In short
- Three families. Pyro makes a bang or smoke, once. Reusable grenades use gas, a spring or a blank cartridge. A 40 mm shell is fired from a launcher.
- Pyro is for adults. UK regulations forbid supplying it to anyone under 18, and the sites we checked let only adults use it.
- The site decides. Marshals, the referees of an airsoft game, set which pyro is allowed and how you throw it.
- Indoors, think reusable. A gas impact grenade works on hard floors, and a reset costs only gas and BBs, the 6 mm plastic balls airsoft guns fire.
- Eyes, ears, fire. Eye protection stays on, bangs indoors call for ear protection and smoke burns hot.
Types: pyro, gas-powered impact, spring
Three things get called an airsoft grenade: pyro, short for pyrotechnics, which goes off once; reusable grenades that work with gas, a spring or a blank cartridge; and the 40 mm shell, which you fire from an airsoft grenade launcher instead of throwing it.
In a game a grenade is a rule more than a weapon: when it goes off, everyone within the radius the site sets, five metres in the rules we read, is out. That is how you clear a room in close-quarters play indoors (CQB airsoft).
How each kind works
Pyro: bang and smoke
You pull a wire or a ring, a short delay follows, then a bang or a cloud of coloured smoke. It works once.
Gas impact grenade
Filled with BBs and with green gas or CO2. Pull the pin and throw: a valve opens when it lands and the grenade sprays its BBs around.
Timer and spring grenades
A timer grenade releases its gas after a set delay, so it also works on grass. A spring grenade scatters BBs with a wound spring: cheap, quiet and modest in effect.
40 mm shell and launcher
A metal cartridge charged with gas and loaded with BBs. The launcher only holds it and presses its valve: the shell does the shooting.
The kinds of airsoft grenade compared
| Kind | Power source | Reusable | Indoors or outdoors | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyro bang grenade | A small pyrotechnic charge | No | Both, where the site allows it | None; store dry |
| Smoke grenade | A pyrotechnic smoke mix | No | Outdoors only | None; soak it after use |
| Blank-firing grenade (BFG) | A blank cartridge or primer | Yes, with a new blank | Both; very loud indoors | Clean off powder residue |
| Gas impact grenade | Green gas or CO2 | Yes | Indoors and on hard ground | Refill; look after the seals |
| Timer or spring grenade | Gas with a delay, or a spring | Yes | Both | Reset and refill |
| 40 mm gas shell | Green gas or CO2 | Yes | Both | Seals and valve; store it empty |
Which one is useful where you play?
Where do you play?
In buildings (CQB)
A reusable gas impact grenade
Hard floors set it off every time, and a reset costs only gas and BBs.
See grenades and launchersIn the woods
A timer grenade or a 40 mm launcher
Soft ground swallows impact grenades. A timer grenade does work there, and so does a shell fired into a bunker.
See grenades and launchersAt a long milsim
Smoke and a launcher, if the rules allow
Milsim games simulate military operations over a day or a weekend. Smoke and launchers fit the script. Read the organiser's pyro list first.
See used launchersPyro on UK sites: what marshals allow
Pyro is far more common on British sites than on the continent, and Britain has its own makers. Enola Gaye, near Reading, has made smoke grenades and bangs since 1996 by its own account, and TLSFx describes itself as a British manufacturer with an HSE-licensed factory in Lincolnshire. What you may actually throw is decided by the site. Shop fireworks are never a substitute: sites accept only pyro made and marked for the purpose.
What three site rule pages say (read on 12 November 2026)
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Worthing Airsoft. Only pyro sold on site or checked by a marshal. Nothing louder than a Mk5, a mid-sized bang grenade, or a 9 mm blank. No pyro under 18. Hard grenades go underarm, and you must see where they land.
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West Midlands Airsoft. Over-18s only, thrown underarm. Single-use pyro up to Mk5; reusable grenades with a 9 mm blank or a shotgun primer.
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Yorkshire Airsoft. Every pyro must carry a CE mark, wherever it was bought.
Reusable impact and timer grenades
A reusable grenade costs more once and next to nothing per throw. The gas impact type is the indoor favourite; a timer grenade, such as the Tornado from KRYTAC, works on soft ground too. Both run on the gas and the BBs you already own.
The blank-firing grenade, BFG for short, sits between the two worlds: a reusable metal body that fires a blank cartridge or a primer when it lands.
A reusable gas grenade against pyro
For the reusable grenade
- Each throw costs only gas and BBs.
- No fire risk, and nothing is left on the ground.
- It sprays BBs, so a hit is felt and not argued about.
Against it
- You have to find it again after the game.
- Impact types need a hard surface.
- No bang: in a noisy game people may not notice it.
Grenades and launchers in the webshop
Gas grenades, 40 mm shells and launchers.
In stock, ships right away
Twin Vent II Smoke — Purple
In stock, ships right away
Twin Vent II Smoke — Pink
In stock, ships right away
Twin Vent II Smoke — Orange40 mm shells and launchers
How does a 40 mm launcher work? The launcher is the simple part: a tube that holds one shell and a trigger that pushes a pin against the back of it. The shell is the gun. You charge it with gas and fill its ring of small barrels with BBs. When the pin opens the valve, all of them leave at once.
An airsoft grenade launcher hangs under the barrel of a rifle or stands alone with its own grip. Shells hold from a few dozen to well over a hundred BBs. MadBull is one of the names you will meet for both.
Handling a launcher without hurting anyone
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Fill the shell away from people
Nose towards the ground and nobody in front. A knock on the valve empties a charged shell in one go, so carry it with the valve covered.
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Load the launcher in the game area only
Eye protection on, muzzle down or towards the other team, team-mates behind you.
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Ask about distance
A shell throws many BBs at once. Sites set a minimum distance for launchers or allow them only against cover and buildings.
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Unload before you walk off
Take the shell out before the safe zone, the area where nobody shoots, and empty it the way its maker describes.
Rocket launchers and other toys
An airsoft RPG is mostly theatre, and good theatre. Replica rocket launchers hold a 40 mm shell in the tube or push out a foam rocket with gas. Mortars and tripwire mines that spray BBs belong to the same family.
Ask before you buy one: anything that fires something other than a 6 mm BB needs the explicit approval of your site.
Safety: eyes, ears and fire risk
Grenades add three risks that rifles do not. Sealed, rated eye protection is the first habit. For bangs indoors, electronic ear defenders such as those from Earmor let speech through and cut the peak.
Where it goes wrong
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Eyes. A grenade or a shell throws BBs in every direction at once, also at you. Eye protection stays on.
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Ears. A bang in a small room makes ears ring. One site we read recommends ear protection for that reason.
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Fire. Smoke grenades burn hot. Their maker Enola Gaye says they are for outdoor use with the landowner's permission, and that the smoke cannot be stopped once it has started.
Safe or not?
Four situations from a game day.
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1. Indoors, you want to lob a hard impact grenade overarm through a doorway you cannot see into.
Correct. Not quite.
Sites ask for underarm throws with hard grenades, and you must be able to see where it lands.
- AFine, it is only BBs
- BNot safe
Show the answer
B. Not safe
Sites ask for underarm throws with hard grenades, and you must be able to see where it lands.
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2. A pyro grenade you threw has not gone off after a minute.
Correct. Not quite.
Pyro that failed can still go off. Nobody touches it except the marshal.
- APick it up and try again
- BLeave it and tell a marshal
- CKick it out of the way
Show the answer
B. Leave it and tell a marshal
Pyro that failed can still go off. Nobody touches it except the marshal.
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3. You load a charged shell into your launcher while two team-mates stand in front of you.
Correct. Not quite.
A knock on the valve fires every BB at once. Load with the muzzle clear and people behind you.
- ASafe if the safety is on
- BNot safe
Show the answer
B. Not safe
A knock on the valve fires every BB at once. Load with the muzzle clear and people behind you.
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4. A dry week in summer woodland, and you have a smoke grenade in your pouch.
Correct. Not quite.
Smoke grenades burn hot and cannot be stopped once lit. On dry ground the site decides.
- APull it, smoke is harmless
- BAsk the marshal first
Show the answer
B. Ask the marshal first
Smoke grenades burn hot and cannot be stopped once lit. On dry ground the site decides.
What to buy first
Start from what your site allows and where you play. For most players that is one reusable gas grenade, new or from the used grenades, shells and launchers on the marketplace. Pyro you buy at the site, where it is approved by definition. Gas and CO2 cannot be shipped from our warehouse to the UK, so buy those locally.
A first grenade kit
0 of 5 ticked
Grenades, shells and launchers right now
Live figures from our marketplace and webshop.
- listings in Grenades / Shells / Launchers on the marketplace
- 27
- middle asking price: half ask less, half ask more
- €125
- eight out of ten asking prices fall in this range
- €21 – €345
- products in stock in Grenades & Launchers in the webshop
- 7
- lowest price of what is in stock in Grenades & Launchers
- €8
- brands in stock in Grenades & Launchers
- 4
Airsoft Bazaar data Measured on 13 November 2026
Used grenades, shells and launchers on the marketplace
Listings from other players, most of them in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Frequently asked questions
How do airsoft grenades work?
Pyro grenades hold a small charge that makes a bang or smoke, once. Reusable grenades spray BBs with gas or a spring, or fire a blank for the noise. In the game, everyone within the radius the site sets is out.
Is pyro legal for airsoft in the UK?
Yes, for adults: it may be supplied to people of 18 and over, and game sites decide what may be used. Use it on a site only. Northern Ireland licenses fireworks separately, so ask the Department of Justice there first.
How old do I have to be to buy pyro?
18. The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015 forbid supplying category P1 and T1 articles and F2 and F3 fireworks to anyone younger, and the sites we read let only over-18s use it.
What is the difference between a BFG and a pyro grenade?
A BFG, a blank-firing grenade, is a reusable metal grenade that fires a blank cartridge or a primer for its bang. A pyro grenade is single use and carries its own charge. Sites limit both.
How does a 40 mm launcher work?
The launcher holds one shell, and its trigger presses a pin against the valve of that shell. The shell, charged with gas and filled with BBs, fires all of them in one burst.
Are grenades allowed on every site?
No. Every site sets its own list: which pyro, how loud, how you throw it and from what age. Some allow only pyro bought on site. Read the rules page first.
Sources
- Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015, regulation 31 and Schedule 1 legislation.gov.uk, accessed 12 November 2026
- Storing explosives; frequently asked questions Health and Safety Executive, accessed 12 November 2026
- Firearms Act 1968, section 1 (blank cartridges) legislation.gov.uk, accessed 12 November 2026
- Fireworks: the law GOV.UK, accessed 12 November 2026
- Fireworks licensing notice of 15 September 2026 Department of Justice, Northern Ireland, accessed 12 November 2026
5 more sources
- Company site and FAQ Enola Gaye, accessed 12 November 2026
- Company site TLSFx, accessed 12 November 2026
- Rules and safety Worthing Airsoft, accessed 12 November 2026
- Site rules and regs West Midlands Airsoft, accessed 12 November 2026
- Site rules Yorkshire Airsoft, accessed 12 November 2026
