Blanks for the track team

[PapaG]

Son #2 coaches track and cross country for our local parochial school. The price of .32 short black powder blanks seems to have gone nuts, $36 per box of fifty. (And the dealer gave him a deal). I told him to save the empties so today he gave me about 200.
Set up my press with 32 sizing die, sized and primed all 200. Found one factory load, pulled the wad and found five grains weight of what looked like ffffg powder. I loaded the cases with five grains if GOEX fffg, put a 5/16" tablet backing wad on top and a dot of elmers glue. 200 rounds for about $9. I donated it. He's a good kid. Says they are louder and smoke more than the factory ones.

 

[PapaG]

My dies are for .327/32 H&R, .32 and don't even remove the crimp on the blank cases. The 5/32 dia wad is from tablet backing cut with a Harbor Freight hollow punch. I have done similar loads for 38 s&w and others.
Fun beating the system. Twoboy does half the work. Told him I'd will him the tools. He said he hoped he'd be retired before that happened. Me too.

 

[Howland]

I used to own a .32 S&W break top Iver Johnson. It came with a couple boxes of ammo and a box of blanks.

I sold the pistol without the ammo and then saw a WTB posting on a regional forum. The guy drove six hours round trip to get them.

 

[PapaG]

Would like to find an H and R 32, either for blanks or ball. The plastic crap that they sell for track starters is just that, crap. one or two years and replace.
right now I'm trying to make two bad ones into one useable one.

 

[saddler]

I've got a Webley made starter pistol you'd be welcome to for your son to use, but no idea on the logistics of importing such a thing into the USA

It's a strange design. Uses a strip of .22rf blanks that are inserted from the front & move rearwards as the gun is fired.
I think the design is around 50 years or so old...and shows no signs of use.

At least .22rf blanks are not too bad an expense compared to c/f = though I keep meaning to look more into c/f blanks using CH4D dies, to save a little on ammo for re-enacting, plus make up blanks that I have not seen for sale commercially here (like 6.5 Swede)

 

[PapaG]

We have one kind of like that, put the crimped "acorn" blanks in a strip magazine. Trouble is that it doesn't make a good smoke cloud which is what the timers watch for at the far end of the track to punch their stopwatch. Great of you to offer which proves that High Road folks are salt of the earth.

 

[Mizar]

Your approach seems to be the best for the intended purpose. BTW, a thin cork isolation sheet works rather well as a wad - as it's composed of small cork pieces pressed and glued together it disintegrates at firing and does not melt like the EVA polymer pads (if that is a concern).

 

[hdwhit]

PapaG wrote:
Son #2 coaches track and cross country for our local parochial school.
...
I loaded the cases with five grains if GOEX fffg, ... I donated it.

Your ingenuity is impressive.

For those who might be thinking about doing this for a public school, please check with the administration beforehand. Policies vary widely, but it is entirely possible that a coach who accepts such a "donation" from an unapproved vendor (thus subjecting the school district to potential liability) could find themselves unemployed.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Here's a good article on loading blanks. http://bobshellsblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/blank-ammo.html
If you don't crimp, the cases can be reloaded several times. I'm in the middle of a bank bag of 45 Colt cases, well over 1,000. Have a good friend who is one of the local re-enactors.

 

[Scooter22]

Your ingenuity is impressive.

For those who might be thinking about doing this for a public school, please check with the administration beforehand. Policies vary widely, but it is entirely possible that a coach who accepts such a "donation" from an unapproved vendor (thus subjecting the school district to potential liability) could find themselves unemployed.

First thought that came to me. I would check out the legalities. You or you son don't want to be responsible if any thing happens. Especially in this anit gun litigious world.