The rifle grenade was developed to project grenades farther than a soldier could throw. At the start of the war, grenades were sometimes launched by catapults, but these were unwieldy, inaccurate, and prone to break down, leaving a live grenade in the firing position. Just prior to the war, the British government had begun testing a 'rodded' rifle grenade – one with steel rod threaded onto its base – which could be inserted into a rifle barrel. A ballistite cartridge, similar to a blank rifle cartridge, could project the grenade up to 300 metres. This No.3 or "J" Pattern grenade, introduced in February 1915, was the first British rifle grenade; by mid-1916, the country was producing 70,000 units per week.