Get a Grip: How Long Can a MythBuster Hold a Grenade?

Is it difficult to hold on to a grenade for a long time? Adam and Jamie put a scene straight from TV to the test!

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Check out some classic MythBusters testing results:

[chrisgriffin]

"Jamie decided that adding 1.85 oz of TNT to the inert grenade would be just the right little "surprise" for Adam"

[xothxow]

We need to thank the producers of the original video for making a semi realistic grenade blast.

[chadarchy]

Team: We want to test how long a person can hold a grenade in their hand
Adam: *starts reaching for skirt and pantyhose*

[walkergarya]

How long can you hold down the spoon on a grenade, the rest of your life, minus 4 seconds.

[jlogan]

It pains me knowing in that show THREE people(including kids at least aged 10) never once in the two hour frame thought about kicking down a window to throw the grenade out. Breaking down the door. Tying the grenade off. They literally just sit their waiting to die

[alexj]

Mythbusters special episode, adam holds a grenade for a couple of hours and nothing else

[plasticshorts]

Jamie: This is pretty eas-
**grenade explodes, followed by meaty wack**
**both chuckle**

[koloth]

Clearly Hollywood grenades use much stronger springs.

[ezraong]

Adam: something to raise the stakes?

Jamie: Just a little

Adam: *lets go*

Adam: *explodes*

[alanluong]

Last one to let go of grenade wins $10000 Mr. Beast challenge

[motis]

The woman probably held it tight since she was scared, so her muscles would tire faster

[MikMoen]

There's a window. Break the window, throw it outside.

[PaddyInf]

Had a recruit panic on a grenade range a few years ago and he point blank refused to throw the grenade after pulling the pin. We just taped his hand closed and called EOD. They stuck a bit of stiff wire back through the hole, cut the tape and dude cholked the guy out to make him let go.

[Inconspicuous-Gnome]

You gotta take into account the psychological factor. In the movie she was holding a live grenade with her family in close proximity in an enclosed space. Not to mention the common person doesn't really know how grenades work, so she was probably holding the spring really tight, not knowing she didnt have to. The adrenaline that was certainly pumping through her body could also have made her arm muscles lose energy and grip in the long term.

[gregr]

My very first thought was she's wearing a

Glad they finished the video with that

[solidevidence]

Why not just switch hands every hour??

[Tinorr]

To all those who don't know how a grenade works.... at the top of a grenade there is a hammer/striker that is spring loaded. This hammer is held in the tension position by the "spoon" which is the handle coming off to one side. The spoon is held in place with a pin and a travel cap when they first arrive. When dealing with standard grenades you can remove and replace the safety pin as many times as you like as long as the spoon remains depressed. If the spoon is lifted then the hammer will strike the fuse cap starting a "5 second fuse" it's usually 5 seconds. If this happens then Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend and you need to throw it AT LEAST 25 feet away ( to avoid fragments throw farther) and drop to the ground to avoid concussion injuries.

[ralphyetmore]

The whole sequence that they were pulling from seemed absurd. Some guy left people there for two hours, and no one thought to break open a door or window? That's some shit writing right there.

[knightedwaifu]

It's also a psychological thing though, the woman had to worry about her children on top of the fact that it was a real grenade making her nervous and even probably sweaty. While sure you could tie it down, she would also risk making one small mistake and ending it all

[JokerX]

You can also put the pin back in a grenade or make something that will go back into it. The fuse isn't lit until the spoon is released. So if you replace the pin or something resembling the pin then the grenade is no longer a danger.