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Posted: 3/17/2007 7:29:31 PM EDT
| I'm looking for one of these. They started out cheap, then got pricey, and now I don't see them on ebay at all. I found Century has them but at nearly 100 bucks! |
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They used to be all over the place, and prices were too. I've seen them at local gun shows for around $80. Grapnel |
Grapnel may be a brand name, but the generic term for this type of tool is grappling hook. I'm feeling a Rodney King moment coming on, but I'll get over it. 
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There was a guy that had a few in the EE for sale around$75.00 or $100.00. www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=98&t=397512 The grapnel can be used two ways: 1. Use with M855 ball round. You get longer range but the item is thrown away after use with a ball round. You will average about 100 meters with a ball round. 2. Use with blank cartridge. You get decreased range but multiple uses. Range with a blank is about 45 to 50 meters. The intent is to fire the grapnel hook across a "danger" area where trip wires have been identified. The grapnel body fits over the flash hider and covers around 6 inches of the barrel. When a round is fired (blank or ball ammo) the grapnel body is launched. As the grapnel body travels downrange, the attached line is pulled out behind it. After the grapnel body lands, you grab the deployed line and pull the grapnel back toward your firing position. The "hooks" on the grapnel will theoretically catch the trip wire, pull the trip wire and activate the charge that is connected to the trip wire. |
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These must have only been issued to engineers because in all my time in the infantry I have never seen one. Looks like one of those things that works great in theory but not in execution. I am thinking of all the places that I have worked that it would get hung up in trees, bushes vines, etc. |
Is there an echo in here? 
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Grapnel is not a brand name, it's what they call this thing. You don't have to throw it away after you shoot it with a ball round, but you can only use a ball round once. You must only use blanks after it's been fired with a ball round. I have been issued one, and I have fired one, but not operationally. Real grenade launching blanks are hard to get, even in the army. Parade blanks do not work well with this thing. There are not a lot of trees in Iraq, so if one were dealing with trip wires, I can see using it in that environment. |
They are in fact an Engineer tool. And I concur that it is grapnel hook and not grappling hook. |
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OK a quick question for the experts; How can you tell (by looking) if a grapnel hook has been once fired with a live round? The pamphlet included with a grapnel hook says that once it's fired with a live round it must be stenciled "Training use only 5.56mm blanks" but that's only if they were used in military training. I can't see thru the top of the grapnels I'm looking at but I don't know how a 'bullet trap' works or if you should be able to see through it. Anyone know? |
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Greentip, I replied to your email, but it bounced. You might check that the email you have registered with arfcom is still good. Anyway, here was my reply: Look up the back end. It won't be shiney and new any more, and it should be obvious that it caught a bullet. I don't recall looking inside the back end before or after, but I don't expect you'd have any problem figuring it out. A lot of hate and discontent comes out of the barrel of an M16. It comes with a spool of cheezy plastic twine, If they used it right, that should be gone or at least un-coiled from the spool, as well. If you do shoot one, take some good pics, before and after. The one we shot may be around our shop somewhere, if I can find it I'll try and post some pics. Recoil was stout, I remember that. |
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Thanks EOD inert! The inside looks fairly clean, maybe some tooling marks or perhaps these have been placed on a muzzle and not fired. The twine is all intact. There is a nice round hole up inside the grapnel and a rubber o-ring that is 100% intact. I think from your description I can be pretty much assured these are unfired. If I could figure out a way to get a good picture I'd post it. |
Reminds me of an old Bloom County comic from the Reagan era with Milo's grandfather out stalking "the elusive liberal." |
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