30-06 blanks to cycle an enfield

GOTO www.ch4d.com then goto " specialty dies" You will have to get your loading data some where off the net or a loading book.

While C-4 has the special dies, the Veterans administration will supply blanks for no cost, as I understand it.

Blanks are made with a standard .30-06 case. Military blanks and commercial ones can have the faux bullet, but it is not required for most .30-06 guns. I even see the .50BMG blanks with just a star crimp.

My M1 Garand blanks, with my blank adapter, in my Garand use 9 grains of bullseye.

Please understand that the BLANK ADAPTER, and the adapters oriface play a much bigger role in proper cycling than does powder charge. ALso condition of gun etc.

Before switching to a hotter blank, have the gun looked at by a gunsmith (not whomevers looking at them now, as he may not see what another set of 'new' eyes sees).

He said the einfields in question were not cycling. Since I am not an Einfield guru, I can only guess that there is a gas system to cycle the action.

If its a BOLT gun, then the original poster has much more urgent problems than the blanks.... like general gun knowledge. Hope he knows that the end with the round hole in it goes AWAY from the shooter.

Blank adapters are required for gas guns since there is no bullet to help keep pressure in the barrel for the action to cycle. Thats for SEMI or FA type guns.

What is there to "cycle in their Enfields"?

Any blank with a star crimp (and many with just a narrowed neck) will feed in a bolt rifle.
A 'blunt' blank (normal neck, no further taper or crimp) may hang up.
C-H has dies to close off the mouth of the case further and they should feed without any problem.

Making 06 blanks

My reloading business interest started when I was 13 years old in high school the school Cadet Corps asked me to make blanks for our summer field exercises. I was given a 1,500 round case of GI Ball ammo from WW2 and pulled the bullets from 400 rounds, stuffed the cases with cotton and was given the rest of the live ammo. With the help of my High School/College welding instructor who was also the night school Gunsmithing instructor we used his set of reloading dies and turned the 06 ammo into 7.7 Jap ammo which I sold to returned veterans with Jap Arisakas earning myself my own first reloading tools and also made my powder measure in the metal shop class.

I have been asked many times about making blanks and I have advised buying a hammer paper punch of the right diameter for .30 caliber and with a hammer, punch, strong board and suitable cardboard shipping box punch out plugs to be sealed in place with a small can of varnish to be able to store the blanks for use when needed.

Check with local Veterans and American Legion outfits on the internet for more information and the sources given in this thread.

It is an honor to assist Veteran's funerals and I have read a thousand WW2 veterans are passing away daily.

I have been asked many times about making blanks and I have advised buying a hammer paper punch of the right diameter for .30 caliber and with a hammer, punch, strong board and suitable cardboard shipping box punch out plugs to be sealed in place with a small can of varnish to be able to store the blanks for use when needed.

Click to expand...

Paul didn't say so above because it's so obvious, but just to belabor the obvious:

Muzzle discipline must be strictly observed with all blanks, but especially with blanks having any kind of wax, cardboard or other material on top of the powder, because the material can cause serious injury or even death at surprisingly long ranges.

As a peripheral observation, I have seen muzzleloaders with blank charges using a paper wad on top of the powder start fires when they landed in the grass in dry seasons, so using your head is a must. A gun is a gun is a gun...

By cycle, he means that the blanks must feed from the magazine. Semiautos aren't the only action types that have a 'cycle'.

That would be FEEDING, followed by CHAMBERING.

FEEDING the round is a non-issue.. as the bolt does all that work at the head of the cartridge.

CHAMBERING is where the magic must (evidently, after clarification) happen.

Star crimps are the best bet. CH4d sells them, I paid about $90 for mine. A local machine shop may be able to make you one for less. No special case length is needed (although each case must be the same length or the star points will not close at the center and your powder will leak out).

If there is any sort of ramp into the barrel a non-star-crimped will work. Most 00-40's milsurp .30-06 cartridges were open at the end, woth just a filler at the top.