Escort M26A1 Gas-Powered BB Hand Grenade Review

[staticzero]

 

I. Overview.

 

When the Escort M26A1 showed up on WGC, I was a very happy camper indeed. Over the course of the last several games at my local field (MOUT/CQB games), I had on several occasions lamented the lack of useful grenades in airsoft. I’ve encountered so many textbook situations that could have been easily solved with the successful deployment of a simple frag grenade. Was this new item the answer to my frustrations? At a mere $46US, I had to know. I ordered one immediately.

 

A few days later, my order arrived. In addition to the other items I ordered to make the price of shipping from Hong Kong make sense, there was my new toy neatly shrouded in bubble wrap. WGC had taken the head off the body and wrapped each part separately. I quickly tore it open, screwed it together, and filled it with propane (it didn’t take much).

 

I decided to let it go once unloaded. I pulled the pin and gave it a toss to the other side ofd the room. It hit the floor and let out a reasonably loud ‘pop’. Nice!

 

I examined how it worked a bit, without taking it apart. Basically, the spoon holds down a brass plunger, which wants to pop up as a result of a spring (as well as any gas inside the gas chamber). The plunger plugs a hole between the BB and gas chambers. There are two rubber stoppers that go in the BB chamber, they’re on a string to keep you from loosing them. One is slightly thicker than the other, and it goes in first. It’s the job of the thick one to push the content of the BB chamber out, and the job of the thin one to keep the contents in until fired. The thick one is forced up into the chamber first, then the BBs (or flower, or whatever will fit really) are added. Finally, the thinner stopper is placed in the end. Filling it with gas is done just as you would any GBB magazine, hold the grenade upright and the gas can upside down. Press firmly for a second or two until it is filled. Gas will be escaping the whole time so it might be tough to judge when it’s full. It won’t take much though, and you’ll see liquid pooling if you’ve been at it too long.

 

Here are some pictures to illustrate the procedure. First, we see the plunger up and the spoon out of the way:

 

Next the spoon down, but the plunger is still not compressed:

Here we see the spoon down and the pin in place:

 

Just bend the longer side up a tad to keep the pin in:

 

Here’s the bottom with the thicker rubber disk in place. Just fill it up with BBs, then plug in the other one:

 

Here’s the fill valve. Fill ‘er up!

 

After you pull the pin and toss the grenade, the spoon releases and the plunger pops up. How long it takes to pop is the result of friction imposed on the plunger by an o-ring in the head and the amount of distance it has to cover, which is governed by how far the head is screwed on. These two things contribute to the delay. When the plunger pops up, the gas escapes through the hole it was plugging up, forcing out the thick stopper and the contents of the BB chamber. Pretty simple really, it’s basically a pop gun.

 

I decided to try some BBs in it, so I took it outside. I reset the plunger and the spoon, and replaced the pin and the first rubber pusher. I then filled it with .20g BBs and replaced the end stopper. Next, I aimed the bottom down, away from me, and filled it with propane. Again, it didn’t take much to fill it.

 

I put on my glasses, pulled the pin and gave it a toss across my back yard. It hit the ground with a pop, sending BBs most of the way back across the yard past me, maybe 20-30 feet. I grinned widely. Obviously, it was pretty directional, but I could tell it would be useful in a room or hallway.

 

I tried it out a few more time, after setting up a box in my yard to practice tossing it into. It was pretty fun! I knew it was going to be very handy at the next game.

[staticzero]

II. Design and Function.

 

The grenade’s design is really very simple, which makes it easy to use and maintain. here is a crude drawing of it’s function:

 

 

Taking apart the grenade is pretty straightforward. To start, make sure the grenade is empty of gas and BBs, and that the rubber disks are out.

 

1. Unscrew the head from the body. Set aside.

2. Remove the small black o-ring from the threads on the grenade body (if present) and set aside.

3. Grasp the shell in one hand and push the plunger down, forcing the internals out. The string with the disks will come free as it was only pinched between the internal cylindrical mechanism and the shell. Set the shell and disks aside.

4. Unscrew the cylinder halves. Set the BB chamber half aside, as well as the spring.

5. Pull the brass plunger out of the gas chamber half. Set aside the chamber.

6. Using a flat head screwdriver, unscrew the fill valve from the plunger.

 

Here are some pics of the process. First, the grenade whole:

 

The head unscrewed:

 

The plunger all the way out. Notice the retaining o-ring on the threads there:

 

Here we see the plunger pushed in all the way:

 

Here we can see the port open:

 

...and closed:

 

Here is the core after removing it from the shell:

 

The core unscrewed with the plunger and spring removed:

 

 

Every so often, or if it malfunctions, take the grenade to bits as above. Clean everything with a clean, soft, cloth, then lubricate the o-rings with silicon oil. Remember there’s an o-ring in the BB chamber half of the body, one inside the gas chamber half, and one inside the head. You might want to lubricate the brass plunger as well. Carefully put it all back together, making sure not to over tighten anything.

 

The first one I bought was slightly different than the three I’ve bought since. The differences are minor, but represent improvements in the design and construction. The include a stronger string, tighter fitting rubber disks, a better o-ring between the fill valve and the plunger, an o-ring between the body and the head that helps the internals stay in the shell, and a sort of serrated bottom.

 

III. In-Game Deployment.

 

I’ve had the opportunity to use the grenade in-game on several occasions over the last few months. As I mentioned, the games I play in are MOUT/CQB style. Please bear this in mind as my experience is based on the particulars of the field. I pretty much always deploy it indoors. I hesitate to use it outside of the buildings or paved areas because the field is rather sandy. I’d prefer to not get sand in the mechanism.

 

The rules at the field state that if any grenade is deployed into a room, anyone in that room is considered out. This includes regular shower type M203 shells, things like my beloved GB-Tech Slug grenades, or the Escort frag grenades. With the exception of the frag grenades, they must be fired from a weapon. One isn’t allowed to hold the 203 shell in their hand and press the firing pin with their finger.

 

All this makes the frag grenades even more useful than they might otherwise be, sine you don’t need to carry around a launcher to use them. Plus, their BBs don’t actually need to hit anyone in the room. This makes sure the grenade is ‘respected’, giving it the effect it would have in real life (fear, mayhem, etcetera). Obviously, your field’s rules may vary.

 

Situations where they’ve come in handy include:

• Breaching - Finally get up to a building and want to make an entrance? Chuck a frag in that door or window, you won’t need to ask ‘is it safe?’ after that.

• Room clearing - Got inside safely but the place is crawling with miscreants? Stack up outside the door and send the lemon in first.

• Clearing foxholes or other protected positions - Got a guy shooting at you through a hole in a fence? Don’t waste your ammo trying to hit him, just yell ‘frag out!’ and fling the ‘nade over the fence. Problem solved.

• Multikills - Unsuspecting herd of opfor? Guess what, you’re about to increase your kill ratio toward the positive. You know what to do... BOOM! Err.. well.. pop anyway.

• Traps - The grenade can also be use to set up a booby... I mean BB trap. Just position towards the enemy, take the bend out of the pin so it comes out easily, and rig the pin up to a tripwire. When they open a door or otherwise trip the trap, POP! Just be sure you’re playing with honorable people if you’re going to go leaving the grenade somewhere.

 

IV Issues.

 

I use propane in my grenades, as well as all my gas guns. It’s recommended that you use only 134a. I find they work fine with green/propane, though there’s no real advantage to it other than that I have it on me already. It doesn’t seem to make it much louder or significantly more powerful or anything.

 

Occasionally, the grenade will leak when trying to fill it. I find that cleaning and re-seating the fill valve o-ring solves the problem. I’ve not had a permanent failure while using green gas/propane. The only downside, really, is that propane is stinky! I use 134a when playing with it inside at home for this reason.

 

I expect that one day the pin will wear out from me bending it all the time. Hasn’t show a sign of fatigue yet though, after probably thirty or so uses.

 

The string on the first one I bought was pretty weak, it failed rather quickly. I replaced it with a bit of nylon string pulled from the core of some paracord. problem solved!

 

If the grenade lands in such a was so as to prevent the spoon from releasing the plunger all the way, the grenade won’t fine. It’s rare, but it does happen.

 

Another thing that can keep it from firing is the head being on too tight. Theoretically, the looser the head is on the shorter the fuse. In reality this isn’t that useful, the delay is pretty short regardless. Having the head on too tight almost guarantees a dud, however.

 

V. Media

 

Scans of the instructions:

Front and back pages

Inside pages

Warning page?

 

Videos:

[url=http://airsoft.returners.org/movies/Escort_M26A1_IT.mp4Impact Test (MPEG 4, 1.MB)

In-Game Scenario Test (MPEG4, 1.6MB)

 

VI. Conclusion and Recommendations.

 

For me, always carrying one of these grenades just makes sense. I’ll pretty much always run into a situation where they’re useful during games. In fact, clearing buildings can be cause to wish you had several at your disposal. Plus, if I’m feeling lazy they’ll work in place of my M203 in a lot of situations. For these reasons, I ordered a few more. Currently I have three, having had one stolen from my dump bag after I left it behind for a few minutes.

 

If you want to reuse the grenade(s) multiple times during games, you’ll need to carry extra BBs and gas with you. For this reason, I recommend the GB-Tech Distraction Device Gas Charger. It can carry more than enough gas to last you a skirmish, is solidly constructed, looks cool, and fits in a wide variety of gear. Check out Hissing Sid’s review for more info on that.

 

You’ll also need a way to carry them around. I use a couple of things for this depending on my loadout. For example, the grenade fits in the compass pouch on my Tac Force Vest pretty well. It may fit in similar vests by BlackHawk or other companies, but I’ve not tried it.

 

When using my Guarder MOD II body armor (FSBE AAV QR Replica) I use a MOLLE frag grenade pouch. Many companies make such pouches in many colors. The design is usually pretty similar. I have one BHI pouch currently, and while it’s well made and all, the color is a bit off compared to the rest for my gear. When I pick up some more pouches I’ll probably opt for the TAG version, as I’ve found TAG products to be great in terms of quality and design, and their OD matches my gear better.

 

You can carry it without any kind of pouch if you have MOLLE webbing, or something else you can stick the spoon though. What I wouldn’t recommend is hanging it by the pin, the metal is just too soft. I can’t fault it for this, it needs to be reusable.

 

I find when the ‘nade fires in a small to medium sized space, the BBs bounce around pretty well. The sound is also loud enough to know it went off if you closed the door behind it, or just during the chaos of battle. Even though the shell is plastic, the overall construction is solid. So long as you don’t go throwing it full force onto concrete, it should last a long time. On a similar note, don’t go throwing it directly at people either. Toss it underhand near them, it’ll do the rest. No need to go beaning people in the noggin!

 

Should you buy this Grenade (or the similar MkII grenade made by Escort)? Well that depends on your needs, really. Consider your style of play, and ask yourself if you’ve ever came across a situation where you wished you had one during a game. Or, forget all that and just get one because they’re fun!

Edited August 10, 2005 by staticzero

[staticzero]

I'm trying to edit section five, but I keep getting a database error. I'll post the correction below and hope a friendly mod can fix it up for me later:

 

V. Media

 

Scans of the instructions:

Front and back pages

Inside pages

Warning page?

 

Manual in english from Airsoft Extreme (PDF)

 

Videos:

Impact Test Against Cardboard Pizza Box (MPEG 4, 1MB)

In-Game Scenario Test (MPEG 4, 1.6MB)

Edited August 11, 2005 by staticzero

[Shao14]

Nice review. The video links don't work for me though. Do I need some kind of plug in? I have quicktime, but it doesn't play anything.

[staticzero]

Nice review.  The video links don't work for me though.   Do I need some kind of plug in?  I have quicktime, but it doesn't play anything.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The videos are just regular .mp4 files. You should just need the lasted version of QuickTime to play them. They play for me fine, you might want to double check QT is installed properly? Maybe try downloading them to disk and playing them with QT player instead of your browser if you haven't already...

 

I need to fix the subtitles in one of them, I'll see about providing some alternate formats at that time as well.

 

Oh, and here is the album containing the pictures in larger sizes, plus a few extras.

Edited August 11, 2005 by staticzero

[Shao14]

Hmm, weird. I downloaded them, 0.99 MB and 1.63 MB. Still can't play them. QT tells me there's some unknown error when I try to play. The number of the error is: -8971.

[staticzero]

Update: Fixed the subtitles in the in-game use video, and encoded some normal QT movie versions. They're smaller and lower quality than the mp4 version, but perhaps more compatible.

 

Impact Test Against Cardboard Pizza Box (.MOV, 744KB)

In-Game Scenario Test (.MOV, 784KB)

[Shao14]

Update: Fixed the subtitles in the in-game use video, and encoded some normal QT movie versions. They're smaller and lower quality than the mp4 version, but perhaps more compatible.

 

Impact Test Against Cardboard Pizza Box (.MOV, 744KB)

In-Game Scenario Test (.MOV, 784KB)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nice. Can see them now. Thanks.

[Herr_Heckler]

Excellent review sir! Very detailed and informative.

 

I just bought 2 of these babies and got them to work using trial and error. Luckily I found your review and was able to validate most of my guess work on how to operate them.

 

Also, using your photos and instructions I just finished doing some general maintenance work on them. Taking them apart, lube and reassembly.

 

I was just wondering...when storing these babies in-between games would you recommend that they be kept gassed-up and armed or empty with the plunger raised? Due to the design I would think keeping them "plunger-up" would be better for the springs in the same manner AEG springs are "relaxed". Your comments?

 

Thanks again for the great review.

[Mrn. Gane]

 

I. Overview.

 

When the Escort M26A1 showed up on WGC, I was a very happy camper indeed. Over the course of the last several games at my local field (MOUT/CQB games), I had on several occasions lamented the lack of useful grenades in airsoft. I’ve encountered so many textbook situations that could have been easily solved with the successful deployment of a simple frag grenade. Was this new item the answer to my frustrations? At a mere $46US, I had to know. I ordered one immediately.

 

A few days later, my order arrived. In addition to the other items I ordered to make the price of shipping from Hong Kong make sense, there was my new toy neatly shrouded in bubble wrap. WGC had taken the head off the body and wrapped each part separately. I quickly tore it open, screwed it together, and filled it with propane (it didn’t take much).

 

I decided to let it go once unloaded. I pulled the pin and gave it a toss to the other side ofd the room. It hit the floor and let out a reasonably loud ‘pop’. Nice!

 

I examined how it worked a bit, without taking it apart. Basically, the spoon holds down a brass plunger, which wants to pop up as a result of a spring (as well as any gas inside the gas chamber). The plunger plugs a hole between the BB and gas chambers. There are two rubber stoppers that go in the BB chamber, they’re on a string to keep you from loosing them. One is slightly thicker than the other, and it goes in first. It’s the job of the thick one to push the content of the BB chamber out, and the job of the thin one to keep the contents in until fired. The thick one is forced up into the chamber first, then the BBs (or flower, or whatever will fit really) are added. Finally, the thinner stopper is placed in the end. Filling it with gas is done just as you would any GBB magazine, hold the grenade upright and the gas can upside down. Press firmly for a second or two until it is filled. Gas will be escaping the whole time so it might be tough to judge when it’s full. It won’t take much though, and you’ll see liquid pooling if you’ve been at it too long.

 

Here are some pictures to illustrate the procedure. First, we see the plunger up and the spoon out of the way:

 

Next the spoon down, but the plunger is still not compressed:

Here we see the spoon down and the pin in place:

 

Just bend the longer side up a tad to keep the pin in:

 

Here’s the bottom with the thicker rubber disk in place. Just fill it up with BBs, then plug in the other one:

 

Here’s the fill valve. Fill ‘er up!

 

After you pull the pin and toss the grenade, the spoon releases and the plunger pops up. How long it takes to pop is the result of friction imposed on the plunger by an o-ring in the head and the amount of distance it has to cover, which is governed by how far the head is screwed on. These two things contribute to the delay. When the plunger pops up, the gas escapes through the hole it was plugging up, forcing out the thick stopper and the contents of the BB chamber. Pretty simple really, it’s basically a pop gun.

 

I decided to try some BBs in it, so I took it outside. I reset the plunger and the spoon, and replaced the pin and the first rubber pusher. I then filled it with .20g BBs and replaced the end stopper. Next, I aimed the bottom down, away from me, and filled it with propane. Again, it didn’t take much to fill it.

 

I put on my glasses, pulled the pin and gave it a toss across my back yard. It hit the ground with a pop, sending BBs most of the way back across the yard past me, maybe 20-30 feet. I grinned widely. Obviously, it was pretty directional, but I could tell it would be useful in a room or hallway.

 

I tried it out a few more time, after setting up a box in my yard to practice tossing it into. It was pretty fun! I knew it was going to be very handy at the next game.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thanks for the detailed review i was gunna get one for woodland but they only fire in one direction perfect for CQB but not so good for woodland!!

[staticzero]

Excellent review sir!  Very detailed and informative.

 

I just bought 2 of these babies and got them to work using trial and error.  Luckily I found your review and was able to validate most of my guess work on how to operate them.

 

Also, using your photos and instructions I just finished doing some general maintenance work on them.  Taking them apart, lube and reassembly.

 

I was just wondering...when storing these babies in-between games would you recommend that they be kept gassed-up and armed or empty with the plunger raised?  Due to the design I would think keeping them "plunger-up" would be better for the springs in the same manner AEG springs are "relaxed".  Your comments?

 

Thanks again for the great review. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, glad you liked it!

 

I'd say it's best to store them decompressed for the sake of the spring, however, the seals may dry out faster this way. I think the pressure in the chamber may have as much or more to do with the valve opening up as the spring does, so maybe it isn't a big deal if the springs remain compressed all the time. It would be interesting to see if they work without the spring installed. If they do, then I'd lean towards leaving them armed with a bit of gas in them. If they don't, then I'd say leave them disarmed but be sure to keep the o-rings well lubricated. Great question by the way!

[Herr_Heckler]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

 

I'd say it's best to store them decompressed for the sake of the spring, however, the seals may dry out faster this way. I think the pressure in the chamber may have as much or more to do with the valve opening up as the spring does, so maybe it isn't a big deal if the springs remain compressed all the time. It would be interesting to see if they work without the spring installed. If they do, then I'd lean towards leaving them armed with a bit of gas in them. If they don't, then I'd say leave them disarmed but be sure to keep the o-rings well lubricated. Great question by the way!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, I see what you're getting at about the seals drying out. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.

 

FYI...as I mentioned I did some maintenance work and TESTING just before this weekend's games and guess what...the darn thing malfunctions during the game. Talk about Murphy's law.

 

Apprently using the ICS brand silicon spray grease (the one in the white spray can) is a no-no. Instead of lubing it seems to have made the o-rings and metal surfaces "tacky". I wiped everything down and used Tamiya Ceramic Grease instead (the one for R/C gears) and it now seems to be working just peachy again. I'll be shopping for some Tokyo Marui or Western Arms silicon oil in the coming days and see how that works out.

 

Thanks again.

[pingpong]

how many times can u use the grenade + maintance like lube n such before changing anything?

 

i relaly wanna know =] cuz i really wanna get one

[staticzero]

I don't think these have been around long enough for anyone to have an answer to your question. The parts that will eventually wear out are the o-rings, though the stoppers, and string that retains them, and maybe even the spring could fail eventually I suppose. There's no way to say how many uses it would take to wear them out though. Like any other similar system such as a GBB or shower grenade, if you maintain them well, I'm sure they'll last a long time. I've used my oldest one perhaps thirty times without any sign of internal wear (I did replace the string with stronger stuff though). If the o-rings do fail, getting new ones is the easy part, figuring out the right size to get is what's tricky.

Edited August 22, 2005 by staticzero

[pingpong]

ok cool!!

 

+1 =]

[masamune]

im gonna pick up 4.... originally i was gonna get an m203 and a bunch of grenades but im just skipping the m203.... and there is a use for them in wood land..... may got frag the kill the guy but you can chase him out of his fortification

[Airsoft_Fanatic]

Hello,

 

I just recieved my Escort Hand grenade today. How do I compress the plunger when the spoon is lying on top of it? My grenade isn't working... I close the spoon down ( plunger doesn't get in way at all ? ) I then procede to plug in the pin, and fill the nade' up with gas. I pull the pin, and throw the grenade, it just sits there...

 

Help please?

 

I could not really follow your review... mine would not do some things like yours above ^^.

[ezgil]

great review. helped me understand how the grenade works A LOT. man this almsot stick-worthy haha.

 

i just got one of these guys and my brass cylinder/plunger currently receives too much friction from the o-ring to even budge. it's very awkward. it gets stuck once the spoon push the cylinder down.

 

im guessing a good amount of silicon oil will do the job?

[Crispin1025]

Static, what lube do you use on these grenades?

 

Having had them for almost a year now, would you still recommend them?

 

Cheers,

Crispin1025

[Big J Money]

I just purchased the Mk II version, and would like to say that I'm not impressed at all. Now, I haven't played any indoor CQB yet, so it's probably just that I've expected the wrong thing from this grenade. Still, I feel people should know that the power of this grenade is lousy. If it lands in the grass, even if it is poiting at my opponent, it only seems to fire about 3 meters, maximum, and a good deal of the BBs land merely 10 cm from the grenade. I can see how this could still be useful in an enclosed space.

 

I was also reccomended to use flour, but filling it with flour is even worse. All I get is a 25 cm streak of white along the ground; no visible, explosive puff of white. Good luck to others. Do NOT buy for outdoors use.

 

=$= Big J Money =$=