It’s easier to pack and ship cylinders than it is to ship oblong spheroids.
Comment on Anon misses the classic design
Comrade_Spood@slrpnk.net 10 months ago
The reason is logistics (as usually the reason for most things military related). You can fit a hell of a lot more conventionally shaped grenades in a crate than you can with stick grenades. Even on a person, conventional grenades weigh less, are less cumbersome, and you can carry more compared to stick grenades. Stick grenades really only have their ease of throwing over a conventional grenade
jaybone@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
regdog@lemmy.world 10 months ago
You only look at the complexity of the shapes and ignore the total volume used
Cethin@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
That’s probably partly why the new modular grenade is a cylinder, but that’s worse for a frag grenade.
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I wonder if anyone in the military has used a sling to launch a grenade.
You’d want a longer fuse though…
Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 10 months ago
According to wikipedia, the International Brigades used slings to hurl grenades during the Spanish American War. I’ve heard tell of Ethiopian troops using slings to launch grenades as recently as World War I, but can’t find a source.
And I know people have launched molotovs from slings, which are larger and more unwieldy, unless we’re talking about the German example above with a handle.
raltoid@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Grenades are used at closer and more hectic ranges that most people realize, so it’s often much faster to just throw it instead of having to prepare some sort of implement to increase range.
There have been instances of things being used, like slings, slingshots and even devices similar to those things you use to throw tennis balls for dogs. But at the end of the day, the increased range is rarely worth the extra time. You would only get an advantage as an opening attack from a longer distance. And for that we already have underslung grenade launchers on weapons, or mortars from much further out.
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I feel like the ultimate ‘stick’ you can attach to a grenade these days is a drone. But yeah, agreed in general
raltoid@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Oh yeah, that is by far the best device used these days. Although that has little to do with grenades per se, since they can use all kinds of different explosive devices.
Cethin@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
Hand grenades, sure. There’s a reason we have grenade launchers though. They can fire several hundred meters. With that said, is there really a need for a sling? I could see gorilla forces making good use of them, as they’d be silent, cheap, portable, and a lot easier to hide. Conventional forces have no need though because either you’re close enough for a hand grenade (there are different types, some are thrown further and some not), or you have grenade launchers available to hit the further away.
MutilationWave@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 months ago
Gorillas got grenades guys.
lepinkainen@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Or a cistera 😀
Dungeon Crawler Carl Style
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
They used slingshots during WW1, it wasn’t great
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 10 months ago
How much damage would a trebuchet grenade do?
tankfox@midwest.social 10 months ago
a trebuchet could throw 300 grenades up to 300 meters
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 10 months ago
Sling staff to launch grenades?
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
Just connect the pin to the sling so it slides out as you launch it. It has the small side effect of maybe getting stuck, but hey, nothing is perfect.
pupbiru@aussie.zone 10 months ago
just grab a dog ball throwing stick
Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I was going to mention those at first, but who hasn’t had a throw go wild with one of them?