Grenades hard to set off

[D.Smitty]

This is to all those players that use 40 mm M203 grenades. 

I've found that the trigger pull on my grenades is EXTREMELY tough (I have to use two fingers if I can get it at all).  That hesitation is cutting into their usefulness.  Do any of you guys know of modifications to 40mm grenades to make them easier to set off?

[Rev]

when I briefly had a 203 mine would be hard to pull but I looked and the ball bearings were coming out and getting in between the trigger in the shell.

[D.Smitty]

when I briefly had a 203 mine would be hard to pull but I looked and the ball bearings were coming out and getting in between the trigger in the shell.

I've seen that problem before and checked for it.  It's not that my grenades will not fire, it's that they are difficult to fire.  I was wondering if anybody has tried to add something on top of the firing pin or the back of the grenade that would make it easier for the pin to apply enough force to set it off.  If you have, what did you use, and how effective was it?

I should point out that the difficulty is probably my own fault.  I use CO2 to charge my grenades, and I tend to charge them for a long time.  I regularly blow and tear O-rings, but it's a small price to pay for the increase in power, range, and BOOM!

[82dcustomer]

S-Thunder made an improvement in their 40mm pistol launchers for their CO2 rounds just because of this.

[D.Smitty]

S-Thunder made an improvement in their 40mm pistol launchers for their CO2 rounds just because of this.

....What WAS that improvement?  I'm looking to see if I can't emulate it in an existing launcher.

[Dominum]

I should point out that the difficulty is probably my own fault.  I use CO2 to charge my grenades, and I tend to charge them for a long time.  I regularly blow and tear O-rings, but it's a small price to pay for the increase in power, range, and BOOM!

^This.

Adding more silicone lube to the plunger may help though.

[D.Smitty]

UPDATE: 

To fill my launcher, I've gotten another grenade from madbull at a good price...almost unused.  To try and narrow down WHY the plunger is so difficult on my grenades, which I lube with silicone in the gas chamber and with teflon on the moving parts (plunger, ball bearings), and why it's so easy on my new one, I tried different combinations of new 'nade parts with old 'nade parts.

I finally it it:  the old plunger fits into the new shell, but neither plunger fits easily into the old shell.  I've found my problem. 

How do you think I should fix it?  I don't want to just go in with a dremel (sp?), as that will slightly reduce the seal, and thus the power of the grenade.  That might be my only option, though.  I would need a way to smooth the metal once I'm finished, any ideas?

[Dominum]

Don't bother, you can't do it precisely enough by hand.

[D.Smitty]

Out of my 4 grenades, two were easily reset (which is itself suspicious), one was nearly impossible to reset (I boiled the lower shell long enough for thermal expansion to let the plunger fit inside), and my last is wouldn't even reset when I boiled it.  I think that it's really dirty from all that field dust turning to mud from morning dew.  I'm letting it sit in soapy water right now. 

I really don't know what the bottom part of madbull grenades are made of (brass, maybe?), do you guys think that jewelry cleaner might be abrasive enough to the metal (or to any tarnish that's built up) to allow the plunger to fit inside?

[82dcustomer]

try brasso.

[D.Smitty]

OK, I fixed it.  Apparently, the problem with my grenades was what I thought:  because of being set off so many times, a combination of tarnish and small nicks and dents in the metal had deformed the lower shell enough that the plunger would not easily fit in the grenade.

Somebody who is better at metalworking than me could probably use a special tool to sand and then polish the part in question, but I had a better idea:  do it chemically.  I thought that the bottom shell was made of aluminum, so I tried to leave it sitting in strong vinegar overnight.  This did nothing.  I did a little digging, and figured out that the lower part is made of brass, which breaks down from many caustic substances.

A little 20 minute bath in bleach, and the plunger goes right in, now.  A bit of teflon grease made it even better.

I'll add it to the list of grenade problems i can fix, now.  

[Dominum]

Good thinking, I gues that grey matter is good for something after all!