Downed flying grenade with trench shotguns?

[Lugiahua]

A friend of mine who's watching Discovery Channel recently told me, in one of the shows they claimed it was common for Doughboys to shot down incoming German grenades with trench guns during WWI

I believe that Discovery Channel isn't best resources when coming to details, but such claim is still quite ridiculous in my opinion.

I can't find the actual films clips on Youtube yet. The show, I believe is called "Triggers: Combat Shotgun" host by a Wil Willis, former PJ.

[BigFatGuy]

I have read this as well, although none of the sources were more reliable than the Discovery Channel.

I can tell you, seeing what a good skeet shooter/clay shooter can do (not me, obviously), that I find the prospect completely believable.

[metalliman545]

if you watch that episode, when they "shoot the grenade" it looks EXTREMELY fake. it was a dummy grenade, but when he "hits" it, its all special effects, even as it flies through the air it looks fake as **** lol

[metalliman545]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ2tc_e4M80

skip to 1 min 40 seconds, when he hits it, it looks so fake, and when it aired on TV it was that blurry as it flew through the air

[SonofWWIIDI]

Meh, I think it might be possible, but I don't think they really did it on the show. Of course it probably wouldn't be prudent to shot a live grenade unless you absolutely had too.

[Lugiahua]

I have read this as well, although none of the sources were more reliable than the Discovery Channel.

I can tell you, seeing what a good skeet shooter/clay shooter can do (not me, obviously), that I find the prospect completely believable.

While I found it's possible to hit grenade size objects in a still range with a highly skilled marksman, I highly doubt it's possible during combat situation inside a trench (think about tunnel vision), especially from average WWI soldiers who had little if any formal training with shotguns.

Most of us here are experience shotgun shooters, but how many of you would attempt to shoot down an incoming grenade? Not me.

I agree that the explosion effect is fake as well. If it was a live grenade, they would at least wear body armor and helmet from shrapnel...

[Thefeeder]

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Hitting the gernade in the air would not be hard for a hunter who has been putting birds on the family table before the war. He is already trained

Will a hit expolde the gernade or would a soldier want to expose himself, it would be unlikely that you can react to a gernade that is feet away and nail it ....those are the questions.

This is one for Myth Busters

[Lugiahua]

Since you mentioned it, I always found it funny that many Japanese rifles and scope at the time are non-adjustable.
Hard to imaging how could they hit people beyond 300 yards with guns that can't be zeroed..

[jl7422]

Did one guy hit one grenade out of the air with a trench gun sometime during WWI--sure, I'd believe that. Was it "common". . . I doubt it.

[jgaynor]

This fairy tale has been making the rounds for years and is even memorialized in one of the standard Winchester reference books.

Apparently somebody at some stateside ordnance command thought it would be a good idea and got an order or at least a suggestion published to the effect.

The problems of course ar manifold:
1. Only nine 00 pellets in a 12 ga round and the pattern opens up pretty fast chance of a hit is slim to none.
2. The grenade is much heavier than a shotgun pellet even if you got a hit so what?
3. Only a relative handful of riot guns (28,000) were even purchased much less issued to the troops so the whole issue is largely moot.

The best that can be said about orders like this is that they provided some relief to the toilet paper shortage.

[bohoki]

german grenades had that handle so they were pretty big

[Tom-ADC]

Maybe with a 1 1/8 of 8's but with 00 buck....

[HOGLEG]

Does one get to yell pull before they throw it at you?

[Mr. Magoo]

Hitting the gernade in the air would not be hard for a hunter who has been putting birds on the family table before the war. He is already trained

Will a hit expolde the gernade or would a soldier want to expose himself, it would be unlikely that you can react to a gernade that is feet away and nail it ....those are the questions.

This is one for Myth Busters

Unless they do a Myth Busters special in Helmand it would be deemed invalid.

[loophole]

I have a dummy grenade here in my office, and I find it hard to believe that the shot would penetrate the grenade hull. Possibly at point blank range, but even then????