I'd like to know a simple formula for a grenade[?] that emits a bright flash, but not a deafening bang. I plan to use it in the sport of airsoft.

Thing is, where I play airsoft is near a residential area and I dont want people complaining about noise.

Well ah... thanks for whatever in advance :D

Did you use the search button ? have you heard the saying "use the fucking search engene"?
There are a lot of threds on here about things like flash/bangs why not post on one of them if the infomation you are after is not already there.

"I'd like to know a simple ..." is not how you should start your first post

Yup. He should have searched.

There are a few very simple solutions to your problem:

- Use a fast burning unconfined flashpowder
- Use the old flashbulb system, that is Mg foil in O2 atmosphere, electrically ignited. I guess pyrotechnically ignited will work too, but the burst duration will be longer, thus decreasing intensity.

Couldn't some sort of electronic device be built? This could be cheaper to use in the long run and may be easier to carry and store.

Something like a big camera flash could be mounted onto a weapon and used when you see your opponent. At night, it would disrupt their vision for a good 10-15 seconds which is more than enough time to shoot them. There would then be a 10 seconds delay before you were ready to fire the device again.

haha- that reminds me.. I have a bunch of those old flash bulbs, the ones that are just thin magnesium wire inside a glass ball (dad was a photographer). they do wonders when trying to blind people. great fun in dark rooms. perhaps you could make a device based on that? seeing as explosives that don’t go bang just plain suck. Ergo you wont find them here. I’m thinking unconfined Mg powder/”fur” would be the simplest thing that would go flash and not bang. Good luck finding it.

An easy way to make a quite flash bang is to fill a THIN WALLED alluminium can with thermite, duct tape a lid on, drill a hole on the middle, shove a garden variety sparkler in there and TA DAAA!! silent flash bang.(the thermite mix is 50/50 by weight of Al and FeO). the alluminium can reacts with the FeO to create openings for the thermite to shed its light and creates a dimmer light in the leadup to the thermite fire.

Happy Hunting:)

KMnO4/ 50 micrometer Mg. 70/30

1g in a bit of rolled up newspaper. Bright flash with weak thump.

If you're playing war games, a pyrotechnic type flash device isn't going to be the safest alternative. Anything that can give the effect you want can also give an explosion under some circumstances, and could definitely give you serious burns and/or star your area on fire even if it works "correctly". The guy who suggested you use thermite in particular does not have a very good idea for your (stated) intended use. I have made "silent" aerial flashes using a thin walled shell caseing and flash powder mixed with an approximately equal volume of sawdust. I wouldnt want to be near one going off.

As far as your first post goes, I'd say it was borderline for being worthy of a kick- You might have done better to have asked it in the watercooler or added it to an existing thread on flash.

I never said that thermite was the best idea, simply that it was a possible solution. Also it would seem obvious that coarse grains would be used so as not to cause an explosion. If you're plaing in a park of somthing the thermite wouldn't be a good idea, a dry sand area is pretty much the only safe environment, concrete is also a bad idea because the water in the concrete could cause a steam explosion due to the high temperatures caused by the reaction

Fucking hell syndicate7!

Use Thermite as a flashbang? Are you totally stupid, or just yanking our chains?

Thermite burns seriously hot, and leaves a pool of molten steel behind when it goes out. Now, are you seriously suggesting someone throw that around during a GAME with FRIENDS when they are expecting nothing more dangerous than an airsoft pellet/BB?

Even my safety boots wouldn't save my feet if I trod in a pool of glowing liquid metal.

If I were a mod, I would ban you for such a dumb-fuck post.

(Having taken a deep breath)

The idea of an electronic flash is a good one, but you would need to ruggidise it, and you don't want it on your gun or you, unless you like being the biggest target around. It would work the first time, perhaps, but after that, they will know you are holding it.

Also, don't forget that the guys who aren't looking will instantly know your position. Reflected light will make you as nightblind as them, too.

I would probably go for the idea with the flash bulb, and wire it so that when something goes wrong, you can trip it and hopefully get a shot off to save yourself.

If you are looking for something to "blind" your opponents briefly, you could always use something such as flash for cameras. Not the old ones though, I mean the newer ones that you can buy after market for your camera. Usually they run off of 4 AA batteries and give a very intense flash. I was playing around with one and it went off and i couldnt see straight for 10 seconds. Make sure to get the "night shot" ones beause they are are the ones that give the super bright flash.

You must be very careful with flash/bang grenades, as they can cause serious damage to the retina of your target. Flash/bangs are designed to temporarily disable your opponents vision. but in some cases it can cause partial blindness.

I used to use flash/bang grenades in paintball, untill one of my mates lost most of his vision due to a flash/bang exploding in mid-air in close proximity to his face. His vision is now very limited.

As other users have said, try looking on other threads for info on flash/bangs. Or failing that try http://www.doingfreedom.com/gen/0202/ht.flashbanggrenade.html

If you can get a lump (not ribbon) of magnesium, then an ignition switch (sparks?) should give a very bright flash. use magnesium ribbon to tie the switch to the lump. Obviously, one use only.

What the bloody fucking hell. One- no way in hell could you light Mg with sparks. Two- Mg burns at what? ~2800 C and can’t be extinguished with water. So here's how the game would go? "Ow- I can't see" *pause* "now I can: holy shit- the forest/house/cornfield is on fire! Run for your life!"
Using flash bangs in a game is a quick way to get hurt, and a quicker way to get arrested (If making flash bangs is illegal, throwing them at people sure as hell is) You're only option is putting a camera flash/flash bulb on you're gun. And that’s just stupid because it would only be effective on people directly in front of you, and if that’s the case then why not just shoot them? You're not FBI or Rainbow 6 or some such rubbish so you can’t use explosives to blind/incapacitate people, tough shit. I request a mod kill this thread before it gets any worse.

Mg burns at what? ~2800 C and can’t be extinguished with water.
Actualy, the business about Mg burning under water is highly over rated. I've got it to continue burning for a few seconds at most, then enough heat gets sucked out of it to extinguish it. Fun while it lasts, though! The ribbons available to most chem students in particular go out rather quickly.

Gamma, you've never lit any solid Mg have you? It's hard to light doesn't burn very fast in air with no other oxidizers.

Yes, I've got to agree- Flash bangs are too "real" for paintball or airsoft games. Smoke is about as pyrotechnic as you could get (and that still has fire risks).

Gamma1985, if you don't know what you're talking about then don't talk.

When talking about flashbangs, here is product of czech munition factory used by special armed forces.

http://www.zeveta.cz/eng/amm/vyrobky/15/15.htm

and newer model with lever igniter
http://www.zeveta.cz/eng/amm/vyrobky/16/16.htm

Interesting is fact, that after delayed ignition it throws out from main can fourteen small explosion units, which probably randomly exploding with short delay.

Deviant 5 if your in the uk why dont you just buy some thunder flashes which are designed for air soft there not that loud and their legal . If your not in the uk im sure you could buy them locally or import them. If you want an address that sell to public email me if in uk

Flashbulbs, the ones made from glass and filled with magnesium wire, are possible flash weapons.

The trick is to use the ones available only through professional photosuppliers, as the ones you can get at the drugstore are pathetically weak.

These pro-flash bulbs are the size of your standard household lightbulb, or bigger, and will fry retinas if they're fired at closerange and/or night.

For just playing around, standard flashbulbs would be sufficient to give the effect, but then they'd be too weak to dazzle.

As a real weapon, it's possible, but realisticly, you can't use flashbangs for play, as there's no way to dazzle someone without risking permanent eye damage, and it's only a FUCKIN' GAME! :mad: