pulling down blanks?

[NSP64]

I have some 7.62x51 blanks and was wondering about pulling it down for powder/primer. It has 14. gr of a fine powder like 296/h110 would it be worth the trouble? Also have a few linked 50 BMG blanks.

[SciFiJim]

Are the ends crimped like .22 starter blanks? I am curious as to how the powder would be extracted from blanks. Cut the end of the cartridge off?

[NuJudge]

The powder used in blanks is almost always incredibly fast, much faster than Bullseye, not slower like 296.

The brass is almost always much thinner than cartridges featuring a bullet, or is substandard.

I've never heard any discussion regarding the primer. Some Austrian Hirtenberger-made blanks I have are sealed but not crimped, so it might be possible to gently press the primer out.

CDD

[HeavyMetal]

AS to "Blank" powder no way in h... should you consider saving, salvaging or re using this powder!

Blank powder is specifically designed to burn extra fast to give the correct sound level as live ammo!

Years ago an up and coming TV / movie star shot himself in the head with a 44 mag blank gun he was preparing to use in a scene. Careless gun handling and lack of KNOWLEDGE concerning the lethal effects of blanks at close range ended this mans life to early!

I believe Guns and Ammo ran a 5 page article the very next month, very tough to do since most mags have a 3 month lead time on printing, and they went into great detail on construction, components and deadly accidents that could be made to happen with blanks!

The best evidence was the Los Angeles phone book, back when it was over 4 inches thick, with a 3 inch hole blown in it with a 357 blank fired in a snubby model 66!

Save your time , labor, and good name and leave them blanks as blanks! shoot them , trade them but don't try to salvage them.

[gds]

If I were you, I would offer too trade somebody for components. There are always people looking for blank rounds at a good price.

[mooman76]

Someone else wanted to do this, I believe on this board. They showed pictures of the blank round unloaded and the primer hole was allot larger also which could be a problem in reloading as it raises pressures if this is the case.

[deltaenterprizes]

I was told by a guy that he used the powder for light target loads, I would try 3 gr in a 38 sp case with a 148 WC and shoot it in a 357 mag revolver to test it.

[DLCTEX]

I have a number of those blanks in a machine gun belt. About 75% have been fired. So far I have used the fired cases to make shot loads for 45ACP, cutting with a tubing cutter and sizing the "bullet" portion down in a 41 Mag. die until they chamber. Gives much larger capacity for shot. The brass appears to be at least as thick, if not thicker, than regular cases. I may try a few grains of blank powder, like start at one or two, in my shot loads, as they are very low pressure. I use three gr. BE for the current loads. That should be a safe use for a really fast powder. Is there a market for the belt links?

[4570guy]

Hatcher's Notebook cautions against ever using "blank" powder in any kind of handloads. As stated above, it is faster than even Bullseye. Don't go there.

[NSP64]

just wondering, don't freak out. pulled a .50cal blank apart and found the powder was irregular shaped and light/dirt brown in color. I thought it had gone bad, but it lit with a match and burned slow and hot. The 7.62 blanks are corroded on the outside and they have a red cardboard plug in the end of the bottle nosed front.

[Doc1]

FWIW and at YOUR OWN RISK: I came into a supply of approximately 250 Israeli 7.62x51 blanks a while back. These weren't conventionally-sealed blanks, but had a wooden bullet in them.

I did an informal flame test on the powder and yes, it was incredibly fast so I didn't attempt to use it for anything.

The brass looked perfectly fine and I hated to waste it, especially as .308 brass has been scarce for some time now. I'd heard the stories that blank brass was substandard or factory seconds, so proceeded with caution. I started using this blank brass strictly for very mild CB loads and then moved up to stiffer CB loads. I've never attempted to use it for J-word loads.

Some of this brass has now been loaded three or four times and I've yet to have any sort of failure with it. Again, I stress that I've only used it in relatively low pressure CB loads.

Best regards
Doc

[Ed Barrett]

Some of the blank brass I've run across had an over sized flash hole, some did not. So if you are going to use it for shotshell loads, check it first.

[SciFiJim]

The brass could be safely used for hot glue boolits (gloolits? (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=17577)).:grin:

[klcarroll]

Hmmm..........

It sounds like the best use for "Blank Powder" would be filling cardboard tubes for use on the 4th of July!!


Kent

[sheepdog]

Years ago an up and coming TV / movie star shot himself in the head with a 44 mag blank gun he was preparing to use in a scene. Careless gun handling and lack of KNOWLEDGE concerning the lethal effects of blanks at close range ended this mans life to early!


Not to tarnish your word but I think when you're talking about the dead you need to get the facts right. If you're referring to Brandon Lee that is not how it happened, nor was it a blank, nor was it his fault. If you would like to know how it did happen you can find it here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Lee#Death). Just my $0.02

[klcarroll]

@Sheepdog;

No, ....I believe he was referring to Jon-Erik Hexum. (See http://www.answers.com/topic/jon-erik-hexum)

Before you jump on another's post, .....perhaps you "need to get the facts right."

Kent

[Old Ironsights]

I've got a half dozen unfired .50bmg blanks and a whole belt of unfired 7.62 blanks from one exercise or another back in my ROTC days...

[Phil]

I remember that incident. The actors/actresses were goofing around during a break and the guy put a revolver loaded with blanks to his head and pulled the trigger. DOA.

Leave blank powder in blanks, the stuff is completely different than powders for ball ammunition.

Cheers,

Phil

[Echo]

I believe Freddie Prinze met the same fate...

Nope, he suicided apurpose...

[SciFiJim]

IIRC Freddie Prinze was not an accident. He killed himself while high on Quaaludes.

An now that the thread has been thoroughly hijacked.:hijack:

Use the blanks to make noise with. Then use the brass for hot glue or wax bullets to practice with. If the cases are too corroded to put in your gun the use the powder to fertilize your garden and sell the brass for scrap.

[HeavyMetal]

Yes the actor I was reffering to was Hexum and, had someone in gollywood thought past the dollar signs, this guy would have done great stuff.

This is a prime example of how dangerous blanks can be as well as the lack of training and supervision. My understanding is this incident forced a complete change in how guns are handled on sets and much to the betterment of the industry I think.

Blanks are as dangerous as the "unloaded gun"! When handling them be extermely cautious as to who has access and why.

O.K. soap box "Off".


P.S. to Klcarroll:

Thanks for the back up! I couldn't remember that guys name to save my life, just the details of the incident.

[klcarroll]

This is a prime example of how dangerous blanks can be as well as the lack of training and supervision.


Absolutely right on target!! ......Particularly the part about training!!!

I get so tired of sharing a firing line at the range with frivolous people who have obviously forgotten what these "tools" were originally designed and engineered to do!!!:roll:


Kent