Question on smoke/gas grenades

[US-Subs]

Trying to help out on a LE related question -
Does anyone know of/have information on any "modern" smoke or gas grenades which are fired by a percussion type fuze? Something similar to WWII Japanese?
Likewise, any functioned by pull/friction fuzing?

 

[BMG50]

In modern British smoke they use a pin held spring initiated pressed steel striker similar to the US pineapple grenade fuzes, most now having plastic bodies to hold this all in place depending on design. This seems to be the common method used for years on the mechanical side.
The percussion primer cap the striker hits is the crucial part, if its a normal type cap as used in shotguns pistols or rifles which most look like then it can be too powerful to initiate the black powder compound its attached to in the next stage of the firing cycle.
It can blow this part away and flash through into further stages of the firing cycle, what happens is you destroy the delay function, so you need a softer percussion cap that gives a flash just enough to burn to the next stage in the firing cycle. After the cap is fired it sets off a compressed black powder solid which is part of the primer cap housing. This flashes down onto black powder soaked foam squares or disks originally cotton disks which burn slowly with a hard flame not flash to burn the smoke compound which is hard to set off with a normal match from a box of matches or a lighter.
In the smoke design there are air voids that help the smoke burn properly, without, the smoke would not burn efficiently or not burn fully.
I Noticed with Rocket flares they once used a pull friction type but went back to the percussion cap igniter method. I assume that pull friction is prone to failures because of moisture damp problems with the compounds used. Although the British army did have pull friction fuzes on their smoke at one time which would be more efficient without the expense of a mechanical design keeping costs down, reliability was the main factor to costs and so the primer cap way was always used.

 

[US-Subs]

Understood, but I am looking for examples of any adopted, in either military or law enforcement use. The only pull friction I can think of in US use is for simulators, none for percussion. There are a lot of other designs out there however, and if in use by some LE supplier or military design that I'm not aware of this is what I need.

 

[peteblight]

Jeff,
The following grenades might meet your criteria.

German RW70 and DM49

Italian M6 and M48 (the M48 might be a bit old though)

Yugo RB FK

Others may be able to provide additional detail on each grenade?

 

[peteblight]

https://www.yugoimport.com/sites/default/files/documents/2022-10/RB-FK HAND GRENADE.pdf

 

[inertordnance]

The Lake Erie Chemical Company / Smith & Wesson Number 98 “Mighty Midget” Series is the last US Manufacture impact fuze that I am aware of.

 

[US-Subs]

Pete,
thanks for the info and the link. Now if anyone has a little more fuze/grenade info on them I'll be set.

Inertordnance, thanks for the reminder. I was slapping my head when I read your post, I've got the Mighty Midgets from both manufacturers and also in the MBA launched configurations, sitting right in front of me on the shelf. Sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees -

 

[inertordnance]

We’re not getting any younger! LOL

Here’s an example of a S&W Mk 1 CS “Caseless” Grenade that utilizes a pull friction igniter system.

Stay safe,

Frank