Blanks are only shipped using UPS ground service. This can take from 1 to 10 days in transit time. By federal law they cannot be sent via the US Postal Service, nor any expedited [air] shipping.
- Can you legally fire a blank in your theatre? I don’t know. It all depends on your theatre building owner, your local law enforcement agency (in this country there are about 18,000), and your local fire department (in this country, over 30,000). So even if it is legal in your state, it may be restricted in your locale.
- Use ear protection when firing any blank. The sounds produced by even the smallest of blanks cause hearing damage to the operator of the gun after multiple firings. And half-load does not mean half as loud. A full-load 9mm blank is 89 times as loud as the 9mm half-load.
- I carry only commercial blanks, and neither make nor sell hand-loaded blanks. Some styles might be available at your local sporting goods store.
- Caps and blanks are two different animals. Blanks are cartridges filled with gunpowder and also have primers built-in to set them off. Caps have no gunpowder and no cartridge; they’re just little primers. Only blanks can be used in blank-fire guns. Only caps can be used in percussion (ball-and-cap) guns.
- There is one other type of “cap” – those used in toy cap guns. No starter gun or stage pistol can fire those kind of caps. These have a small amount of gunpowder and sometimes also a primer. Because toy caps are made to explode right at the point where the hammer makes contact with them, toy cap guns are less safe than blank guns for the person firing them. Go here for more information.
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described below, from left to right
6mm crimped – (rim-fire). sometimes misnamed the “super loud”, but more aptly the “acorn”, it is the smallest amount of sound you can find in a commercial blank. The very small amount of gunpowder produces a rather high pitched sound, but if your house is small, this is all you will need. Will fit any 22 caliber gun. Various brand names, the most common being MaxxTech (made in Bosnia/Herzegovina). about $0.15 each : $15.16 for a tin of 100.- 22 caliber crimped – (rim-fire). Made by CCI and by Remington, it’s one and a half times as loud as the above 6mm crimped. Slightly deeper in sound. about $0.24 each : $23.74 for a box of 100.
- 22 caliber blackpowder – (rim-fire). don’t confuse this with the above crimped loads. It is three times as loud and much deeper in tone. Made only by Winchester. This is what all but the largest houses or outdoor theatres require. about $0.35 each. : $17.58 for a box of 50.
For rentals of blank guns I routinely send out more blanks than you can use. You are not obligated to use them, but they’re there if you need them. Use what you need, and at the end of the run send back the rest (even opened boxes) with the returned guns, and you are only charged for the blanks actually fired.
NOTE: You are not obligated to use my blanks, but you must use blanks that are designed for starter pistols. Under no circumstance must you ever use “power” loads from hardware stores made for nail guns or decoy launchers. Those blanks destroy starter pistols and put the actors in grave danger of injury.
[“How about those .209 primers? They’re cheap and they fit in .22’s don’t they?” Yes, but they (just like the power loads) are center-fire, not rim-fire, so you get a whole bunch of mis-fires.]
- rimmed 9mm (.380) primers – The .380/9mm revolvers require larger blanks. But a larger blanks might hold a lot of gunpowder inside, often
too much for a small theatre. These primed casings have no gunpowder in them at all! The primers are louder than those found in other blanks, so the sound produced is similar to the light 6mm above. (Because the casing holds no gunpowder, the manufacturer doesn’t need to bother with crimping the end. And they are hand-made in the USA, which explains the price.) $0.35 each shot And yes, that’s only $17.35 for a box of 50! - rimmed 9mm (.380) FULL-load – For use in outdoor theatres, or when you want to replicate the sound of a cannon going off (I am only
slightly exaggerating). The shooter must wear ear protection. ) $0.16 each shot. And yes, that’s only $8.18 for a box of 50!
About the refund:
1) I do not accept blanks that don’t fit in my props. So for now, that means only the .22 caliber blanks shown above.
2) I do not accept .22 caliber “power” loads. Those are the kind used in power tools and decoy launchers. Cheap and easy to purchase at most hardware stores. Even though they fit in starter pistols, they also destroy them. Besides, they are centerfire, not rimfire, so they cause a lot of misfires. I toss those power loads right into the incinerator.
3) I only offer full credit/refund on blanks that were originally purchased from me. If you send blanks that I carry but were purchased from another vendor, I give you half of the normal credit/refund.
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Looking for blanks that I don’t carry? First try Collectors Armoury, which carries many blanks for blank-firing replicas, including semi-autos. If that doesn’t work, go to Cheaper than Dirt. They carry a wide assortment and are true to their name.