Firing blanks from a real gun

[mr_Goodbomb]

I'm not sure what that means in this context.

I've seen them used in real guns in cowboy action settings and on film sets, and sometimes at pretty close ranges, and it was fine. But I don't want to risk anything, so I'm asking.

[Jcordell]

Well all I can tell you is there was once an actor by the name of John Eric Hexum. In 1984 he had a promising career and was starring on a television series called Cover-Up. On 10/18/1984 shooting had been delayed and he was bored and frustrated. When informed of yet another delay he took a S&W Model 29 and put it against his head in a form of mock suicide. He should have used his finger. He touched off the blank in the cylinder chamber and the blast from the blank shattered the side of his skull. He died shortly afterwards in the hospital.

Now I'm not a movie gun guy, but I do have some first hand experience with the power of blanks as well. Many years ago, when I was a young and dumb soldier, I and my fellow soldiers used to take off the blank adapters on our M-16's. We would then put a cleaning rod down the barrel and fire off the blank. The rifle wouldn't cycle, but we didn't care.What it did do was launch that cleaning rod out of the barrel like a spear. I actually got the rods to stick into tree trunks. I shudder to think what it did to the barrel's rifling as well.

Blanks are nothing to mess with.

[mr_Goodbomb]

Originally Posted by Checkman

Well all I can tell you is there was once an actor by the name of John Eric Hexum. In 1984 he had a promising career and was starring on a television series called Cover-Up. On 10/18/1984 shooting had been delayed and he was bored and frustrated. When informed of yet another delay he took a S&W Model 29 and put it against his head in a form of mock suicide. He should have used his finger. He touched off the blank in the cylinder chamber and the blast from the blank shattered the side of his skull. He died shortly afterwards in the hospital.

Yes, I've heard that story. I don't believe I'm "messing with them," but trying to use them for their given purpose.

[MT2008]

I think you really need to consult with some of the armorers on here before you try this. As others have pointed out, there have been quite a few disasters with blanked firearms in Hollywood.

Also, where are you filming this movie? Remember that blanks are LOUD.

[mr_Goodbomb]

Originally Posted by MT2008

I think you really need to consult with some of the armorers on here before you try this. As others have pointed out, there have been quite a few disasters with blanked firearms in Hollywood.

Also, where are you filming this movie? Remember that blanks are LOUD.

Private property.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by mr_Goodbomb

Private property.

Fair enough, but you still should be pretty careful. Check out Bill Davis' web site for some of the info there:

http://propguys.com/weapons/

Also, I believe there are some armories that cater to low-budget/student filmmakers. Instead of using personal weapons, you can actually rent blank-adapted guns and even bring a handler on-set to supervise their use, and then you pay him a fee (I think most of them charge by week). I've seen student films which used real guns, instead of airsoft or commercial blank replicas, so clearly, they're out there. Again, I'm sure MPM or someone else could tell you more about that...

[MoviePropMaster2008]

Originally Posted by MT2008

As others have pointed out, there have been quite a few disasters with blanked firearms in Hollywood..

Uh no there hasn't. Remarks like that will put us armorers out of business. The insurance underwriters are convinced that we're killing people everyday on movie sets, which is untrue. We've had TWO fatalities in 100 years. That's 100 years!!!!!! There are way more injuries and fatalities with knife fights, sword fights, bare knuckle fights, stunt falls, car stunts. It would be more likely to hear about a blank firing disaster on an amateur movie or student movie than a professional one. Even then, the news doesn't have a lot of stories about it, because it doesn't often happen. A student filmmaker is more likely to be arrested for brandishing a toy gun than someone getting injured or killed firing blanks, from a historical perspective.

The Insurance companies don't know a thing about guns, and urban myths like that help fan the flames of their prejudice against guns. that's why insurance rates go through the roof (unfairly) for a production company when guns are present on a set.

[Jcordell]

Originally Posted by MoviePropMaster2008

Remarks like that will put us armorers out of business. The insurance underwriters are convinced that we're killing people everyday on movie sets, which is untrue. We've had TWO fatalities in 100 years. That's 100 years!!!!!!

John Eric Hexum and Brandon Lee?

My point (in my response) was that blanks aren't toys, but I've never heard anything but positive descriptions about movie armorers.

[mr_Goodbomb]

Originally Posted by Checkman

John Eric Hexum and Brandon Lee?

My point (in my response) was that blanks aren't toys, but I've never heard anything but positive descriptions about movie armorers.

Brandon Lee, if I'm not mistaken, wasn't even shot with a blank. They emptied normal rounds, which is incredibly stupid, to make the "blanks," because they showed them previously in the movie as real rounds being loaded and used the same ones, emptied, as blanks. My facts may be a bit off, however.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by MoviePropMaster2008

Uh no there hasn't. Remarks like that will put us armorers out of business. The insurance underwriters are convinced that we're killing people everyday on movie sets, which is untrue. We've had TWO fatalities in 100 years. That's 100 years!!!!!! There are way more injuries and fatalities with knife fights, sword fights, bare knuckle fights, stunt falls, car stunts. It would be more likely to hear about a blank firing disaster on an amateur movie or student movie than a professional one. Even then, the news doesn't have a lot of stories about it, because it doesn't often happen. A student filmmaker is more likely to be arrested for brandishing a toy gun than someone getting injured or killed firing blanks, from a historical perspective.

The Insurance companies don't know a thing about guns, and urban myths like that help fan the flames of their prejudice against guns. that's why insurance rates go through the roof (unfairly) for a production company when guns are present on a set.

OK, OK, chill. Maybe I shouldn't have said "more than a few". But surely, you concede that while the accident rates might be exaggerated by insurance companies, I am right to caution MrGoodBomb (who is planning to do this film without an armorer) that there is a risk? Awareness of the risks is important, after all.