Blanks vs. Bullets

 

This will be a more detailed look at what happens when a semi-automatic or fully automatic gun is fired. It will also ruin a lot of movies, so there’s that.

First, what is a “blank?”

A blank is a round that lacks a bullet. It’s basically a noisemaker. The pistols fired at track meets use blanks. Some nail guns use blanks. To make a blank, you need to take a normal casing, fill it with powder, then seal the end with a paper disk (revolvers and single shots only) or by crimping the end together to make a point. Some use a mix of the two.

When a blank is fired, the powder burns to create gas. That gas flows down the barrel where it makes a noise as it hits the air.

 

BLANKS ARE DANGEROUS!

Rifles: Lever and Pump Actions

Starting in the mid-1800’s metal cartridges made repeating rifles possible. The most famous of these was the model ’94 (1894) Lever Action Winchester. This was most common in .30-30, which is still available today.

Semi-Automatic Handguns

Earlier I talked about semi-automatic actions in a general way, focusing more on the difference between single and double actions.  In this entry, I’m going to look at the entire class, but in a slightly more detailed way.  This will be mainly for handguns, not rifles or shotguns unless noted.

Semi-automatic is the correct term for a firearm that will eject a fired casing and load a new one to be fired, all without any input from the shooter.  This is often just called automatic, or auto.  I will probably do that too, but technically, automatic weapons will also fire the second round to complete the cycle.  They will do this until the trigger is released.  Just be aware that semi-auto and auto can mean the same thing, just as automatic and full-auto mean the same thing.

Okay, moving on.

Actions and Reactions

When people talk of guns, they often refer to them by the action the gun uses to prepare the next round to fire.

For centuries, all guns were single shot weapons.  You’d fire once and then have to reload.  If you wanted to fire more than once, you needed to add another barrel.

Until the metal cartridge came along, all guns were muzzle loaders.  That means that the powder and bullet were shoved down the front of the barrel.  The “primer” may have been a piece of flint, or a burning string that the shooter placed in the flash hole by hand, or it may be a modern percussion cap that ignites the charge.  These guns are still called by the method of ignition used: Matchlock, Flintlock, Cap and Ball, and so on.

Other types of single shot actions are: