# Terrifying and amusing hand grenade fail **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 13, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784 "2013-11-13T03:45:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/21 "2013-11-13T15:40:54Z")
Whaaaaaa? The Chinese government staged something… just for show? Mind: blown. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/22 "2013-11-13T16:25:03Z")
Actually, my husband writes for an Army paper (er, the US kind of Army) and this sort of thing happens waaaaay more than you’d think. He was at the range for [this](http://www.wistv.com/story/23650267/ft-jackson-soldier-honored-for-quick-thinking-in-live-grenade-situation) incident, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/23 "2013-11-13T16:47:05Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Maybe I have watched too many movies, but I just can’t imagine looking at a grenade explosion from 20 feet away…I think it cleared the wall. No, there is a ditch between their feet and the wall, though. The grenade falls into that ditch. You can see the row of sandbags at their feet marking the nearside edge of the grenade sump. That is also why the other guy is able to look toward it with no fear of shrapnel coming his way. Also, grenade to make loud explosions, just not fireballs. Here’s a good video. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JfyNcn87gPI/hqdefault.jpg "Grenade") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfyNcn87gPI) > [@Zsofia](#): > > Actually, my husband writes for an Army paper (er, the US kind of Army) and this sort of thing happens waaaaay more than you’d think. He was at the range for this incident, for example. Yes, it does happen a lot. So much that it’s pretty much just ‘all in a days work’ for the grenade range cadre. That’s why I simply cannot believe someone got a medal for it. What the hell? That’s Ft Jackson for you… ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/24 "2013-11-13T17:25:02Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Does anyone know of any explosive charge which slightly smokes for several seconds before exploding? Obviously they buy their munitions from the Acme Corporation. What we were seeing was a peek into the secret training regimen of the elite Wile E. Coyote Unit. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/25 "2013-11-13T18:26:17Z")
I was declared the squad “claymore guy” after I stated and then proved that I had absolutely NO throwing arm (negative points for distance and accuracy) with fragmentation grenades. I think it worked out for the best as I became quite skillful with claymores,c-4, and all the different ways one could set them off. And for the record, if you gave me a frag grenade, the shipping can it came in, and some fishing line I could whip up quite the surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Whammo72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo72)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/26 "2013-11-13T18:52:17Z")
Looks to me like it made just onto the other side of the sandbags and they were just getting out of the way of the blast… or the ditch thing. Could be a ditch. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/27 "2013-11-13T19:04:38Z")
The in the slow-mo version you can see the grenade falling on this side of the wall. I think there was a ditch in front of the wall, and the trainee’s throw failed to clear the wall and fell into the ditch. Shows the danger of throwing like a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/28 "2013-11-13T19:18:04Z")
When I went through Basic (August 1989) we ran through several grenade courses practicing before the live event. There are practice grenades which have basically the same body but there is just a small charge that pops and no high explosive in it. The tops can be unscrewed and reused. On the day of the live grenade throw, we had to wear a flack vest and helmet. we spent most of the time watching through a plexiglass window in a training “bunker” at the grenade range that was about 50 yards off. After every live grenade went off, we could hear stuff raining down on the steel roof. We were trained to throw it and then duck behind the sandbags and the drill sergeant standing next to you will throw you down if anything else happens. I was pretty freaked out by the time I marched onto the range but I threw mine AOK with no issues. That was the only time I threw a live HE grenade, but I did get to play with some white phosphorous grenades and plastic explosives while supporting Special Forces troops. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/29 "2013-11-13T21:50:22Z")
For fairness’ sake, if you scroll down on that page there’s another video of a guy having about as much success. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/30 "2013-11-14T05:32:51Z")
Ft Carson, Co., winter of 1961. We had to pull the pin, count to 10 holding the grenade & then we could throw it. That was a damn long 10 seconds IMO. Bawahahah We had several goofs that either did it wrong or panicked and could not hold one with the pin removed. Must have been 4 if not more emergency pull out of danger happenings just in out company alone. No vest, Kevlar, or any such. We did have on our steel pots though. Threw both kinds of the times, the old pineapple looking and the smooth kind with wrapped wire that prolly were more dangerous just because of more nasty bits coming off it. Fun times for an 18 year old. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784/31 "2013-11-18T06:08:00Z")
Good news! The grenade worked! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrifying-and-amusing-hand-grenade-fail/673784.md?page=1)