What exactly is a flashbang?
 

What is it made of? Magnesium? How is it set off?

A flashbang is just a certain type of grenade. It has a time delayed fuse, which you can learn more about in detail here: http://science.howstuffworks.com/grenade2.htm Upon detonation, a flashbang releases over a million candelas, and a deafening 170-180 dB. The newest flashbang, the XM84 Stun Grenade, has a hexagonal body with holes in it that does not fragment upon detonation. The filler contains about 4.5 grams of a mix of magnesium and ammonium perchlorate. Most of this info can be found on howstuffworks.com or wikipedia.

From Law Enforcement Technologies
(www.lawenforcetech.com)
Article can be found at: http://www.lawenforcetech.com/Suppor...rt%20Nov03.pdf

The following excerpt from Less-than-lethal "Flashbang" Diversinnary Device explains the flashbang mechanism. For diagrams, photos, and the rest of the report, click the link above.

excellent for the stuff. i always wondered because i play cs (counter-strike) and i always use flashbangs, however there is no bang. =\

That's mainly because they don't want to actually deafen the players, in order to avoid lawsuits.

No.

Having been on the business end of a banger, I have some things to say on this point:

When it is detonated, there really is not much of a bang... the concussive force puts several body systems into shock, and hearing is one of them...

Rainbow Six 3 actually did a good job of realism there. More of a POP, Binnnnng sound. Then everything is muffled for about 5 minutes.

Dazed and confused, everything slows down and gets fuzzy, when you do recover. No pain to it though, but I think that is because your brain is scrambled. Brain not working properly=no pain.

There is simply no way of avoiding the bad effects of this weapon, unless you are out of the effective radius (about 3m, correct?)

The ones I was around had a half second fuse. Think about that. Serious shit. Definitely not a toy, not to be used lightly.

In the article I linked, it specifies a 160-170db blast. I'm assuming that you were exposed to a different type.

I'll echo the comment that the Rainbow Six games have a good system.

Anyone see the video where the SWAT officer's flashbang detonates while still in his leg holster? The clothing on his thigh is torn to shreds and he walks around outside the house they were about to breach looking very dazed until he sits down and just sways in place like he's autistic. Eventually another officer grabs him and hauls hm away.

I can't seem to find it online.

Is there any way to make a homemade flashbang?

^^ Darwin award nominee?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I want to be on the recieving end of a flashband just because I am curious.

Put on some safety glasses and place an m80 in a room with you.
Don't comlplain about your lack of hearing when you're older though...

In So. Africa, one of the navy dive trainers I knew told me they used them (m80 equivalent there is called a thunder flash). They use them to recall divers in a hurry. They weight them and drop them in the water. The fuze burns in water. Evidently the concussive force is terrible when it goes off.

No, a thunderflash IS NOT A FLASHBANG.

A thunderflash is a military device to simulate a grenade. It has about the equivalent of a quarter stick of dynamite. It is a loud firecracker. The fuse does burn underwater, and it has a burn time of 4.5 sec (+/- 0.5 sec).

Having said that, I would not want to be on the recieving end of one of those underwater. Can anyone say Tennessee Fish Finder?

People often call Flashbangs Thunderflashes and vice versa. They are nowhere near the same thing.

Now an Arty Sim is a different story. It is an Artillery Simulator, and has a whistle fuse of approx 5-7 seconds. It is closer to a full stick, and will definitely fuck you up in close distances. Still not a very big flash of light, and a HELL of a lot longer fuse.

Just FYI :thumbsup:

Flashbangs have always fascinated me. The new PC game SWAT 4 has excellent flashbangs, and the game is just plain badass to boot.

Sorry Ben , if it came across as though I was mixing the two up. Not so.
I was mainly catering to muckluck's desire to experience one.

It would be safer to try it with a thunderflash first, rather than a flashbang. Just use the thunderflash in an enclosed space and imagine the effects if they were multiplied a few times plus an incredibly bright strobe and you'd be close.

Our sergeant-major was fond of using them to wake up us instructors when we were on our camp at the shooting range. We had those camp cots with the plain yellow foam mattresses. If it went off under you it burnt a crater in the bottom of it so that the mattress was about an inch thick in the centre of the crater and your kidney hurt for several hours. Fun guy.

Bored troops and explosive devices are a great mix. I still remember how high a steel trashcan gets blown when up-ended over a thunderflash. Without a reference, I'd guess at least 3 stories up.

Which, by the way, an M-80 is NOT. One of my pet peeves.

ha!.

Ok. I wondered about that. Was always told an M-80 was same as a thunderflash.
After google - M-80:
http://www.freepgs.com/pyroteknix/images/M80.jpg

Thunderflash:
http://www.combatcentral.co.uk/Image...underflash.jpg

Way different. I stand corrected and illuminated.

I guess those guys who told me that also think that thing they pee with was 10-inches too. ;)

We were doing Crowd Control Training when a buddy of mine stepped too close to a flashbang when it went off.

It tore through 4 layers of stitching in the combat boot (damn those boots are tough) and mangled his ankle pretty bad.

Sticking the flashbangs, thunderflashes and arty sims under helmets, ammo cans, trash cans et cetera was always a lot of fun. What excuse can I make? We were young and stupid.

Kids, don't try this at home. Ever. Please. Go volunteer your time at the local library teaching someone to read or go to a soup kitchen and scrub some pots and pans. The world will thank you.

Flashbangs are freaking awesome. I was watching something on the Discovery Channel about them a few weeks ago. It was one of the coolest things ever!

flash bangs = no fun
 

Hey guys just joined......I work as a pyrotechnician in support of the marine corps final work up at mojave viper 29 palms ca. I can assure you that being on the business end of an flash bang is no fun.....however throwing them in a room at someone else is great fun. The best way to experience it while minimalizing the shock to the body system is when one is thrown up into the air.....it's still plenty loud. Arty sims are another thing all together. On the sim it says that the safe range is 35 meter....(if I remeber correctly....I'll check again in dec. when I go back) The closest i've taken one on foot was about 5 meters......it'l rock you pretty good. we started a complex (more than one attacking element) attack with a svbied (suicide vehicle borne improvised exploding devise) somehow we seemed to end up right at ground zero for all the incoming arty sims.....due to all the smoke grenades thrown and it being at night I could't actually tell where they landed but I'd never heard the whistles quite that loudly and when they went off they would rock the truck and we could here debris hitting the doors.....we weren't about to get out so we just hunkered down and protected ourselves in case they windows shattered. Also a warning....the whistle on an arty simulater can very from 3 secs to about 8......also a fair amount of whistles never work on arty simulators......so if the exercise force is coming up on it they can get a rude surprise. Dud arty's should never be approached until at least a half hour has gone by......I personally would give it an hour then talk someone else into retrieving it :).

the closest experience I can think of to these devices in civilian world would be to go to a metallica concert in the smallest venue they play.....the concussion devices they use pack a nice punch.

Scott

oh....and another note......guys who play opposition forces on a regular basis tend to more or less get use to the flash bangs.....this doesn't make it any more fun but if you think one is coming you can turn your back to it and still engage the exercise force coming in. flash bangs are best used on to suppress a room being assaulted before they no they are being assualted and against enemies that are not familiar with are battle hardened professionals.

Flashbang: How paratroopers have sex.

I am SO recycling that. :thumbsup:

Airborne!