decrease the damage to the hand if the grenade explodes prematurely. If you are looking for good-quality gloves check our latest review of Ironclad tactical gloves.

Equally important is the eye protection – where the explosions are, there will always be shrapnels from stones, sand, etc. that can rush straight to your eyes.

Communication

During airsoft games with pyrotechnics, it’s a good habit is to warn other players about throwing the grenade, with a simple communicate “GRENADE!”. It’s a win-win situation because the warning can scare the enemy away from the grenade landing and make them vulnerable for fire from your airsoft replica, and at the same time, it will be a lot safer for them to get hit by the grenade when they know that one is flying at them.

Be aware of people, who are not in the game!

If you’re not playing on dedicated sites, but a regular forests, you need to be aware of the “civilians” activity on the field. If there is a chance of someone unprotected arriving on the field – don’t use the pyrotechnics.

Be aware of the weather conditions!

The spring is now, and it’s not that long period of time before the summer arrives with droughts. When the grass is to dry and sun too hot, it’s very unsafe to use airsoft pyrotechnics, especially the smoke grenades, that tend to spark during producing the smoke. It can cause a great, unstoppable fire in the woods.

Be aware of the animals in the forest

Remember that we’re not alone in the woodlands, and we are only the guests there. Don’t use pyrotechnics in places often visited by animals, because that can scare them away.

Rules of the airsoft pyrotechnics use - Summary

Everything is for people if it’s used properly and with all safety rules. It also applies to pyrotechnics during the airsoft games.

Author:

Paweł "Fishbonee" Napieralski

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