I've worked with Umarex blank firers before, and they are pricey but are made better than Kimar or Bruni, which show up occasionally in TV and film. Ethan Hawke uses a 1911 in his new flick that looks to be one of the Kimar models. It has the flash on the top.
Umarex is well worth the extra cost IMHO, and for actors who are afraid of guns, there is a subconsious relaxation that happens when you tell them it's not a real gun, just a replica that can only fire special blanks. I know that's odd, but I've seen it happen time and again. Even if they get some training on the range, and have minimal tactical training.
I always try to have some replica blank firers around for the nervous types to use.
