Blank cartridges, as used in nail guns

Yugoslavian 7.9 mm (7.92 x 57 mm or 8 x 57 Mauser) blank cartridges.

A blank is a type of cartridge for a firearm that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. When fired, the blank makes a loud flash and report, and if loaded with black powder rather than smokeless gunpowder, a large cloud of smoke as well. Image File history File links blank (cartridge) scan, upload MH 15:52, 2005 Jan 21 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links blank (cartridge) scan, upload MH 15:52, 2005 Jan 21 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pneumatic gun in Australia. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 458 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1639 × 2146 pixel, file size: 572 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yugoslavian 7. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 458 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1639 × 2146 pixel, file size: 572 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Yugoslavian 7. ... Rimmed, centerfire . ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Smokeless powder Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a propellant in firearms. ... .357 Magnum cartridges, containing bullets A bullet is a solid projectile propelled by a firearm and is normally made from metal (usually lead). ... The term shot may refer to: Look up shot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ...

Applications

Blanks are commonly used when the sound and flash of gunfire is needed, but a projectile would not be safe, such as in military training maneuvers, in movies that require gun fights, and in starter's pistols to signal the beginning of races. Blanks used by the military are usually used with a special blank-firing adaptor in the firearm that constricts the barrel, keeping chamber pressures from the blank high enough for long enough to cycle the firearm's action. For movie use, specially designed blank firing firearms are often used, which increases the margin of safety as they cannot be loaded with live ammunition. Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... A starting pistol is a handgun (typically a revolver) that is fired to start track and field events. ... A race is a competition of speed. ... A blank-firing adaptor or blank-firing attachment (BFA), sometimes called a blank adaptor or blank attachment, is a device used in conjunction with blank ammunition. ... Warning signs, such as this one, can improve safety awareness. ...

Special blank cartridges are also used for applications where the explosive power of a cartridge is needed, but a projectile is not. Blank cartridges were commonly used for launching rifle grenades, though some types of grenades are capable of trapping the bullet of a live round. Blank rimfire cartridges are also used in some nail guns, where the power is tapped to force a heavy piston into the nail, with enough force to bury its full length in steel or concrete. A rifle grenade is a form of grenade that utilizes a rifle as a launch mechanism to increase the effective range of the grenade. ... A rimfire is a type of firearm cartridge. ... piston + connecting rod Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ... Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...

Some forms of fast draw competitions use special blanks that are loaded with a layer of slow burning rifle powder on top of a thin layer of faster burning pistol powder. The pistol powder ignites the slower burning rifle powder, and fires it out the barrel much like a shotgun shell. The burning powder only travels a few yards before it completely combusts, but that is far enough to burst the balloon used as a target for those competitions. Wax bullets are also commonly used for competitions and training where a non-lethal projectile is required. Fast Draw is a sport based on the romanticized art of the gunslingers in the American Old West, using traditional single action revolvers. ... A rifle is a firearm with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the barrel walls. ... Smokeless powder Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of gunpowder-like propellants used in firearms which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older black powder which it replaced. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... A shotgun shell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a shotgun. ... Balloons, like greeting cards or flowers, are given for special occasions. ... Wax bullets are made of paraffin wax, and are pressed into a primed cartridge case. ...

A blank cartridge may also be issued to several randomly selected shooters in an execution by firing squad. This is to allow each shooter the belief that they fired the blank. An experienced shooter would be able to detect the difference between the recoil of a live round and the less significant recoil of a blank cartridge, and thus would be fully aware as to whether or not they had fired a lethal round. The Executions of the Third of May by Francisco Goya Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in times of war. ...

Safety

Given the explosiveness of blank cartridges, they are by no means safe. While blanks do not contain bullets, they often contain a paper or plastic plug that seals the powder in the case, called a wad (a term derived from shotgun shells). This wad can cause bruising at medium ranges and severe penetrating wounds at close range. There is also a great deal of hot, expanding gas that comes out of the muzzle of the gun when a blank round is fired. Exposure to this gas can cause grievous injuries (see powerhead for an example where this is used). In addition if there is any debris in the barrel (for example stones in the far end) it will be expelled at a similar velocity to a bullet, with similar capability for harm. Actors in particular are at serious risk of injury from blank cartridges used on movie sets. Actors Brandon Lee and Jon-Erik Hexum were both killed in accidents involving blank cartridges; Lee was killed by an old cartridge fragment lodged in the gun, while Hexum died when the wad from the blank fractured a piece of his skull, sending bone fragments into his brain. The explosion alone can cause damage to the eardrum. A blank sheet of paper Paper is a commodity of thin material produced by the amalgamation of fibers, typically vegetable fibers composed of cellulose, which are subsequently held together by hydrogen bonding. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The terms powerhead, bang stick, and shark stick refer to specialized firearms intended to be used underwater and fire in direct contact with the target. ... Brandon Bruce Lee (李國豪 Cantonese: Léi Gwokhòu Pinyin: Lǐ Guóháo; February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was a Chinese-American actor of Chinese, German, and Swedish descent. ... Jon-Erik Hexum (November 5, 1957 – October 18, 1984) was an American actor and model. ... The tympanic membrane, colloquially known as the eardrum, is a thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. ...

External links

• World Fast Draw Association resource page, includes video instructions for loading blank cartrdiges for Fast Draw

Gopher Munitions: http://hometown.aol.com/daveww2/GOPHERMUNITIONSWORKS.html