Paintball

[tymcneer]

First, I have to say that communications with Blackrain were excellent. He responded in a timely fashion, and gave reasonable responses.

Second, he went through hell and high water... Well at least high water and mudslides to get these to me. This says volumes about his commitment to customer service.

Third, I had no premature grenade release during shipping (PGRDS).

The following are pictures showing the packing method he used to ship them to me.
























And finally, a size comparison between his "standard" grenades and the "bunker buddy" version. As a note, there are two in each package. The ones on the left are the standard, and the ones on the right are the bunker buddies.



I will post an operational review either sunday night or monday, as we plan to use them during the local scenario, this weekend. If I get really lucky, we *might* have some helmet cam footage of them being used.

Ty

[blackrain]

I just sent you a PM about these. Man looking at that box scared me. Iam so glad everything made it. Remember to shake these well before use. Also Iam interested how the bunker buddies work. Those are new, so we aren't sure on their potential or devestation lol. So you get the first shot and review with them. Please be very honest with your review. I can't improve if I don't know what's broken. Also, thank you for the package review and pictures. I look forward to your results and findings.
Later,
Blackrain

[tymcneer]

Operational review, as promised:

Air Temp when used:
32-50 Degrees F.

Ground conditions:
Wet. Light rain during play

Where used:
In dense Conifer/Deciduous (Pine Hardwood) woods with a heavy pine straw/ leaf mix on the ground.

Missfires/Duds:
None.

Grenade fill:
Plenty sticky and nasty. There is definately no doubt when you get hit by one of these.

Grenade size/fit:
These grenades were all a consistant size. They fit easily into a 100 round pod.

Cases of RGS (Returned Grenade Syndrome)
None.

Results when thrown:
Every single grenade performed exactly as advertised! We had good luck with them. The only problems we encountered were user related. These problems were almost entirely caused by failure to follow the "pinch" step of the directions!

I personally threw 2 grenades. Both discharged as advertised. One of the two produced a beautiful spiral pattern that would have been perfect for taking out a bunker. Unfortunately, due to my wussie arm, I was unable to hit the tank I was aiming at.

All four of the "bunker buddies" were thrown. One with spectacular results! One of my teammates was defending the castle, and threw it at a player on ground level fro mthe second story. The grenade hit the opposing player in the head, and discharging the grenade all over him! Head Shot pretty well covers it!

One of the big thinga that people kept pointing out is that these grenads are MUCH easier to use, store and throw. The "use" issue involves having to do much more preparation of other brands for use. People really enjoyed the "Shake, pinch, pull, throw" instructions.

One thing I will tell eveyone is that this batch were very easy to set off, once the pin is pulled. We had no problems with grenade failure. The "pinch" step of the instructions really should be followed, as it really helps to make sure the grenade goes off when it hits the target. If you are careful about how much you pinch them, you can induce "air burst" effects.

One of my teammates will be posting video in the next few days, hopefully.

I will continue to post more information as people report back to me.

Ty

[blackrain]

So I take it that you and your team were very happy? That washer is modified drilled. Everyone uses 3/8 or 1/2. I modify 3/8 washers to a certain size. If there is something you feel that needs to be changed, please give me a suggestion. I'm glad the bunker buddies worked for you. I hope you will be a repeat customer. Was the fill to thick? Cause I'm actually going to cut it a little more. Thank you so much for the review and I hope to see more of your review and film. We were all worried about this review, cause these were going to be used at such a big scale game. I wish you knew how important this review was for us and all the others that have been posted. We are striving for perfection with our product. The Recreation,Scenario and big game player only deserves the best.
Thanks,
Blackrain

[Altec]

I for one was very pleased!

[skipjack289]

I found one of the yellow fill ones in the woods early in the day. I knew it was a Blackrain grenade because of the pics I saw earlier. It was sitting in some thick grass like an easter egg. It is smaller than a Big Boy and bigger than a Squadbuster.

I had to dump it a short time later due to walking in to a firefight. Later, I ran into Ty and he gave me another one, AND he explained how to use it.

At one point in the rejuve, I was looking at it and thought this is a great design. No need to try to wrestle off a plastic shrink wrap, and it seems as if you could "arm" the thing while holding a marker in hand. It seems like I could keep 3 of these in my vest pocket, as apposed to 2 of the Big Boy.

In the early afternoon, I showed it off to my teammates. I pulled the washer down alittle to show the first step to arm it. Then someone slapped it out of my hand and it hit the ground. Everyone jumped, but the thing didn't go off. At this point, my best mate Jincay took a couple of shots at it and it when off. Again people jumped, and Jincay was the only one that got alittle bit on him.

From what I see of the design and what happened when it dropped while partially armed, I would say that it is a good investment.

And I should mention that Jincay was named MVP for the Red team.

[Altec]

When I first held the grenade it had a nice weight, and size to it. Not to big, and not to small. The safety setup is very nice. Simple, and very effective. Even very heavy shaking, and running around with it in my sporran it stayed in place. The pin itself is very cool. It uses a carter pin, and key ring. Although it did leak slightly, I think this was from the washer being to low (It should be tightly against the pin when not using it). The fill is nice and bright, and isn't a slime, but not watery either. So if the splatter goes up, its gonna give who ever it lands by a nice shower. Something that was also nice is that the fill seemed to land in a strange places. With someone that can aim good, I think these will be very deadly. No one would be safe.

Something that was slightly confusing was the washer. The way the grenade goes off is greatly changed by the placement of this washer. But I found that the washer about a 1/4" down from the pin to give a nice effect. Though for a lighter throw, I'd run the pin further up. I was also told to pinch the hose at the washer when throwing. Although with the pin further up I would, I don't feel this would be needed when the washer is further down. Though I can't prove this, as I pinched it in both my tests.

Here is the video. As you can tell, I throw like a girl. I still think it shows what the grenade can do on impact, and it could only get better with a stronger throwing arm.

YouTube - Blackrain Grenade

Here are the pictures of the results of the two tests.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/100_4037.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/100_4036.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/100_4035.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/100_4034.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/100_4033.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...n/100_4032.jpg

Edit,

In the pictures you only see some of the splatter. Their was a lot more that wasn't pictured!

[blackrain]

Thanks for the videos guys. Thanks for the comments too. I really appreciate it all. What were your impressions of the "bunker buddies"? Also would you say that the fill is to thick or is it just right? I have a gallon of pink the same thickness, but I was thinking of cutting it and making 2 gallons. What was the impressions of the people who were on the receiving end of these? If I knew ALTEC was on the team I would have sent a special one just to throw at him lol.
Later,
Blackrain

[tymcneer]

Blackrain, I've got a few left, and I will be at his house on Saturday... Would you like me to grenade him and film the results?

Ty

[Altec]

Originally Posted by tymcneer

Blackrain, I've got a few left, and I will be at his house on Saturday... Would you like me to grenade him and film the results?

Ty

I'll just make sure I bring my Splatty!


Also- Don't forget to give my dad a ring.