Blanks

[Yournamehere]

I think he menat to say "So that's how blanks are still dangerous to an actor."

Matt, you seem a bit snippy today.

[Nyles]

You know, it's funny you should mention that. I was watching Talvisota the other day, and there was one shot where an actor was firing off screen. The recoil looked very real, too real to be faked. Looked for the life of me like he fired a live round.

[ShootingJames]

Blank firing adapters restrict the barrel to a smaller hole so there is enough back pressure to cycle the slide or the bolt. This means that within a few feet of the muzzle there is highly pressurized burning powder exiting the muzzle.

I've never heard of something that shreds a wooden projectile. Would love to know more about this if it's true, because it sounds like a terrible idea in theory. I'd love to know how it was done safely and cleanly. Seems that wood shavings and residue would gather in the barrel pretty quickly and eventually block it, and then well . . . disaster.

The wood tipped blanks were, to my knowledge, for military training and used without any kind of blocked barrel. I still see them at gun shows and they pop up for sale on gunbroker some times.

My understanding is they used wax and paper to cap off hollywood blanks back in the day before they started crimping them. I don't know of any occasion where an actor was given a live round on set and told to shoot away from actors and crew. I can't imagine that being allowed for many reasons, insurance and common sense being the two biggest ones.

I have seen controlled close up filming with live rounds done with green screen, or black BG. I have also seen purchased footage of close up/slow motion live fire used in movies.

I have done some filming for the outdoor channel. In those cases the cameras facing the muzzle is always run remotely, even though the person firing the round is going to miss it by many feet. It's just basic safety.

But, the "reason" it's dangerous with blanks is because it's high pressure burning powder. Even at a distance, unburned powder can hit you, and in some cases the crimps on the tip of a blank can tear off, and come out the barrel.

Been there. Had an actor accidentally fire a blank right into my camera lens once while he was fanning right to left with a revolver, mocking a tracking and firing shot we did from over the shoulder.

I was pelted with unburned powder grains. It didn't hurt, but I was behind the camera. Several of them stuck to the lens and had to be cleaned off. One of those experiences you don't forget. The actor was a buddy of mine, and he was pretty upset with himself.

Even old school hollywood stuck to basic gun safety. And it was a lot more common for actors who used guns to films to be gun owners and hunters themselves back in the day, so you had a better chance of the actor already knowing safe gun handling on set.

[ShootingJames]

I've heard back in the early days of filming, they didn't have blanks and shot live rounds

I'm not sure what you're considering the early days of filming, but I just wanted to add that as far as I know they have always had blanks in movies and at no time did the movie industry use live rounds as a standard practice.

[Excalibur]

So blanks have always been around since the early 1900s?

[Nyles]

Originally Posted by ShootingJames

I've never heard of something that shreds a wooden projectile. Would love to know more about this if it's true, because it sounds like a terrible idea in theory. I'd love to know how it was done safely and cleanly. Seems that wood shavings and residue would gather in the barrel pretty quickly and eventually block it, and then well . . . disaster.

The wood tipped blanks were, to my knowledge, for military training and used without any kind of blocked barrel. I still see them at gun shows and they pop up for sale on gunbroker some times.

Can't speak to the film industry, but the Swedes used a device to shred wooded bullets, and many other countries did as well. Thats why most Swedish Mausers you see have a threaded muzzle.

[ShootingJames]

I did a little research after I read your post Nyles and realized that I used to have a swedish blank adapter for a mauser rifle. I never knew that it was for wooden bullets. Thank you.

They are pretty cool looking little devices. It was in a box of old parts I picked at a gun show in Orlando many years ago, and I might even still have it in the shop some place.

I was picturing an IN BARREL adapter like we use these days, and not something that was attached to the end of the barrel. I just imagined slivers of wood getting clogged inside a barrel.

So blanks have always been around since the early 1900s?

I believe blank cartridges for training have been around since the early 1900's yes. I don't think it was terribly long after metallic cartridges became the norm. But I have to know for sure now.

I am on a mission as well to find out the history of blank ammunition used in film. You guys have made me wonder when exactly it was first put into use and how it was created, and how it evolved over time.

I don't know exactly when the film industry standardized crimped blanks but I want to now.

I have a bunch of old wax sealed 38S&W blanks that I just keep around because I think they are cool.

I'm going to call a few friends I have in LA and see what I can dig up. I might also call the firearms museum to see what they can tell me. I'm only a few hours from there by car.

I'm planning a trip to Cali this fall as well. So I will see what I can learn.

[Nyles]

There have been blanks for pretty much as long as there have been cartridges, I've seen British military blanks in .577 Snider. Very useful for training.

[MT2008]

I read on at least one site that the wood heads were used in filming, but admittedly, I don't know what time period it referred to. Presumably, it was during the very, very early days of film.

Also, I remember watching "Little Ceasar", and the Tommy Gun used at the end of that movie has a BFA that looks very similar to the devices I mentioned earlier (the type that shreds wood projectiles as they exit the muzzle).