Restrictors for blank fire

[nomadboi]

Howdy!

I'm looking for suggestions of either gunsmiths to do mods or places to buy pre-made barrels with restrictors enabling blank fire in semi or full auto firearms without jamming.

I've been doing theatre and film props armoury stuff for a while now, but mostly small time low budget stuff, where non-firing or plugged barrel purpose made replicas will do... I've got a friend starting preproduction for a film this Summer who is really interested in getting some real firearms modified to fire blanks- the purpose-made blank replicas can jam a lot, and have other drawbacks. I imagine it's just a question of a proper restrictor in the barrel and possibly a modified magazine, but maybe there's more to it?

I believe my friend has a class III license as well, and would be interested in both semi and full auto firearms. Basic setup for the film is an X Files meets Cthulu thing, so I imagine service-type weapons would be best, but that leaves a fairly wide variety of options.

Any suggestions or reccomendations?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[rodinal220]

Hi,I have some experience blank adapting weapons.Each weapon can have different blanking proceedures.I have done 1911a1s,M1 rifle,M1 carbine,all TSMG variants,1919A4s,1918 BARs.

If your looking for off the shelf stuff,try Guiette MFG,not cheap but high quality.

Another person called "Blanksguy" sells 1911 barrels or can send you a schematic how to do it if you send him a SASE.He also manufactures blank ammo.He has no web page,email only.

I hope the below primer is helpful.

http://www.guiettemfg.com/catalog.html

[email protected]

http://www.ch4d.com/ makers of star-crimp blank forming dies.

http://www.angelfire.com/wa/fallschirmjaegers/CarbineArticle.html

 

[nomadboi]

Great tips, thanks!

 

[TexasRifleman]

Richard the "blanks guy" is my favorite. He has always come through for me. He's the only guy I've found that realizes a BAR and a Garand need different loadings to make it all work right and sound real. I buy all my BAR blanks from him.

Also another +1 for Guiette. He made my BAR blank adapter and it's absolutely perfect. He made me several replaceable orifices so I can use different blanks.

That would be my main advice, get replaceable orifices. The slightest change in the powder loading could render your action non-working. You need to be able to adjust the pressure to keep things rocking along with different loads.

If you are doing a Thompson, contact Paul Krogh in Colorado. He did mine and does good work with Thompsons. That one required countersinking and recrowning the barrel, so a lot more to it.

Both my BAR and Thompson function fine with the standard magazines, although they did make a BAR blank magazine back in the day.

What exactly do you want to blank adapt? Some are simple drop in affairs, some are a real nightmare.