I’ve looked everywhere I can think of to buy blanks for a shot gun,(my primary objective), or for a pistol or rifle for that fact. not to mension that there isn’t much information except for the info. given on this site which really only gives a warning on how dangerous they can be. I really do not want to have to make my own; please help!!
By the way i would like to have them because my friends and I are planning on making a movie with like SWAT members and such.(Dressed up as SWAT members).
Me again I accidently put blacks instead of Blanks. My bad for who ever is offended.
Are you talking 12 gauge? If so, how about these?
Just remember how dangerous they can be. If you’re determined to do this, make sure everyone understands.
Keep in mind that the listed blanks will still probably launch a plastic wad. Also the pressure from the blast can cause contact wounds and launch any type of projectiles that might be in the barrels.
Off topic, but wasn’t Brandon Lee killed from a blank round?
Sort of. You can read this Staff Report for details.
You know, I hate to be all preachy and all (but) I can think of few things I would rather have young filmmakers messing around with than blank shotgun rounds.
We are talking about a lot of explosive force, these things are not toys at all.
I would encourage you to find some other way to achieve your desired special effect.
All in all, the OP creeps me out to a fair-thee-well.
Blanks can be very dangerous. Lots of high-pressure gas exists the barrel. People have been killed from “blanks.”
Hell, we’re not only using blanks… We performed surgery on a Beretta to make them work!
Of course, we did a lot of careful testing at our own risk before we let the actor shoot it. And we trained him on the use of firearms at the range. And we brought in a tactical expert to train him to use firearms tactically. Having trained the actor in safety we also have three people who verify whether he has the prop gun or the blank gun. And we don’t have any live ammo (or even dummy rounds) on the set. And we only load enough shots for the take. The two of us who are in control of the firearms have a combined 45 years of experience with firearms.
Blanks are easy to get. You only have to do a google search. But they are indeed dangerous. I don’t know if shotgun blanks have plastic wads or not, but treat them as if they do. Beware of the muzzle blast. The blast from our Beretta is much larger (and more cinematic) than the blast from a live gun. We’re talking a massive ball of flame here. We’re using crimped blanks (obviously) and we are aware that little bits of brass might break off of the crimps and fly out at great velocity.
Make sure you have any permits that may be required. Let the police know what you’re doing. (We’re fortunate in that permits are not required up here, and that the Sheriff and Police only want to be advised as to when and where we’re shooting.) Let your neighbours know too, so you don’t frighten them.
Again, we have a lot of experience with firearms. We did extensive testing of our blank firing Beretta before we were convinced it was safe enough for use in our film – and the guy doing the surgery is a trained machinist, and the actor was trained in firearms safety. Don’t assume you know what you’re doing. Test, test, test, under safe conditions (like at a gun range). If you have any doubt as to what you’re doing, seek expert help.
From the Mailbag article:
On Tuesday Our Hero knelt in some tall grass/bushes to shoot at his quarry. We have a photo (which is not online) of the blast damage done to a twig. We really should get a photo of what happens at close range to a piece of fruit or something so that people can see how dangerous blanks can be.
If you have the equipment to shoot the scene and add the shotgun noises in later do that. It is also possible that theatrical prop rental places have special blank-shooting shotguns, or air shotguns that make an explosive POP without anything coming out of the end of the gun.
It is ALWAYS a bad idea to point a real gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot. And I’m sure you don’t intend to have one actor shoot another.
Ditto all the safety advice; I was “shot” by an overenthusiastic 18 year-old 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion re-enactor at about five paces. The demonstration had been choreographed, but he came around the final corner with adrenaline pumping, saw me, levelled the Lee-Enfield No 4 at my mid-section, and fired. I felt the blast, but fortunately no damage…he is not allowed to play anymore.
You might consider using the movie “5-in-1” blanks with a 12-gauge sized adapter insert. This could be machined from aluminum or brass, with a hole in the base just the right size for the blank. Movie blank is pretty “hot,” and you’ll get all the visuals you need. (5-in-1 comes in smokeless or black powder, full- or half- loads; we’ve done this for our 19th-century Martini-Henry rifles, and the effect is very good).
But safety is paramount. Have a proper machinist do up proper inserts–don’t try and “bodge” them up yourselves out of shotgun shells. Come to think of it, you may be able to find brass 12 gauge shells for the machinist to adapt–save money on costs, that would.
That’s true. Since we’re using an automatic (as opposed to a shotgun, which might be pump action) we’ll have an extra round in the mag. The actor has been trained to drop the mag and clear the chamber after the take.
Following up on David Simmons’s post, we’re also using a ‘perfect’ airsoft replica. It’s gas operated, so the slide cycles when the trigger is pulled. If we need to, we can add the muzzle blast and spent cases digitally in post.
Those great muzzle flashes you see in movies are surprisingly easy to reproduce using post-producion software such as Adobe After Effects. All you need to do is paint a white splotch in front of the muzzle for a fraction of a second (a single film frame is usually plenty).
Combine this with some dubbed explosion noises, and you’d be surprised how easy it is to create a relatively convincing gun battle with nothing more than a couple actors with fake guns jerking their wrists.
I’ll echo a lot of oher posters and say you don’t want to deal with explosives and live ammo (even blanks) unless you absolutely have to.