# Blank-firing machine guns **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 26, 2001, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324 "2001-11-26T18:05:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2001, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/1 "2001-11-26T18:05:16Z")
Back in the '80s I heard of a Japanese company that made realistic-looking submachineguns that fired (8mm?) blanks. I searched google for “blank-firing” “uzi” and I found a couple of references (like “a company made full-auto, blank-firing machine guns” or “Gangstas in England modify blank-firing machine guns to use real ammunition”) but I couldn’t find a company name. Does anyone know the name of this company? Are they still making them? Are there import restrictions on realistic toy guns? (I know there are in CA.) ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2001, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/2 "2001-11-26T19:15:52Z")
[Here ya go](http://www.creative-effects.com/Special_Effects_Rentals/Guns/guns.html) ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2001, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/3 "2001-11-26T19:19:23Z")
Those are just rentals. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2001, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/4 "2001-11-26T20:46:27Z")
Try searching under “blow back replicas” as IIRC, that’s the correct term for them. Or you can simply pick up a copy of _ **Soldier of Fortune** _ or _ **Survivalist** _ magazines as they usually have ads for 'em in there. (At least they did back when I was in high school.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2001, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/5 "2001-11-26T21:01:09Z")
I’ve found a few “gas blow back” guns, notably Marui, but these seem to be “airsoft” guns. That is, they shoot a plastic projectile. What I’m hoping to find is one of those guns that shoots 8mm blanks and ejects the case, instead of something that actually shoots a projectile. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/6 "2001-11-26T21:08:00Z")
Hmm. That’s odd, the blow backs I remember seeing the ads for never mentioned anything about them firing something. Dunno what to tell you. _ **SOF** _ and _ **Survivalist** _ probably have websites, they might have something there. ---
**Author:** ![geepee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@geepee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geepee)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/7 "2001-11-27T01:15:30Z")
Try gunbuyer magazine i remember somebody advertised in that selling a blank fire MAC-10 , you might also want to try [http://www.guns2u.com](http://www.guns2u.com) they sell continental blank firers (about 9 of 10 get thru customs) which have a small hole in the front of the barrel. This hole is for the muzzle flash , but ahem the best you can do with a blank firer is to drill out the barrel and fill the blanks with black powder and fire out steel bearings it can penetrate a can of coke. Gangsters reactivate real deactivated sub machine guns , a favorite activity in Salford. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/8 "2001-11-27T01:39:56Z")
When all else fails, check [ebay](http://www.ebay.com/). It won’t let me link to the search results page, but when I punched in “uzi” in the search field, it came back with 135 hits. Not all of them are what you’re looking for, but in and amongst the crap is the good stuff- [**KSC M11A1 UZI GAS GUN**](http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1037116926) ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/9 "2001-11-27T01:48:07Z")
Hmmmm. After looking at that example a bit more, it’s not obvious what it shoots-- BB’s, shell casings, or anything. It almost seems as if Airsoft has a variety of different models, but I really don’t know. What I _do_ know that I’ve seen what you’re looking for offered a few years ago in the Sharper Image magazine. It fired blanks and also a shell casing, but I distinctly remember them discontinuing it for legal reasons or somesuch thing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-firing-machine-guns/95324/10 "2001-11-27T02:06:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Hmmmm. After looking at that example a bit more, it’s not obvious what it shoots-- BB’s, shell casings, or anything. Yeah, I saw that one. I’m 99&44/100% certain that all “airsoft” guns fire a projectile. > [@](#): > > best you can do with a blank firer is to drill out the barrel and fill the blanks with black powder and fire out steel bearings it can penetrate a can of coke. What I’m looking for is something that ejects the brass (and possibly has a muzzle flash). I want to use it as a prop in films, but I don’t want to go to the trouble and expense of renting a real machinegun (modified to fire blanks) from a rental house. BTW: You can buy blanks for converted real guns with various amounts of flash. I did check out the site, but it looks like they only sell semi-auto pistols. Those are easy enough to find. An Uzi or a Mac-10 or an MP-5 seems impossible though.