This paper reports on a law enforcement consumer-testing and evaluation of Stingball brand grenades, with the initial goal of determining the distribution pattern of the projectiles.
The authors of this paper report on a study to conduct law enforcement consumer testing and evaluation on Stingball brand grenades. Their initial goal was to determine the distribution pattern of the projectiles, however they soon identified additional factors that impacted the grenade performance. Those factors included: unpredictable bounce of the rubber devices; separation of fuse mechanism that moved the grenade away from the point being aimed at; and inconsistent sizes of fragmentation after deployment. The authors’ predictive modeling of projectile trajectories was additionally impaired by the discovery that each Stingball grenade reacted uniquely. Results showed that coverage was not uniform and also not in a 360 degree pattern, and the projectiles tended to cluster toward the top and bottom of the grenade. The authors suggest that full coverage can be obtained by deploying Stingball grenades in volleys with multiple simultaneous deployments.